Lincoln’s Presidency Reshapes Union, Advances Abolition

Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 election as the 16th president was a turning point in a nation divided over slavery and the Union. A split among Democratic candidates helped Lincoln win 180 electoral votes, although he received less than 40 percent of the popular vote and virtually no support in the Deep South. Lincoln opposed slavery’s expansion into western territories, and his victory heightened Southern fears, followed by secession and the outbreak of the Civil War. During the war, Lincoln delivered the brief dedicatory remarks at Gettysburg that became known as the Gettysburg Address, following the event’s main oration by Edward Everett.