I knew the election of 1860 was somewhat unusal in American history. It was a four way race that resulted in a split from the Democratic Party. I had no idea Lincoln's name did not appear on the ballot in most Southern States. Actually it's not a surprise considering some of his values didn't translate well with the Confederate states. Lincoln was able to carried the free states in the Northeast and Northwest. Nevertheless, Lincoln became the President. I remember learning about this fact during my sophomore year in college and chuckling to myself.
Please recall that A. Lincoln was a Republican and that the Republican Party formed only in 1854, in Wisconsin, as a reponce to the Missouri Compromise of 1850, which in turn was a product of the Crisis of 1848. This means that there was only some six years for the Republicans to build a party organisation. In the days before a national Press organisation this is rather remarkable.
These days the national press organization would do no good to help build a major party. Lincoln's values didn't translate well for most Southerners but he was merely seen as a nuisance and was stereotyped/mocked before his views became known to most of the South.
That's interesting. Didn't know Lincoln wasn't on the southern ballot. But it doesn't really come as a big surprise as his views were not received very well in that region of the country during that particular era. It took a long time for the Republican Party to gain a following in the South. Eisenhower was the first Republican to do well in national elections. Goldwater and Reagan really stepped up Republican success in the south as their more conservative views were well receieved by southerners. The Republican Party has really taken over at all levels in the South. The transformation of the south to GOP control really excellerated in the 1990's and 2000's, at the state and local levels.
GOP -- Grand Old Party... That name always bothers and amuses me. It is such a lie. The Republican Party was founded in 1854. The Democrates were already well established. In high school American History my teacher explained that the identities of the two main American political parties were exchanged sometime in the late 19th century. But it was this phenomena of political vagreties of the political system and the Electorial College which was the flint which sparked the ACW, not the steel of the controversy of the peculiar institution.
