Then presidential elections of the years past have had a major impact on the world existing today. In my report I researched the election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln's victory in this election enabled Black People to be free in our society today.
             There were four major candidates in this election. The choice for the Republican Party was Abraham Lincoln. He was an excellent speaker who gained recognition during the Lincoln- Douglas debates. In his first major political appearance he won the support of many Americans through his powerful and famous speech at "Cooper Union" in New York City. In his speech, Lincoln deplored slavery and condemned violence. Lincoln won the nomination for his party because he was the only one acceptable to all of the different factions that existed in the Republican Party.
             There also was a division within the Democratic Party. The popular choice for the Northern Democrats was Stephen Douglas. He was a spokesman for policy of National Expansion. His views supported family farming and free labor, which was a very significant issue at the time. The Southern Delegates nominated John Breckinridge of Kentucky who was also the Vice President of the United States. He advocated plantation economy and also supported slavery. Breckinridge caused the Southern Democratic delegates to form a Constitutional Union party because they did not agree with his politics. Therefore, they nominated a fourth candidate whose only cause was to preserve the union and attempted to rally the former Whigs. His name was John Bell of Tennessee. Bell wished to preserve the constitution (thus the constitutional union party).
             Many different tactics were used by the candidates to gain votes. From time to time in United States history, presidential nominees of the major parties engage in debates. Some of the most famous debates in American political history, were those between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858. At times, specif...