Election of 1860 & Secession

The Election of 1860 and secession are complex topics filled with competing interests and perspectives. Active learning strategies like debate, document analysis, and mapping allow students to engage directly with the evidence and arguments of the time, fostering a deeper understanding than passive listening.

• 11th Grade
• US History
• 3 activities
• 30 min–60 min

Formal Debate

⏱ 60 min·Small Groups

Format Name: Election of 1860 Debate

Divide students into groups representing the four major parties. Each group researches their party's platform and candidate. Students then participate in a structured debate, arguing why their party's vision is best for the nation and responding to opposing viewpoints.

Prepare & details

Analyze the different party platforms and candidates in the Election of 1860.

Facilitation Tip: During the Formal Debate, ensure students representing each party adhere to their platform's core tenets and use evidence from their research to support their arguments.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Formal Debate

⏱ 45 min·Pairs

Format Name: Secession Document Analysis

Provide students with excerpts from secession declarations from various Southern states. Students work in pairs to identify the primary reasons cited for secession, focusing on the role of slavery and states' rights.

Prepare & details

Explain why Abraham Lincoln's victory prompted Southern states to secede.

Facilitation Tip: During Secession Document Analysis, circulate to help students identify the specific grievances and motivations articulated in the declarations, pushing them to connect abstract rights to the institution of slavery.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Formal Debate

⏱ 30 min·Individual

Format Name: Electoral Map Reconstruction

Give students blank electoral maps of the 1860 election. They must research and accurately fill in the electoral votes for each candidate based on state results, visually representing the sectional divide.

Prepare & details

Evaluate whether the Civil War was inevitable by 1860 given the deep sectional divisions.

Facilitation Tip: During Electoral Map Reconstruction, prompt students to explain the significance of a candidate winning states without a popular vote majority and discuss how this outcome fueled Southern anxieties.

Setup: Two teams facing each other, audience seating for the rest

Materials: Debate proposition card, Research brief for each side, Judging rubric for audience, Timer

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Decision-Making

Teaching This Topic

When teaching the Election of 1860 and secession, it's crucial to move beyond a simple narrative of North vs. South. Emphasize the fragmentation within parties and the nuanced, often self-serving, justifications for political actions. Teachers should guide students to analyze primary sources critically, looking for the underlying economic and social factors, particularly the centrality of slavery, that drove these events.

What to Expect

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the key issues and candidates in the 1860 election and the arguments for secession. They will be able to articulate the differing viewpoints of the major political parties and the Southern states' justifications for leaving the Union, citing evidence from primary sources and historical data.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Secession Document Analysis, watch for students who focus solely on 'states' rights' without connecting it to the protection of slavery.

What to Teach Instead

Redirect students by asking them to highlight specific phrases in the secession declarations that mention slavery or the rights of slaveholders, prompting them to analyze the primary motivation behind the invoked 'states' rights'.

Common Misconception

During the Formal Debate, students representing Lincoln might present him as an immediate abolitionist.

What to Teach Instead

Remind debaters representing Lincoln of his 1860 platform, which focused on the non-expansion of slavery, and prompt them to explain why this stance was perceived as radical by the South, using their research on the Republican platform.

Assessment Ideas

Peer Assessment

After the Formal Debate, have students use a rubric to evaluate the accuracy of arguments presented by opposing parties regarding their platforms and motivations in the 1860 election.

Discussion Prompt

Following Secession Document Analysis, facilitate a class discussion where students share the main arguments for secession from different states and discuss whether these arguments were primarily about political principles or the preservation of slavery.

Quick Check

During Electoral Map Reconstruction, ask students to verbally explain the significance of the electoral outcome in a specific state and how it contributed to the secession crisis.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Have students research and present on the immediate aftermath of Lincoln's election in a specific Southern state not covered in the document analysis.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters or graphic organizers for students struggling to articulate arguments during the Formal Debate or to identify key phrases in the secession documents.
• Deeper Exploration: Assign students to research the role of abolitionist movements or fire-eater rhetoric in shaping public opinion leading up to the election.