Question

10) Use the map to write the correct answer.

A map

Use data from the map to explain how Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election with only 39.8% of the popular vote.


10) Use the map to write the correct answer.
3
NH 5
VT 5.
5
35
27
13
23
11
12
12
4
15
10
8
7
6
9
10
3
8
MA 13
- RI4
CT 6
- NJ 4 3
- DE 3
MD 8
Lincoln - Republican
Douglas - Democratic
Breckinridge -
Southern Democratic
Bell - Constitutional Union territories
Use data from the map to explain how Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election with only 39.8% of the popular vote.

Answer 1

Lincoln won a clear Electoral College majority even though he had only 39.8% of the popular vote because of three facts shown by the map:

1) The Democratic vote was split four ways. Democrats divided between Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat) and John C. Breckinridge (Southern Democrat), while John Bell ran as a Constitutional Union candidate. That split the anti‑Republican vote so Lincoln could win many states with only a plurality.

2) Lincoln’s support was heavily concentrated in the populous Northern states, so winning those states gave him large blocks of electors. For example, he carried New York (35), Pennsylvania (27), Ohio (23), Massachusetts (13) and other Northern states shown on the map. Winning those high‑electoral‑vote states gave him a majority of electors.

3) The winner‑take‑all Electoral College amplified regional pluralities into a national victory. Even though less than 40% of voters nationwide preferred Lincoln, his pluralities in many Northern states translated into almost all of those states’ electoral votes, giving him the Electoral College win.