Question

Before the presidential election of 1860, the Democratic Party broke up into two different groups. There were the Northern Democrats and the Southern Democrats. What issue made the party break up?
A.
the introduction of tariffs
B.
the price of cotton
C.
the expansion out west
D.
the expansion of slavery

Answer 1

D. the expansion of slavery

The party split over whether slavery should be allowed to expand into the western territories (Northern Democrats favored popular sovereignty; Southern Democrats demanded federal protection of slavery).