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 expansion of slavery
B.
the introduction of tariffs
C.
the expansion out west
D.
the price of cotton

Answer 1

A. the expansion of slavery

The Democratic Party split in 1860 over whether slavery should be allowed to expand into the western territories—Northern Democrats favored popular sovereignty, while Southern Democrats demanded federal protection of slavery in the territories.