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Abraham Lincoln

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What were the North and South's opinions of Abraham Lincoln?

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Lincoln was very popular in the North, but the South did not think highly of him. Southerners were convinced Lincoln would completely ruin their way of life by abolishing slavery and turning their lives upside down. His election actually led to multiple states seceding, although the North stood firmly behind him.

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Generally speaking, Northerners were very supportive of Lincoln. Opposition to slavery and its extension were widely held, so Lincoln's campaign pledge not to extend slavery was warmly welcomed. There was also a common perception in the North that the American system of government had been skewed too far towards entrenching the interests of the Southern states. Henry Clay's notorious compromise of 1850 was seen by many in the North as a blatant example of how much disproportionate power was now wielded by the South. The Fugitive Slave Act was particularly resented in the Northern states, not just on moral grounds, but also on the basis that it infringed their own rights by forcing them to cooperate in the apprehension and return of runaway slaves.

That said, there were a number of Northerners who took a different view of Lincoln. Northern Democrats such as Lincoln's debating opponent Stephen A. Douglas, believed that slavery was not worth breaking the Union over. They urged greater compromise with the Southern states, seeing this as the best way to avoid conflict. Though very much in the minority, Northern opponents of Lincoln had large pockets of support, concentrated mainly in the big cities. During the Civil War, their hostility towards African Americans often broke out in serious acts of public disturbance, most notably in the New York City draft riots of 1863.

The vast majority of Southerners took a diametrically opposite view of Lincoln to most of those north of the Mason-Dixon line. They regarded him as a threat to a whole way of life. When running for office in 1860, Lincoln had pledged not to extend slavery, but he was also clear that his priority was keeping the Union together, even if it meant that slavery existed in every state.

Yet this concession wasn't enough for most Southerners. As far as they were concerned, preventing the extension of slavery was simply the thin end of the wedge. It was just a matter of time, they believed, before Lincoln went one step further and outlawed slavery altogether. Come the election, it was no surprise when Lincoln failed to carry a single slave state. In fact, his name didn't even appear on the ballot in ten Southern states, an indication of just how deeply unpopular he was in that part of the world.

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