The Election of 1860 and Secession in Georgia

        The outcome of the election of 1860 was the primary reason for the secession of the Southern States. It was held on Tuesday, November 6th. There were four candidates running for president. They were Abraham Lincoln, Stephen A. Douglas, John Bell, and John C. Breckinridge. The two main candidates were Lincoln and Douglas. Douglas was popular and could have won if it weren't for the split democrats. Breckinbridge was also running as a Democrat so some of the democratic voters voted for him. This gave Lincoln a huge advantage. Lincoln's running mate was Hannibal Hamlin while Douglas's was Herschel Johnson. The first state to secede was South Carolina on December 20th, 1860. The two groups in this period were the secessionists and the cooperationists. The secessionists were also known as radicals or fire eaters. They were ready to secede from the Union before the civil war, some in 1852. The cooperationists were the people that favored seceding only if all of the Southern states would. Their pretty much cooperated and agreed with each other. Alexander Stephens was the vice president of the confederacy to the civil war. He served under Jefferson Davis. Stephens was Georgia's 50th governor for a year from 1882 - 1883. Stephens only governed a year because he died in 1883. In 1861 he was elected as a delegate to the Georgia special convention to decide on secession from the United States. Stephens voted against secession even though he lost 7 - 2.