The 1860 presidential election saw Republican Abraham Lincoln defeat Democrat John Breckinridge. Lincoln's victory led seven Southern states to secede from the Union and marked the onset of the Civil War. The election focused on the expansion of slavery and rights of slave owners.

1. By: Benedict Gombocz

2.  Held November 6, 1860 and was the
driving force for the outbreak of the
Civil War
 Was focused on issues surrounding
expansion of slavery and rights of
slave owners
 Democratic Party, as a result of
conflicting regional interests, split
into Northern and Southern factions;
a new Constitutional Union Party was
formed
 President before election was
Democrat James Buchanan of
Pennsylvania; elected President was
Republican Abraham Lincoln of
Illinois
 Lincoln’s victory in this election led
to declaration of secession by seven
Southern states following South
Carolina, which both outgoing
President James Buchanan and
President-elect Lincoln rejected as
illegal

3.  Held November 8, 1864, during the Civil
War; re-elected incumbent Abraham
Lincoln
 Lincoln ran under National Union (instead
of Republican) ticket against former top
general, Democrat George B.
McClellan, who ran as “peace
candidate”, even though he personally did
not believe in his party’s platform
 National Union Party was created by
Republicans loyal to Lincoln who joined
with a number of War Democrats, for
whom the party was formed to
accommodate them
 Although only votes that were cast in
states that did not attempt to secede from
the Union were counted, elections were
held in Union-controlled states of
Louisiana and Tennessee, both carried by
Lincoln
 First election since 1832 in which the
incumbent was re-elected;
unfortunately, Lincoln’s second term was
cut short only six weeks after it began with
his assassination and death

4.  Held November 3, 1868; first
presidential election to take place after
Civil War, during the period known as
Reconstruction
 Three ex-Confederate states
(Texas, Mississippi, Virginia) had not
been readmitted to Union;
consequently, they were not allowed to
participate in the election
 Incumbent President Andrew Johnson
(who assumed presidency following
Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in
1865) unsuccessfully sought the
Democratic nomination; Horatio
Seymour was nominated in his place to
challenge Union general in Civil War
Ulysses S. Grant
 In the North, Grant was one of the most
popular men because of his efforts in
leading Union to victory in Civil War
 President before election was Andrew
Johnson of National Union Party of
North Carolina; elected president was
Republican Ulysses S. Grant of Ohio

5.  Held November 5, 1872; easily re-elected
incumbent President Ulysses S. Grant with
Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts as his
running mate, in spite of a split within
Republican Party that resulted in withdrawal of
support of several Liberal Republicans to
opponent Horace Greeley
 Democratic Party likewise nominated
candidates of Liberal Republican ticket in 1872
 On November 29, 1872, Greeley died after
popular vote, but Electoral College, cast votes
 With Greeley’s death, electors previously
committed to him voted for at least four
different presidential candidates, and eight
different vice-presidential candidates; even
though Greeley gained three posthumous
electrol votes, Congress declared them invalid
 Only election to date in which a presidential
candidate died during electrol process

6.  Held November 7, 1876; was one of the most
disputed and controversial presidential
elections in American history
 In popular vote, Democratic Samuel J. Tilden of
New York outpolled Republican Rutherford B.
Hayes of Ohio with 184 electoral votes to
Hayes’ 165; 20 votes were uncounted and
were in dispute in three Southern states:
Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina
 These disputed electoral votes were given to
Hayes after a legal and political
battle, declaring him winner over Tilden
 Informal deal, Compromise of 1877, was
struck to settle the disputed election
 First presidential election since 1852 in which
Democratic candidate won majority of popular
vote; also first, and to date only, election in
history of the United States in which a
candidate gained absolute majority of popular
vote (more than 50 percent) and was not
elected President by Electoral College

7.  Held November 2, 1880; largely
viewed as referendum on end of
Reconstruction in Southern states
carried out by Republicans
 Was not focused on any pressing
issues other than tariffs; Republicans
endorsed higher tariffs and
Democrats endorsed lower ones
 Incumbent President Rutherford B.
Hayes did not run for re-election, a
promise he made during the 1876
campaign
 Republican Party chose another
Ohioan, James A. Garfield, as their
nominee; Democratic Party chose
Civil War General Winfield Scott
Hancock as theirs
 President before election was
Republican Rutherford B. Hayes of
Ohio; elected President was
Republican James A. Garfield of Ohio

8.  Held November 4, 1884; saw first
election of a Democrat in 28 years
 1884 campaign was spoiled by
exceptional political acrimony and
personal invective
 Democrat and Governor of New
York Grover Cleveland narrowly
won over Republican and former
U.S. Senator James G. Blaine of
Maine to surpass longest losing
streak for any major political party
in American political history (six
consecutive presidential elections)
 After deciding the election, New
York gave Grover Cleveland the
state’s 36 electors by margin of
only 1,047 out of total 1,171,312
votes cast

9.  Held November 6, 1888; saw
incumbent President Grover
Cleveland run for re-election against
Republican and former U.S. Senator
from Indiana Benjamin Harrison
 Despite economic prosperity and
peace, Cleveland lost re-election in
Electoral College, even though he
received a plurality of popular vote
by close margin
 Principle issue in the election was
tariff policy
 Harrison took side of industrialists
and factory workers who wanted
tariffs to remain high; Cleveland
condemned high tariffs as unfair to
customers
 President before election was
Democrat Grover Cleveland of New
York; elected President was
Republican Benjamin Harrison of
Indiana

10.  Held November 8, 1892; former
President Grover Cleveland once
again ran against incumbent
Benjamin Harrison, who ran for re-
election
 In this “re-match,” Cleveland won
over Harrison and became the only
American president to win a
second, non-consecutive term; won
both popular and electoral vote in
this election
 Campaign of 1892 focused ideally on
issue of sound currency
 Populist Party was created by groups
from Grange, Farmers’ Alliances, and
Knights of Labor; won over a million
votes, but Cleveland won easily; he
also became first Democrat to be
nominated by his party three
consecutives times, a record equaled
only by future President Franklin D.
Roosevelt in 1940 and then
surpassed by FDR in 1944

11.  Held November 3, 1896; saw
Republican William McKinley of Ohio
win over Democrat William Jennings
Bryan of Nebraska in campaign seen
by scientists to be one of the most
dramatic and complicated in
American History
 Often seen as realigning system that
ended old Third Party System and
saw advent of Fourth Party System
 McKinley forged coalition which
represented
businessmen, professionals, skilled
factory workers, and prosperous
farmers
 Of primary importance were
economic issues, which included
bimetallism, gold standard, free
silver, and tariffs
 President before election was
Democrat Grover Cleveland of New
York; elected President was
Republican William McKinley of Ohio

12.  Held November 6, 1900; re-
match of 1896 race between
incumbent Republican
President William McKinley of
Ohio and Democratic opponent
William Jennings Bryan of
Nebraska
 Return of economic prosperity
and recent victory in Spanish-
American War played a role in
McKinley’s re-election
 Re-elected President McKinley
chose Governor of New York
Theodore Roosevelt as running
mate for Vice President; his
running mate in 1896
election, Garret A. Hobart, died
of heart failure in 1899

13.  Held November 8, 1904; resulted in
election of Republican Theodore
Roosevelt to full term , who ascended
to presidency upon William
McKinley’s assassination in 1901;
Republican Party unanimously
nomination him for President at 1904
national convention
 During election campaign, Roosevelt
called on voters to endorse his
“square deal” policies
 Nominee of Democratic Party was
Alton B. Parker, Chief Judge of New
York Court of Appeals, who made an
urgent request for an end to what he
called “rule of individual caprice” and
“usurpation of authority’’ by
President Roosevelt
 Theodore Roosevelt won the election
easily; through his election, he
became the first president to assume
the office after the death of a
president who won his own full term

14.  Held November 3, 1908; popular
incumbent President Theodore
Roosevelt, honoring tradition set by
past presidents not to seek third
term, persuaded Republican Party to
nominate close friend and Secretary of
War William Howard Taft to succeed him
 With bad loss in 1904 election with
conservative candidate Alton B.
Parker, Democratic Party chose two-
time candidate William Jennings
Bryan, who had previously been
defeated in 1896 and 1900 by
Republican William McKinley
 In spite of previous two losses, Bryan
continued to be popular among more
liberal and populist elements of
Democratic Party
 President before election was
Republican Theodore Roosevelt of New
York; elected President was Republican
William Howard Taft of Ohio

15.  Held November 5, 1912 and was rare four-
way contest; incumbent Republican
President William Howard Taft was
nominated by Republican Party with
endorsement of its conservative wing over
Theodore Roosevelt, who left Republican
Party and called his own convention and
created his own party, Progressive Party
(nicknamed “Bull Moose Party”)
 Candidate for Socialist Party of America
was Eugene V. Debs of Indiana
 Democrat Woodrow Wilson won over
Taft, Roosevelt, and Debs in general
election; won a huge majority in Electoral
College with 42% of popular vote, while
closest rival, Roosevelt, gained only 27%
 Between 1892 and 1932, Wilson was only
elected Democratic president; was also
only second of two Democrats to be
become president in that 40 year period

16.  Held November 7, 1916; took place
while Europe was engaged in World
War I and before United States’ entry
 Public attitude in still neutral U.S.
leaned towards allied British and
French forces because of harsh
treatment of civilians by German
Army, which invaded and occupied
big parts of neutral Belgium and the
north of France
 In spite of being sympathetic with
allied forces, most American voters
favored not getting involved in the
war and sticking to policy of
neutrality
 Incumbent Democratic President
Woodrow Wilson won over
Republican opponent Charles Evan
Hughes with narrow margin
 Wilson’s campaign slogan “He kept
us out of war “ helped him secure re-
election

17.  Held November 2, 1920; was entirely
focused on aftermath of the First World
War and hostile response to incumbent
Democratic President Woodrow Wilson’s
policies
 Politicians were engaged in disagreements
concerning peace treaties including Treaty
of Versailles and question of United States’
entry into League of Nations, which was
opposed by many because it produced an
isolationist reaction
 Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt was
frontrunner for Republican nomination, but
his health declined in 1918; he died in
January 1919
 Democrats nominated newspaper
publisher and Governor James M. Cox;
Republicans selected Senator Warren G.
Harding, himself an Ohio newspaper
publisher
 President before election was Democrat
Woodrow Wilson of New Jersey; elected
President was Republican Warren G.
Harding of Ohio

18.  Held November 4, 1924; was won by
incumbent Republican President and
candidate Calvin Coolidge, who was vice
president under Warren G. Harding, and
became president with Harding’s death in
office in 1923
 Coolidge received credit for booming
economy (the 1920s were a prosperous
decade) at home and no present crises
abroad; his candidacy was helped by split
in Democratic Party
 Regular Democratic candidate was little
well known former congressman and
diplomat from West Virginia, John W.
Davis; because Davis was a
conservative, several liberal Democrats
moved away from the party and endorsed
campaign of third-party and Progressive
candidate Robert M. La Follette of
Wisconsin
 First presidential election in which every
Native American was recognized as citizen
and allowed voting rights

19.  Held November 6, 1928; was election
between Republican Herbert Hoover
of California and Democrat Al Smith
of New York
 Republicans remained popular
because they were associated with
booming economy of 1920s
 Incumbent Republican President
Calvin Coolidge did not seek another
full term
 Al Smith, Roman Catholic by
faith, suffered political discrimination
from Anti-Catholic prejudice, anti-
prohibitionist position, and legacy of
corruption of Tammany Hall, with
which he was identified
 President before election was
Republican Calvin Coolidge of
Massachusetts; elected President was
Republican Herbert Hoover of
California with landslide win