Ed Bearss -In-person interview transcript
Civil War author, historic battlefields tour guide, Chief Historian of National Park Service from 1981 to 1994, National Park Service historian emeritus
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-Why was the Election of 1860 a turning point in American history?
The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 makes secession inevitable. It ensures that the South Carolinians will act this time - they've threatened before, but this time, due to Lincoln's policy on the spread of slavery, they will act. The election thus makes the Civil War inevitable, particularly since Lincoln had sworn to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution." He's got to take action after the firing on Ft. Sumter, or one nation will become two. |