There were four major candidates in this election. The choice for the Republican Party was Abraham Lincoln. He was an excellent speaker who gained recognition during the Lincoln- Douglas debates. In his first major political appearance he won the support of many Americans through his powerful and famous speech at "Cooper Union" in New York City. In his speech, Lincoln deplored slavery and condemned violence. Lincoln won the nomination for his party because he was the only one acceptable to all of the different factions that existed in the Republican Party.

There also was a division within the Democratic Party. The popular choice for the Northern Democrats was Stephen Douglas. He was a spokesman for policy of National Expansion. His views supported family farming and free labor, which was a very significant issue at the time. The Southern Delegates nominated John Breckinridge of Kentucky who was also the Vice President of the United Stat

Many different tactics were used by the candidates to gain votes. From time to time in United States history, presidential nominees of the major parties engage in debates. Some of the most famous debates in American political history, were those between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas in 1858. At times, specific issues and slogans dominate presidential campaigns, such as morality of slavery and economic issues did during the 1860 elections. Both Lincoln and Douglas were excellent speakers and their debates helped display a side of the nominees that you did not think was there. For instance, you would not have thought that Douglas would be a powerful speaker. Lincoln seemed to be the quite type, but when he did speak his words were more powerful than his silence. These debates created a National reputation for Lincoln that propelled him toward the presidential nomination. During his acceptance speech for the Republican senatorial nomination in June 1858, Lincoln expressed the view that the nation would become either all slave or all free: "A house divided cannot stand!". Not only did it denounce a divided society, but it also acquired the attention of the population. People became interested in the opinions of the candidates and withstood all types inclement weather just to hear them speak. The debates also informed the American people where each candidate stood on the issues of that time.

There are many differences between the election of 1860 and the upcoming election of 2000. There has yet to be a major similarity. The times are different therefore the issues are different. In 1860 slavery was one of the major issues facing the country, and it was a very well debated topic. Today the major issues concern health reform, tax cuts, education and globalization. Campaigning tactic were very different then than they are now, due to the technology we have developed over the past fifty years. Candidates can communicate to millions of people at a time over the television. During the election of 1860, the people attending the debates

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