How did the views of Southern Democrats differ from those of other parties during the 1860 election?

During the 1860 election, the views of Southern Democrats were distinctly different from those of the other parties due to their strong support for slavery and states' rights. The Democratic Party was deeply split over the issue of slavery, which led to a schism and the formation of two separate factions: the Northern Democrats and the Southern Democrats.

Southern Democrats were in favor of extending slavery into the new territories and protecting it as an institution in the United States. They argued for what they called "state sovereignty" or "states' rights," which was the idea that states should have the authority to decide whether they allowed slavery, without interference from the federal government. This ideology was in direct response to the antislavery sentiment that was growing in the North.

In contrast, the Republican Party, represented by Abraham Lincoln, opposed the extension of slavery into any new territories or states. They did not call for the immediate abolition of slavery in the states where it already existed but were firmly against its expansion, arguing that it was morally wrong and economically unsound.

Northern Democrats, led by Stephen A. Douglas, supported popular sovereignty, the concept that the settlers of a territory should decide the status of slavery themselves, rather than having it determined by the federal government.

Lastly, the Constitutional Union Party, which sought to avoid secession or civil war by not addressing the issue of slavery at all, but rather focusing on preserving the Union.

The 1860 election, therefore, underscored the deep divisions in the United States over the issues of slavery and state authority, which were major contributing factors leading to the onset of the American Civil War.