Virginia and Pennsylvania, 1860 Election

In a shift from the 1856 election, the Republicans won almost every county in Pennsylvania, including Franklin. Virginia counties split between the Consitutional Union candidate, John Bell, and the Democratic candidates, Stephen Douglas and John C. Breckinridge. Douglas won only a handful of Virginia counties, while Breckinridge accounted for the majority of Democratic votes in the state. In alliance with its old Whiggish tendencies, Augusta voted for Bell and helped him carry Virginia.

This map was generated using The Great American History Machine: An Interactive Atlas of the 19th and 20th Century United States Social and Political History CD-ROM developed by Chad McDaniel and David Miller in collaboration with the University of Maryland Academic Software Development Group.

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Edward L. Ayers and William G. Thomas, III,
Virginia and Pennsylvania, 1860 Election
2001

"In Augusta clusters of contiguous precincts gave their support in the 1860 presidential election in similar patterns."

"Whigs accounted for the most visible party activists in Augusta County, but activists in both parties exerted significant influence."

"Precincts in Augusta that supported Breckinridge at a high level in 1860 represented the extremes of wealth, as the wealthiest and the poorest precincts drew more support for Breckinridge than any other precincts."

"The precincts with high Bell support had average household wealth and farm value well below county averages. For these marginal places a vote for Bell represented a safe course, the least change."

"Lincoln won sixteen precincts in Franklin, ten of them by margins greater than 55 percent, with support mainly from the urban center of the county and places with the highest numbers of black residents--even though black men could not vote in Pennsylvania."