The Differences Slavery Made: A Close Analysis of Two American Communities

Politics, Franklin County, Party Activists, 1859-60

Democratic party activists in Franklin County outnumbered Republicans in nearly every precinct, but the younger Republican or People's Party rallied more voters in the 1860 election.

Party Affiliation Total
Democrat Republican
Chambersburg, South Ward 54 45 99
Chambersburg, North Ward 35 27 62
Antrim 11 7 18
Concord 3 1 4
Dry Run 5 0 5
Fayetteville 5 1 6
Green Village 3 5 8
Guilford 4 0 4
Hamilton 3 3 6
Letterkenny 5 2 7
Loudon 3 1 4
Lurgan 4 1 5
Montgomery 4 7 11
Metal 1 5 6
Orrstown 5 7 12
Peters 3 1 4
Quincy 1 2 3
St. Thomas 4 1 5
Southampton 3 2 5
Sulphur Spring 1 2 3
Warren 3 0 3
Washington 3 3 6
Welsh Run 3 3 6
Total 166 126 292



The data are based on the GIS of Augusta and Franklin households--maps are derived from a D. H. Davison map of Franklin County, published in 1858, and a Jedediah Hotchkiss map of Augusta County, published in 1870, and based on surveys completed "during the war." The maps have been georeferenced at the Virginia Center for Digital History, using ESRI Arc Info to produce a Geographic Information Systems map and database of households based on U.S. census data from the population, agricultural, and slaveowners' schedules.

Note: Original precinct boundaries are not available. Precinct boundaries were established in the GIS using Thiessen polygons around precinct stations as central places.

Edward L. Ayers and William G. Thomas, III
Politics, Franklin County, Party Activists, 1859-60
2001.

Points of Analysis to this Data:

"In Franklin County, John Breckinridge won a majority in six precincts, most of them in the far northern and western belt of the county, where few blacks lived and farmers planted corn not wheat."

"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."


Citation: Key = E131
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