When President Lincoln won the White House he did so with 40% of the vote. The other 60% was divided between the three other parties.
Think about it.
Lincoln was elected with 40% of the vote and the Republican Base, even today, never reaches greater than 35% in any poll, while the Democratic Party is always a solid 46%-47% of the electorate.
Odd.
If there weren't four parties running for the office of President that year, we may not have had a President Lincoln. After he won office he was brought to Washington, DC under a false name to insure his safety.
The longing for abolishment of slavery dates back to the beginning of the USA as thirteen colonies.
George Washington so much found distain in slavery that he once attempted to sell all his land but the one where his home was built to emanciate his slaves. He was not able to carry out the emanciation of his slaves because enough sufficient renters and buyers for his land were unavailable.
Abraham Lincoln was the 'manifest destiny' of the words and desires of President George Washington, whom is attributed to say:
Not only do I pray for it, on the score of human dignity, but I can clearly forsee that nothing but the rooting out of slavery can perpetuate the existence of our union, by consolidating it in a common bond of principle.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, attributed, John Bernard's Retrospections of America
