“But will the election of Mr. Lincoln endanger the Union?”

The Atlantic’s archive also has selected full text articles published between 1857 and November 1995. While a number of interesting articles are available, I wanted to point out one from the October 1860 issue. A month before the November 1860 election, James Russell Lowell discussed the four candidates and potential outcomes. Lowell realized that “this election [was] a turning-point in our history” because “[even though] there [were] four candidates, there [were] really…two parties, and a single question that divides them.” While many Americans were concerned about a Republican victory, Lowell concluded that Abraham Lincoln “[had] proved both his ability and his integrity” and his party “[had] no hostility to the South.” While thisarticle is a long one, some might be able to use it in their classes.