The election of 1860 is one of the clearest examples of extreme and irreconcilable ideological divisions within the United States. Often seen as a trigger for the Civil War, it highlighted the vast and deeply rooted conflict that existed over slavery in the South (“The Election of 1860”). This had a very profound effect on the overall political system that existed in America. As stated in “The Election of 1860,” the conflict loosened the grip that the two-party system had had in the century before this election. Internal conflict dilapidated the Whig party to the point that it could no longer function as a party. This left the Democratic and Republican parties as presumed competing parties. The Democrats, however, were subject to a considerable amount of internal conflict. The Democratic National Convention, held in Charleston, brought many of these conflicting ideas to the forefront during the election (“Election of 1860”). Stephen A. Douglas, a senator from Illinois, was a favorite of his successful debates with Abraham Lincoln in 1858. He supported popular sovereignty in deciding whether slavery would be permitted in newly acquired American territories in the West (“ The Election of 1860 ") While these ideas appealed to Northern Illinois Democrats, the idea that slavery had an opportunity to be outlawed "alienated the Southern Democrats he needed to win the presidential nomination" ("Election of 1860 and Civil War"). His opponent in the primary was Vice President John C. Breckenridge of Kentucky. Breckenridge appealed much more to Southern voters, promising "Congressional protection of the slaveholdings" which at the time had been a strong desire of the platform committee in much of the South (“Elec...... middle of paper…… tor, as their provisional president” (“The Civil War and Emancipation”). This ultimately led to conflict at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which in turn led to the Civil War. Ultimately, Lincoln forced the abolition of slavery in the United States, "resolving" the original conflict of the election. The election also placed the newly formed Republican Party in a prominent position, it lost its identity as an anti-slavery party, and began to evolve into the large party it is today. This also marked the beginning of the divided Democratic Party that would remain divided into factions until after the war. In general, the elections of 1860 marked a period of change in the United States, in ideology and government established a new power. It completely redefined what exactly the United States of America was.