Lincoln Elected: Nation Divided Over Slavery
Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 triggered immediate secession by seven Southern states before he even took office. This chain reaction plunged the nation into civil war, ending slavery and redefining American democracy through bloodshed rather than compromise.
November 6, 1860
166 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on November 6
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A powerful earthquake destroyed large sections of the Walls of Constantinople, toppling 57 towers and leaving the city exposed. The Byzantine government mobiliz…
Emperor Otto I convened the Synod of Rome at St. Peter's Basilica to depose Pope John XII, citing the pontiff's armed rebellion against imperial authority. This…
King Henry III seals the Charter of the Forest at St Paul's Cathedral, restoring free men's access to royal lands that William the Conqueror and his heirs had r…
He didn't arrive with flags or fanfare. Cabeza de Vaca washed ashore half-dead, part of a doomed expedition that lost 600 men to storms, disease, and disaster. …
He was winning. Gustavus Adolphus had just shattered Imperial lines at Lützen when fog swallowed him whole — and somewhere in that chaos, Sweden's king took a b…
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