The election of Lincoln was a cause of the Civil War because Lincoln's views on slavery were that it should be abolished. Lincoln's views on state's rights were that he did not want them either. He favored federal rights or just the nation's rights. Having the first president that stood up against allowing slaves and state's rights caused the South to want to break away from the North.
Lincoln/Douglas Debate
The Lincoln/Douglas Debate was between Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for Senator of Illinois. Douglas had won and taken the place of Lincoln as Senator of Illinois. This allowed Lincoln to become the president.
Stephen Douglas
Stephen Douglas was very different from Lincoln in the way that he favored allowing slaves and having state's rights. Having Douglas take the place of Lincoln as Senator of Illinois allowed Lincoln to influence our nation as he did by becoming president.
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln, being different from Douglas, was the first president to stand up against slavery and state's rights. As stated in the opening paragraph, having the president against the South was a strong reason for them breaking away. When Lincoln was elected to his second term, the South knew that they had no chance and that war was in the near future.
