Election of 1860 and Secession in GA

The Election of 1860 was one of the most important in the United States' history. This election was the first election were a Republican was on the ballot. The Republican Party was created in 1854 to stop the spread of slavery.The Republican from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, eventually won the election by a landslide in both the electoral and popular. He won legally but, he was not on 10 states' ballots. This controversy cause a chain reaction of secession started by South Carolina in 1860. Secessionists and cooperationists in GA could not decide on whether to secede or stay. Finally, they decided to secede, being 4th in the country. Later, after multiple states had seceded, a new country was formed. It was called the Confederate States of America, headed by Jefferson Davis and Alexander Stephens.  Davis was from Kentucky and Stephens was from Georgia.  Davis was chosen as president because of his loyalty to the Confederacy. Stephens was chosen because of his involvement with both sides. Originally, he was a cooperationist (wanted to stay) because of the Compromise of 1850's Fugitive Slave Act; which requires that all runaway slaves must be returned to owners. Over time, Stephens realized that slavery was inevitable and became a secessionist (wanted to leave). Stephens involvement on both sides awarded him the position of Vice President of the Confederacy.

President Lincoln
Confederacy