USA HISTORY

Abraham Lincoln was the first ____ president

(A) Whig

(B) ** Republican

(C) Democrat

(D) Barnburner

Concept note-1: -Lincoln was the first member of the recently established Republican Party elected to the presidency. Lincoln successfully presided over the Union victory in the American Civil War, which dominated his presidency and resulted in the end of slavery.

Concept note-2: -Lincoln’s election thus served as the main catalyst of the American Civil War. This marked the first time ever that a Republican was elected president, and Abraham Lincoln was the only candidate in the 1860 election to win electoral votes in only free states.

Concept note-3: -He subsequently sought the Republican presidential nomination in the 1860 presidential election, defeating William Seward and others at the 1860 Republican National Convention. Lincoln went on to win the general election by winning the vast majority of the electoral votes cast by Northern states.