As the country moved toward the election of 1860, and closer toward war, the rhetoric and emotional appeal of partisan editorializing in local newspapers clouded the issues. The Republican editors of ...

Sonoma State political science professor David McCuan Credit: Courtesy of David McCuan This fall’s course comes ahead of what McCuan’s syllabus calls “the most important election since 1860” — the ...

The election of a Republican, Abraham Lincoln, as President in 1860 sealed the deal. His victory, without a single Southern electoral vote, was a clear signal to the Southern states that they had ...