The Failure of Compromise Slavery had defined the contrast between regions of the Unites States since the framing of the Constitution. No other political agenda in the history of the United States is responsible for so much debate, division, and even bloodshed as the issue of slavery. Up until the years 1860 and 1861, the nation states were able to come to a compromise regarding this issue, however, this compromise would not last forever. In 1861, The United States divided into two separate and hostile territories as a result of the hotly debated topic of slavery status in federal territories. Everyone in the nation know the election of1860 held enormous importance for the country, but no one knew the magnitude of its significance. The key players in the election were Lincoln and Breckinridge. Lincoln made no attempt at gaining votes in the southern territories, and Breckenridge made little attempt at winning votes in the north. Lincoln ended up winning every Northern state except for New Jersey, and Breckenridge won every state in the South except for Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. In the Electoral College however, the election wasn’t even close. Lincoln won with 180 votes verses Breckenridge’s 72 votes. Because of the fact that Lincoln wasn’t even on the Ballot in most southern states, South Carolina became so upset it began the process of seceding from the union. By the time Lincoln actually took office in early 1861, the Confederacy actually began to take form.