University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: James Buchanan
The initial source for links to all aspects of the Buchanan presidency, including information on his cabinet, domestic policy and foreign policy. From the Miller Center.
OpenStax
Open Stax: The Kansas Nebraska Act and the Republican Party
Students will learn about the political ramifications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the founding of the Republican Party.
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Democratic Party Platform of 1856
Read a copy of the Democratic Party Platform in the election of 1856. Of note is its equivocation on the issue of slavery.
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Election of 1856
Online resource that provides detailed electoral data for the presidential election of 1856 won by Democratic nominee, James Buchanan.
Other
Fca Homeschool: History 806
A sample lesson plan covering the sectionalism and problems facing the nation in its debate on slavery in the 1850s.
Other
Republican Party: Our History
Read the first few paragraphs of this article to find out about the formation of the Republican Party in 1854 and how it affected the political scene in the last part of the 1850s.
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: James Buchanan: A Life in Brief
A brief look at James Buchanan as president and the controversies he faced. From the Miller Center.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Irish and German Immigration
Read about the reasons thousands of Irish and Germans emigrated to the United States in the first half of the 19th century. Find out why there was a backlash to influx of so many immigrants, and learn about the Nativists who wanted to...
University of Groningen
American History: Essays: The American Whig Party (1834 1856)
This article presents the second part of the history of the Whig Party to find out why the issue of slavery brought about its demise.
Digital History
Digital History: The Election of 1856
A brief account of the election of 1856, the first in which the new Republican Party put forth a presidential candidate. See how the election split down regional lines.
Northern Illinois University
Getting the Message Out!: Second Party System: The Know Nothing Party
Explains what the Know Nothing party represented. They emerged in reaction to massive immigration between 1845 and 1855, and to the growing political influence of Roman Catholics.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Examining Antebellum Elections
[Free Registration/Login Required] This high school lesson plan has students look at data from the elections between 1824-1861 and the effect the two party system had on the outcomes.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Political Divisions
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart details the growing political divisions in the United States in the decade before the Civil War. It includes information on the election of 1856, the Dred Scott Decision, the Lincoln...
270 To Win
270towin: 1856 Presidential Election
Provides detailed electoral facts for the presidential election of 1856 won by James Buchanan in an unusually heated election campaign.