1860 - A House Divided

November, 1860 - Abraham Lincoln is elected president. He vows to end the spread of slavery and to keep the United States, or Union, from splitting apart over the controversy. But the economic impact on the South will be enormous if slavery is outlawed. Unlike the North, there are few laborers for hire to work on the South's farms. One by one, 11 Southern states will break away from the U.S.