Duane Rulison, National Political Chart & Map of the United States (1860)

This infographic by Duane Rullison contains extensive information on the 1860 presidential election, one of the triggering events of the American Civil War. At the top of the display are eight portraits of the presidential candidates and their running mates. The map shows free states in red and slave states in green, and the yellow section represents U.S. territories, which at the time were a major point of contention in debates over the expansion of slavery. Presidential candidates Abraham Lincoln and John Bell wanted to prohibit the spread of slavery in the new territories, while the other two candidates, John Breckinridge and Stephen Doughlas, advocated for the people of the new territories to decide whether their state would allow slavery. Ultimately, Lincoln won the election with only 40% of the popular vote, but a majority of the electoral votes. Below the map, text boxes provide additional information, including acceptance letters from the presidential candidates, each political party’s platform, a constitutional amendment, a table of past Presidents and Vice Presidents, a list of the Speakers of the House of Representatives, and a table of statistics from the 1850 Census.