In the presidential campaign of 1860, which of the following positions was asserted by the Republican Party platform with respect to slavery? a. Slavery should be abolished immediately by the federal government b. The extension of slavery to other countries should be prohibited c. The gradual emancipation of the slaves should begin, and the federal government should compensate slave owners for the loss of slave property d. The extension of slavery to United States territories should be prohibited by the federal government, but slavery should be protected in the states where it already existed

d. The extension of slavery to United States territories should be prohibited by the federal government, but slavery should be protected in the states where it already existed

Explanation:

Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for the presidency in 1860, was morally opposed to slavery, but he also recognized that slavery was permitted by the existing law of the land, the US Constitution. So Lincoln's initial position on slavery - - and the platform of the Republican Party in 1860 - - was to stop the spread of slavery.

The Republican platform in 1860 rejected the idea that the Constitution allowed for the extension of slavery into any or all of the territories of the United States as "a dangerous political heresy." The party platform went on to say this:

That the normal condition of all the territory of the United States is that of freedom: That, as our Republican fathers, when they had abolished slavery in all our national territory, ordained that "no persons should be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law," it becomes our duty, by legislation, whenever such legislation is necessary, to maintain this provision of the Constitution against all attempts to violate it; and we deny the authority of Congress, of a territorial legislature, or of any individuals, to give legal existence to slavery in any territory of the United States.