Premium Only Content

What if Abraham Lincoln didn't win the election of 1860?
It's Mr. Beat's first alternate history video he's ever made. What if Stephen Douglas won the presidential election of 1860 instead of Abraham Lincoln? Eh?
Don't forget that this is a trilogy!
@AlternateHistoryHub 's video:
@EmperorTigerstar 's video:
Try Cacao Bliss and get 15% off by going here: https://shop.earthechofoods.com/mrbeat
The real election of 1860: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vna0ile2ogg
Ranked choice voting, explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2zwQp8AlYQ
Produced by Matt Beat. All images and video by Matt Beat, used under fair use guidelines, or found in the public domain. Music by @ElectricNeedleRoom (Mr. Beat's band) and @corbynkites8006 .
Here's an annotated script with footnotes:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/19lYvKTLqVnD8v2bLvRwca0-HJD9webnXDQUpZLnkoHI/edit?usp=sharing
Sources/further reading:
Defender of the Union by Gerald M. Capers
Purchase here: https://amzn.to/3iHDQod
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2011/novemberdecember/feature/the-man-who-came-in-second
https://law.marquette.edu/facultyblog/2013/09/could-lincoln-have-been-defeated-in-1860/
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/government-politics/herschel-johnson-1812-1880/
https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2134&context=gradschool_dissertations
Join this channel to get access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmYesELO6axBrCuSpf7S9DQ/join
For business inquiries or to send snail mail to Mr. Beat:
https://www.iammrbeat.com/contact.html
https://www.youtube.com/c/iammrbeat/about
Connect with me:
https://linktr.ee/iammrbeat
Mr. Beat’s website: https://www.iammrbeat.com/
Mr. Beat’s second channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheBeatGoesOn1981
Mr. Beat's band: https://electricneedleroom.us/
How to support Mr. Beat:
💰Donate to Mr. Beat for great perks on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iammrbeat
🤑Donate to Mr. Beat on Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/mrbeat
☕Buy Mr. Beat a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/iammrbeat
“Free” ways to show support:
✔️Subscribe to my channel
⏰Turn on notifications
👍Like, share, and comment on my videos
Buy Mr. Beat merch:
https://matt-beat-shop.fourthwall.com/
https://www.bonfire.com/store/mr-beat/
https://sfsf.shop/support-mrbeat/
Buy Mr. Beat's book:
https://amzn.to/386g7cz
Amazon Storefront: https://www.amazon.com/shop/mr.beat
Affiliate Links:
Useful Charts: https://usefulcharts.com/?aff=12
Kids Connect: https://kidskonnect.com/?ref=iammrbeat
Ekster: https://ekster.com?sca_ref=444709.jvllq3EEOm
Shampoo: https://rb.gy/vlqeym
Acne fighter: https://rb.gy/a6dnb0
#politicalscience #politicalhistory #ushistory
What if Abraham Lincoln didn't win the election of 1860?
Instead, let’s say Lincoln’s old debating buddy, the Illinois U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas, won the election. It’s not that wild of an idea, actually. See all those blue counties? He won those, but in A LOT of those green, yellow, and red counties, I’d argue he was the second choice. In fact, while he finished fourth in the electoral college, getting just 12 electoral votes, he finished second in the popular vote. Now, while we don’t have definitive evidence that Douglas was the second choice of a lot of voters in 1860, I can certainly infer based on that and other evidence that he would have been a lot of people’s second choice. Now I’m a big fan of ranked choice voting…if you don’t know how ranked choice voting works, I did make a video about it, which I’ve linked below. But…simply put, it’s a way to rank ALL the candidates so you don’t just have a say on ONE candidate but ALL OF THEM. With ranked choice voting, I think there’s a GOOD chance Douglas would have won. He was likely the second choice to most Breckenridge and Bell supporters.
So let’s do this, partner.
Mr. Beat presents…
Alternate American History
Now, it’s time for my monthly shout out to all my Patreon supporters who donate at least $15 or more each month to my channel. Starting with my $20 a month donors in reverse order alphabetically, I’ve got Society’s Basement, Sean Conant, Sami, Pat Iapicca, Owen, Osbers Gaming, Nik Everett, NeoR14, Matt Standish, Isaiah Warfield, emptymachine, Dr. Paul J. Lilly, Douglas Martin, Corey Rieman, Bill Dowd, Austin Siros, Anthony Beckett, Andrew B., Alicia Solberg, and Adam Luckey. At the $15 a month level, Zachary F. Parker, Waterfort, Warren Jarog, Thomas Oppenheim, Steve Bryan, Stacey, Samuel Striz, Naterade, LT Marshall, Oliver E., KZ210QB, IkkaSenjika615, Joel Serrano Lozada, Jakob Birnbaum, Jack L, Ilan Capone, Ian Driscoll, Grant Hughes, Andrew Schneider, and Adam Christians. Thank you all for your generous support!
-
20:41
Mr. Beat
3 months agoEvery U.S. Territory Explained
325 -
Timcast
1 hour agoTrump Preps INSURRECTION ACT, WINS In Court, Will Deploy National Guard To Chicago
47.3K28 -
LIVE
The Charlie Kirk Show
1 hour agoUrban Insurrection? + Biggs for Governor + Red New Jersey? | Halperin, Rep. Biggs, Maloney|10.7.2025
6,325 watching -
LIVE
Sean Unpaved
1 hour agoMNF Jaguars Shock: Is Bill's Cachet Fading? Hot Seat Sizzlers & Sanchez's Stabby Spiral
91 watching -
1:48:42
Steven Crowder
3 hours agoDid You Vote for This: Why The Podcast Bros are Turning on Trump
239K246 -
1:08:40
The Rubin Report
2 hours agoListen to ‘The View’ Crowd Gasp as Whoopi Tells Super Bowl Crowd to Do This
20.3K35 -
LIVE
LFA TV
14 hours agoLIVE & BREAKING NEWS! | TUESDAY 10/7/25
3,828 watching -
LIVE
Rebel News
33 minutes agoTamara Lich sentencing, Two years since Hamas attack, Carney meets Trump | Rebel Roundup
333 watching -
LIVE
TheAlecLaceShow
1 hour agoICE Under Siege in Chicago & Portland | Guests: Douglass Mackey & Wid Lyman | The Alec Lace Show
59 watching -
LIVE
The Mel K Show
1 hour agoMORNINGS WITH MEL K -Overwhelming Evidence of Grand Conspiracy Against We the People 10-7-25
789 watching