There were just as many issues dividing the country in Lincoln's time. Not only slavery, but taxes, free trade, import and export issues, California, bleeding Kansas, westward expansion, Constitutional protections, the Bill of Rights. It was a different time and the issues were different than now, but they were no less contenious.

The only difference between then and now in my opinion is that we still have the hope of changing the situation by our vote and kicking some of these Congressman and Senators out of office and reversing some of the things that we feel are unjust.

In the case of the South in 1860, The 1860 presidential election proved that there was no hope of doing that and thereby being able to change the situation. The die was cast and the Southern people felt that they had no alternative but to seceed or submit to the domination of the Northern political faction that were.

We have not yet gotten to that point today, But if we ever do you can bet that we will be very close to another Civil War.