Causes Of Anti Secession

DBQ 10: What Caused Secession? The controversy of slavery led the southern states to secede from the US in 1860 and 1861 in many different ways. One of the ways was in Doucement 2 which was a speech giving by Albert Gallatin Brown on September 26, 1860 showing that the southern and northern states loathed each other...

Southern states left the Union because they thought they had more power than the Federal Government. “Many Southerners favored secession as part of the idea that the states have rights and powers, which the federal government cannot legally deny”(Doc 5). This means that Southerners thought that the Federal Government could not deny their right to have slavery so they left. Southern states left the Union because Abraham Lincoln banned slavery and it was their only way to make a

Sectionalism was ultimately the main cause of the civil war. Sectionalism is occurs when an individual identifies with a geographic section of the United States based on their culture, social, economical, and political interests of that section. Sectionalism eventually caused the division of the nation, and created parts of the nation, which were the Union and the Confederation. As the tensions progressed, the government strived to unite the divided nation by establishing different legislation to satisfy each section; however, multiple historical events, such as the Election of Abraham Lincoln, the passing of the Kansas Nebraska Act, etc, interrupted the balancing act within the divided nation. The tensions between these sections eventually built up and caused the Civil War to occur. The Civil War was caused by the various economical differences within the nation, the conflict between the legality of slavery, and the political disputes in Congress over issues during that time.

In April 1861, the United States of America went to war. They did not go to war with a foreign power, because of a border dispute, and they did not go to war with the native people because of their hunger for more land. No, this would be a war among themselves, north against south, brother against brother, and in some instances even father against son. In the four long and bloody years that this war lasted more than 600,000 of these brothers, fathers, and sons would die in the many battles. Many people point to slavery as the reason the civil war was fought. Although slavery was one of the key issues, the causes for the war run much deeper. Besides slavery, other issues that were causes of the civil war included the differences in moral value, and the different ways the politicians interpret the constitution. First of all, the most obvious cause of the war was slavery. According to the map in document “An” all slaves and cotton were in the southern states. Slavery had already been abolished in the north years before, and every time a territory was to become a state there was a huge struggle between the pro-slavery south and the northern abolitionist. Each time peace was maintained by way of compromise. In his speech in 1858 Abraham Lincoln foretells the upcoming war by s0aying, “In my opinion, it will not end until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Doc M). So, clearly this difference in

First off, the way they declared secession and proceeded to do so was illegal. To begin with everyday we recite the pledge of allegiance where it states, “one nation, indivisible”. Those southerners recited the same pledge we did and they recited themselves that this union is indivisible. Next, under the constitution of the United States of America secession was and always will be considered illegal because of Article 10 Section 1. In this part of the constitution it was illustrated that, “No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation….”. The southern states obviously did not follow that and violated the constitution they agreed to abide by themselves. When they concurred to join the Union they agreed to join an indivisible nation. Nowhere could they make a complaint worthy enough to try to separate for the states that they agreed to join, but of course they tried to with the controversial subject of slavery.

From the perspective of the Northern States, secession was unnecessary. From the perspective of the Southern States, secession wasn't a choice because they wanted individual state’s rights and to preserve their way of life. President Lincoln, in defense of the constitution, states in his

However, some southerners would argue that when America gained independence from Britain, it was an act of secession. The opposing side of this is that America’s independence was obtained through a revolt, not secession. Southern leaders such as John C. Calhoun and Jefferson Davis believed that the Constitution was merely a contract that could be broken. Lincoln argued that the Constitution was not a contract, but an agreement with the people. This agreement meant that once you are in the Union, there is no leaving it. James Wilson, a shaper of the Constitution, said that “states are independent, not individually but unitedly.” His statement meant that a state can be free and have its own powers in their state government but, those powers cannot defy the laws set forth in the Constitution. Lincoln blatantly stated at his inauguration, “No state, upon its own mere motion, can get out of the Union, that resolves and ordinances to that effect are legally void.” If Lincoln’s more peaceful statements on the issue of secession weren’t going to get the attention of the people, then he had to use more forceful words to persuade them to conform to the idea that dividing the country was a terrible

In fact, the federal government responded to the petition for Texan secession by declining the request (Peacefully grant, 2012, p. 1). The executive branch, established that the Union should remain united and that grievances should be handled through measures of the ballot, not running from the issues at hand (para. 3). In addition, they used this Abraham Lincoln quote to support their decision, “in contemplation of universal law and of the Constitution the Union of these States is perpetual." In the years that followed, more than 600,000 Americans died in a long and bloody civil war that vindicated the principle that the Constitution establishes a permanent union between the States. And shortly after the Civil War ended, the Supreme Court confirmed that "[t]he Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructible Union composed of indestructible States" (Peacefully grant, 2012, para. 3). Next, a fundamental philosophy of Texan separatist is the idea of state rights. For example, Philips (2013) mentions that states like Texas can threaten the economy by romanticizing nullification of federal laws different from elected official’s ideas (para. 3). Accordingly, many scholars agree that nullification and secession is illegal (Rakove, 2014, p. 82). In the writings of Rakove et al., (2014) he explained that there is no mention of nullification, secession, or sovereignty in the constitution,

Secession: the action of withdrawing formally from membership of a federation or body, especially a political state. In 1860-1861 many southern states starting with South Carolina seceded from the United States. There are multiple reason as to why they decided to succeed, but the biggest ones would be because they were pro slavery in the south and because of the election of Abraham Lincoln, which also was a part of the slavery ordeal. These issues were discussed in Apostles of Disunion, by Charles Dew and also in Lincoln’s speech, A House Divided. This is a time that we can look at now and determine if secession was compatible with the principles of American Civilization.

Threats of secession were nothing new. Some Southerners had threatened to leave the Union during a Congressional debate over slavery in 1790, the Missouri Crisis of 1819 and 1820, the Nullification Crisis of 1831 and 1832, and the crisis over California statehood in 1850. In each case, the crisis was resolved by compromise. Many expected the same pattern to prevail in 1861.

Most individuals are subject to a cognitive bias known as the Status-Quo Bias. In other words, individuals by default would rather stick to their current set of conditions rather than seek change. This is especially true when the change sought is not meant to correct a bad situation, but merely to improve a decent one. In this case, Texas is not currently enough of a hellhole that individuals would actively seek change. Even though polls show that Texans are not keen on secession, these polls only reaffirm the fact that secession is not currently a hot issue that individuals actively think about. If in the event that secession does become a hot issue, individuals will then be able to see the true extent of benefits that secession confers. More

Before the Civil War, America interests lied in expansion, technological advances, and the economy. The North experienced industrial improvements and used railroads and new inventions to become prosperous. Meanwhile, the South continued in their use of slavery for economic means and became rich with the investing in raw materials. Of course this caused tensions between the two sections of the Union and became one of the main reasons for the secession of the South and the “War of States”. The conditions of the Antebellum South were financially stable, with the cotton as its staple crop, and the continuous battle against the North for more slave states. In the Antebellum South, six distinct classes formed depending on their economic standing, political interests, and the area in which they lived during this period.

Historians everywhere have many different ideas about why the Secession Crisis occurred. Moreover, there are many debates about whether secession about slavery at all. Yet, the Secession Crisis was a time in which many factors came into play.

The civil war was mainly sparked by tensions between the north and the south. Both sides rarely agreed on topics and could never make a compromise. Slavery was a big reason for the start of the civil war, but the causes don’t end there. Although some may say that political or economic reasons started the civil war between the north and the south, political reasons were the real cause. This is because of important decisions made by the government, and the south seceding.

What is secession? The definition is the act of withdrawal. This can mean a country such as Germany withdrawing from the European Union, or a state or states withdrawing from the United States. This can also be broken down into a withdrawal of counties from a state or even a town from a county. This can even be broken down into an individual act of secession, an individual withdrawing from the government. Within this essay I intended to show that not only is secession legal but also that it is a natural law that is imbued to all people. I will also touch on secession within the United States as well as in the rest of the world. I will also show that the Constitution allows for the secession of the states as well.