Causes Of Southern Secession

opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery”(Foner par. 2). This quote proves that South Carolina was seceding because of Lincoln’s

The secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860, by a vote of 169-0 was a response to the election of Abraham Lincoln of 1860. Lincoln perceived as an abolitionist wanted to contain slavery rather than ending it. The majority party above the Mason-Dixon line were Republicans and below were primarily Democrats and Republicans were viewed as abolitionists. The election of a Republican threatened the South’s status quo. The primary catalyst for secession was based on slavery. Different social cultures and political beliefs developed due to the South’s intimate and reliant relationship on slavery. Southern whites feared the end of slavery and this paranoia was shared among plantation slave owners and white Yeoman farmers. Southern whites felt that the North were threatening the supposed tranquility of the South. The South’s agrarian economy, honor, and independence were believed to be in danger. Slavery was intertwined with the South’s social, cultural, and economic makeup. As a result of slavery, the South developed a paternalistic culture and racial ideology of white supremacy. The perceived notion that the North was influencing it’s political and social beliefs on the South lead them to believe that secession was the only act of self-preservation. The growing differences between the South and North made it difficult to negotiate. This fear was exaggerated and accelerated the South’s eventual implosion. The South believed that without slavery it would self-destruct and

The central thesis of this book is that the secession commissioners that were sent Deep South to other slave states in the winter of 1860-1861 played a major role in defending as well as urging people to subscribe to their ideology and follow them out of the Union. This thesis helps in giving insights in the South’s real intention, which can be argued out that it was to defend its slave trade culture that the North was totally against hence the use of secession as a means of convincing people. Even though the historians mostly ignore these men that were involved in the secession, these men played a vital role in the creation of the beautiful country

Charles B. Dew's Apostles of Disunion delves into the controversial topic of the causes of the Civil War and the secession of the states that eventually became the Confederate States of America. There are many accounts that point to defending states' rights as the primary cause of the Civil War. However, most people believe that slavery was the main and primary concern the deep South cited for seceding from the Union to form their own separate country focused on individual liberty and the progression of slavery in those states. Dew makes the point that searching for the cause for the Civil War is a search that continues to be debated

The book Masters Without Slaves by James L. Roark is about what happens before, during, and after the civil war that pertains to slavery. It starts off with how slavery was in jeopardy with President Abraham Lincoln getting elected into office. When he got elected the rumor of secession was getting tossed around and would eventually come true. “The secession debate embroiled planters in the issues of sectionalism and nationalism, race and class, and slavery and freedom.”(1, 1) Many people were divided on if the south should secede from the rest of the United States and if it didn’t then there was a chance that slavery would end. There were Unionist planters that were calling for the separation of the south and United States. “Southern Unionist mounted the stump once more to put down the demands for independence.”(2, 2) “Secession not only threatened slavery, but endangered all property, and the prosperity of the 1850’s as well.” (3, 4) As it went on the south succeed and the civil war had started. The slaves had been freed but many stayed because they were able to stay and work with their old plantation owners. The slave owners were very opposed to losing their slaves and tyranny had broken out. The South had to reform and learn how to farm without their slaves. Many people had found it hard to live without their slaves but one woman argued with her husband saying, “That he must learn to live under the new order of things.” (4, 183) The book is based about how southern

Just as Northerners saw flaws in the Constitution, Southerners viewed it not to be perfect as well. President James Buchanan, a northern man with southern sympathies clarified, “As sovereign states, they and they alone, are responsible before God and the world for the slavery existing among them” (Document G). However, In Doc B, an anonymous writer defends the state’s rights that the constitution should protect slavery where it exists. The union will fall apart unless these rights are protected.

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.

Before the Civil War started, the North and the South argued on two main topics: slavery and state rights. In my opinion, it was because of slavery that state rights were argued. When Western territories were annexed from Mexico, they were admitted to the Union with the condition that that slavery be banned through the Wilmot Proviso (History.com). Because of this, slave states felt they were unfairly treated and outnumbered. The religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening also gave way to new ideology. Combined with the growing abolitionist sentiment, Northern states began taking action against Southern states. Because their rights as

In the Compromise of 1850, there’s a proposal that states that there should be stronger provisions for the capture and return of slaves from other states or states in Union territory (D#5b).   The South felt that the Union was acting in a similar way to the way that the British were acting while they had control over the Colonies. The South believed that the Union was overstepping its bounds. According to John B. Gordon, “the South challenged the North to find one trace of authority in the Constitution for invading and coercing a sovereign state (D#7a).

The Union, backed by President Abraham Lincoln, was trying to abolish slavery. The South found this to be oppressive and used their right to "throw off such Government" and, one by one,

The Civil War could be easily marked as the as most catastrophic event to ever take place in the South. The nature of the Civil War being likely served as the contribution to this secession of Southern poitical leaders. In the end, the secession ended up being a disaster for the South anyway. But, what drove these politicians to secession? This would be the Planter class, or the class of individuals who owned plantations.

While delegates from different states described their fear of abolition differently, the consensus was quite clear: secession was the only option for southern states who had no doubt that their “right” to own slaves was under attack. In the Apostles of Disunion, the declarations made by the delegates concerning secession are quoted and analyzed. Contrary to what author Charles Dew had been told growing up, these declarations explicitly describe the ways by which the incursion on slavery was the sole purpose of secession, and imply that any infringement on states’ rights was of lesser importance. This notion is validated by the “declaration of causes” given by Texan delegates, the “Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify Secession” given by South Carolinian delegates, and reiterated by Dew’s educated description of the secession conventions.

The reasons for the South’s departure from union can be summarized into two main topics. Of those, slavery was the most contentious and

The Civil War was a time of major upheaval within America. Major issues such as slavery divided the states and threw the nation in all different directions. As Abraham Lincoln was elected into the presidency in 1860, South Carolina along with 10 other southern states began seceding from the union. Their reasoning for secession included those of protecting the institution of slavery and state’s rights. These affairs, then led to the commencement of the Civil War, and soldiers of the Union and Confederate regions began enlisting. Union and Confederates enlisted into the war for similar sounding motives, however a deeper insight is needed to understand the basis of the war and that each side had contradicting feelings and emotions behind every motive.

Lincoln incoming administration and the northern most people did not recognize the legitimacy of secession. They further discredit the democratic struggles eventually several small countries - would create a serious precedent than the United States does not concern the fragmentation (MCPHERSON). This essay will provide information related to the Civil War. Mid-19th century, the United States experienced during a period of tremendous growth, the fundamental economic differences are well founded existed between the North and South regions of the country .North, manufacturing and industry was well established, while agriculture was mainly limited to small farm, the South’s the cotton, tobacco-based economy was mainly reliant on on large-scale farming systems by the labor of black slaves to grow certain crops