Is The South Justified To Secede From The Union

Historians have argued inconclusively for years over the prime reason for Confederate defeat in the Civil War. The book Why the North Won the Civil War outlines five of the most agreed upon causes of Southern defeat, each written by a highly esteemed American historian. The author of each essay does acknowledge and discuss the views of the other authors. However, each author also goes on to explain their botheration and disagreement with their opposition. The purpose of this essay is to summarize each of the five arguments presented by Richard N. Current, T. Harry Williams, Norman A. Graebner, David Herbert Donald, and David M. Potter. Each author gives his insight on one of the following five reasons:

In “Apostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War,” Charles B. Dew analyzes the public letters and speeches of white, southern commissioners in order to prove that the Civil War was fought over slavery. By analyzing the public letters and speeches of the commissioners, Dew offers a compelling argument proving that slavery along with the ideology of white supremacy were primary causes of the Civil War. Dew is not only the Ephraim Williams Professor of American History at Williams College, but he is also a successful author who has received various awards including the Elloit Rudwick Prize and the Fletcher Pratt Award. In fact, two of Dew’s books, Tredegar Iron Works and Apostles of Disunion and Ironmaker to the Confederacy: Joseph R. Anderson, received the Fletcher Pratt Award for the best nonfiction book regarding the American Civil War. In his analysis, Dew argues that the fear of eliminating slavery along with the fear of racial equality were both crucial factors regarding the outbreak of the Civil War. By tracing the speeches and public letters of state-appointed commissioners, Dew effectively argues that the white, southern commissioners led the southern states into a Civil War in order to preserve the institution of slavery as well as the ideology of white supremacy.

Its easy to say that the South suffered tremendous damages to its economy and infrastructure, but not providing background on the situation, doesn’t justify the grievance. Its important too look at all the aspects as to what end to the last resort. The main point, is that Congress and the President (Lincoln and Johnson) didn’t meet eye to eye about reconstruction. Congress believed in black suffrage; pushing for rights for blacks and their protection and harsh punishment for the states that seceded, while the President believed in an easier punishment, seeking and assuring the democratic vote to win reelection. Congress in the end was seeking that the states would ratify their constitution, in which some states did but were given full power

The Colonist and the Southerners left their "homes" mainly because they wanted something that wasn't tolerated in their area. However, the reasons behind these wants are very different. The Colonists didn't want to be told how to live and worship all they wanted was religious freedom. They weren't in the wrong, all they wanted was independence from the Church of England. They simply wanted to live without get fined, persecuted, or looked down on. Queen Elizabeth I made the Church of England law so if you didn't abide by the rules you were punished or persecuted, so the Colonist really didn't have a choice except to seceded and have their own independence.The Colonist might have started a war but, to them it was for a good reason and it benefited in having their long awaited religious freedom.

Why did the Southern states separate from the Union? In the 1850’s Southern States had different views of the Union. In the 1850’s Northern states and Southern states had a lot of differences. Southern states were adamant about having slavery and Northern states thought slavery was appalling and terrible and that it should be abolished.The two states also fought over economic differences because the North made a living based on factories and the South made a living based on slaves. They also fought over government power, the South thought they deserved more power than the Federal Government. Therefore it led to the Civil War. Southern States seceded from the Union because of slavery, economic differences and issues over government power.

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

The South should have never seceded because it would unravel the country. The South wanted to secede because they disagreed over state rights and slavery. The South shouldn’t have succeeded because the states can’t physically separate to make a new country, secession is unlawful, and it will lead to anarchy. The North was trying to preserve the Union

Charles B. Dew explains, “Leroy Pope Walker, Alabama’s commissioner to Tennessee and subsequently the first Confederate secretary of war, predicted that in the absence of secession all would be lost- first, “our property”, and “then our liberties, and finally the South’s greatest treasure, “the sacred purity of our daughters.” The southerners justified the secession because they believed everything they owned and even the purity of their daughters would be destroyed. The southern states justified secession, because they weren’t allowed to practice their beliefs, and, if they did, there were costs. The Declaration of Causes of Seceding States explains their reason for seceding, “Our people, still attached to the Union from habit and national traditions, and averse to change, hoped that time, reason, and argument would bring, if not redress, at least exemption from further insults, injuries, and dangers. Recent events have fully dissipated all such hopes and demonstrated the necessity of separation.”

Did the southern states seceded from the union, and did it lead to the American Civil War. in the 1850’s there was an equal number of slave states and free states. This might have upset the south because they were all about slavery and wanted to keep money coming in without doing the hard labor themselves. Personally

This essay is going to be about how the South wanting to secede from the nation made the North need to fight the South to keep America together. There are many reasons that the Southern states wanted to secede from the nation. A large factor for the South wanting to secede from america was the North wanting to eradicate slavery. Some other factors that weren't so big but were still a cause of the South's secession were equal states Rights and Abraham Lincoln being elected president. The reason why I think this is the biggest cause of the Civil War is because if america didn't fight to stay together then we wouldn't be known as the United States of America, we would just be known as some states in the North.

This shows that South Carolina had the right to secede because it was a sovereign state. It also shows how the South should have had the right to decide whether they would want to secede from the country or not. Another example is that when the Southern states joined the Union, it was voluntarily (Appleby et.al 556). “Nowhere in the Constitution is there any mention of the union of the states being permanent.” (http:/civilwar.bluegrass.net). This shows that they should have the right to leave the Union if they choose to. They had this right because the South had no bind with the Union stating that they had to stay except for the United States constitution in which the North had already violated. Even though the United States constitution was what they looked at as a contract, the Union already desecrated its’ terms before this dispute. It also shows how the right was their own and the government could not control their choices in staying or not. These reasons and examples show how the South had to right to secede because of various reasons regarding the political state the government was in.

South Carolina also accused the Northern states of instigating “a war [that would] be waged against slavery until it shall cease throughout the United States,” (South Carolina) through the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. In Georgia’s declaration of secession, the reasons for secession are cited as “numerous and serious causes of complaint” (Georgia) against the non-slave holding states that were centered on “the subject of African slavery” (Georgia). In Mississippi, the consensus in the same; Mississippi’s position in the issue “[was] thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery” (Mississippi) and goes to list many reasons pertaining to slavery for its secession, most notably 1) The North “has made combinations and formed associations to carry out its schemes of emancipation” (Mississippi), 2) “has nullified the Fugitive Slave Law in almost every free State in the Union” (Mississippi), and 3) “advocates negro equality” (Mississippi). For these as well as other reasons all pertaining to slavery, the Confederate States seceded from the Union. In the Southern States, as seen through the declarations of secession from the Confederate States, the people, along with the governments of those states all supported secession based on issues arising from the conflict over slavery.

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.

First, our Declaration of Independence states “whenever any form of government becomes destructive of the ends for which it was established, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government." The Confederate States defended their decision to secede by using the Due Process Clause of the 5th amendment, which stated that no person “shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.”

For years, we learn a lot about American history to help us understand change and how the world we live in came to be. One of the most important events in our country’s history is The American Civic War. It was primarily fought over the moral issue of slavery, focusing on the economics and political control of slavery. While losing over six hundred thousand Americans, The Civil War consisted of the United States and elven other states that parted from the union to form the Confederate States of America. Eventually, the war was over and the Northern armies were successful, and Confederate States of America returned to the Union. Although the Northern armies were victorious, the South definitely had it’s own advantages and reasons why they