NOTES: Southern Secession

Reaction to Election of 1860

Southerners saw Abraham Lincolns election in 1860 as a threat to their
way of life. They did not trust him when he said he would do nothing to
abolish slavery in the South.
Following the election, South Carolina (and eventually 6 other states)
seceded (broke away from) the Union (United States). They based their
actions on the idea of states rights. They argued that the states had
voluntarily joined the Union; thus, in their opinion, they could also
decide to leave the Union.
Confederate States of America
February 1861: the seceding states formed the Confederate States of
America and named Jefferson Davis their president.
The Confederate States of America drafted their own constitution,
which protected states rights and the practice of slavery
Union Response to Secession
Northerners considered Southern secession to be unconstitutional,
arguing that the federal government held the most authority (not
individual states)
Efforts to Compromise Fail
Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky wrote a plan for compromise
with the seceding Southern states, called the Crittenden Plan, that
ultimately failed. It proposed that the division established by the
Missouri Compromise be extended to the Pacific Ocean. Thus, slavery
would exist below that line and be illegal north of it.
In his inaugural address on March 4, 1861, Lincoln assured Southerners
that he had no intent to abolish slavery in their states, spoke forcefully
about secession, but ended his speech with an appeal to friendship
Lincoln did not plan to invade the South, but would not abandon
Union property (i.e., forts) there

NOTES: Southern Secession

Reaction to Election of 1860
Southerners saw Abraham Lincolns election in 1860 as a threat to their
way of life. They did not trust him when he said he would do nothing to
abolish slavery in the South.
Following the election, South Carolina (and eventually 6 other states)
seceded (broke away from) the Union (United States). They based their
actions on the idea of states rights. They argued that the states had
voluntarily joined the Union; thus, in their opinion, they could also
decide to leave the Union.
Confederate States of America
February 1861: the seceding states formed the Confederate States of
America and named Jefferson Davis their president.
The Confederate States of America drafted their own constitution,
which protected states rights and the practice of slavery
Union Response to Secession
Northerners considered Southern secession to be unconstitutional,
arguing that the federal government held the most authority (not
individual states)
Efforts to Compromise Fail
Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky wrote a plan for compromise
with the seceding Southern states, called the Crittenden Plan, that
ultimately failed. It proposed that the division established by the
Missouri Compromise be extended to the Pacific Ocean. Thus, slavery
would exist below that line and be illegal north of it.
In his inaugural address on March 4, 1861, Lincoln assured Southerners
that he had no intent to abolish slavery in their states, spoke forcefully
about secession, but ended his speech with an appeal to friendship
Lincoln did not plan to invade the South, but would not abandon
Union property (i.e., forts) there