Not all southerners supported secession, however, but those who did argued that because the southern states were a part of the union, their rights should be respected by the federal government. Candidates had to consider how to hold the nation together when its states were divided about slavery and states. The palmetto states decision emboldens secessionists in. Booth 1859, the northern states kept ignoring the constitution in this case, which the southern states then used as justification for secession. The secession of the eleven southern states from the union and the circumstances leading to their separation are explained in detail. South carolina acted first, calling for the convection to secede from the union. Which event was the catalyst for the secession of the. Secession had a long history in the united statesbut as a threat rather than as an actual dissolution of the union. December 17, 1860south carolinas secession convention opens in columbia. Because of this, many southerners believed that if the federal government was to abolish slavery, the prohibition would be an infringement on the states. The southern states secede during lincolns campaign, southern states, due to their fear of a ban on slavery, warned they would secede if lincoln won. Secession is the act of a state formally leaving the union.
Further, yulee urged the establishment of a confederation of southern states and the formation of a southern army for the defense of the south. The palmetto states decision emboldens secessionists in other southern states. Princeton and secession by bryan lapointe the secession of southern states from the united states in 1860 and 1861 bitterly divided princetons students along regional and political linesprompting the withdrawal of one quarter of the student body, many of whom later fought in the confederate army or served in the rebel government. An economic argument over the mercantile northern states forcing enactment of high protective tariffs that would economically cripple the freetrade agricultural south. It was followed four months later by the states of georgia, florida, alabama, mississippi, texas and louisiana. These initial seven seceding states formed the confederate states. Westward expansion and the southern secession quizlet. Secession looms young, slaveholding lawyers and planters spearheaded secession. Alabama commissioner stephen fowler hale failed in his effort to convince kentucky to.
Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. D the shipment of the union supplies to fort sumter. Earlier, there had been different tariffs for the north and south, but a congr. The remaining southern states as yet remained in the union. Nov 14, 2012 following the election of lincoln in 1860, 11 southern states seceded from the union. Feb 17, 2019 virginia decided that it was in their best interest to violate the constitution and side with southern slave holding states, not states or cotton growing states or southern states or any other qualifier. Kentucky did not secede but a rump, unelected group proclaimed secession november 20, 1861. Others minimize slavery and point to other factors, such.
Much more informative and indepth then my timeline. Others minimize slavery and point to other factors, such as taxation or the principle of states rights. Mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texas called their own conventions and issued their own declarations of secession by february 1. In his inaugural address, he refused to recognize the secession, considering it legally void. The american civil war was made inevitable when, in response to growing northern resistance to the practice of slavery, several southern states began to secede from the union. The results of the 1820 census show a total population of 10,037,323 including 1,529,012 slaves or 15% of the population. Secession of the southern states timeline timetoast. The most serious attempt at secession was advanced in the years 1860 and 1861 as eleven southern states each declared secession from the united states, and joined together to form the confederate states of america. March, 1860the virginia house of delegates overwhelmingly rejects a proposal by south carolina to organize a convention of southern states. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of south carolina from the union known as the united states of america. The most serious attempt at secession was advanced in the years 1860 and 1861 as eleven southern states each declared. Confederate states of americathe confederate states of america consisted of 11 states7 original members and 4 states that seceded after the fall of fort. The secession of the southern states american civil war. The palmetto state s decision emboldens secessionists in other southern states.
Despite the somewhat ambiguous results of the election, lincolns victory began a rapid movement of deep south states to leave the union. Jun, 2017 and then, of course, theres the small matter of the civil war, which was started by the north after 11 proslavery southern states seceded and formed the confederate states of america. New england secession movements prior to the war between the states. Before he was even innagurated south carolina had seceeded from the union. In the context of the united states, secession primarily refers to the voluntary withdrawal of one or more states from the union that constitutes the united states. Following the election of lincoln in 1860, 11 southern states seceded from the union. Slaves are virtually nonexistent in northern states and as high as 51% in south carolina and 45% in louisiana. After the 1860 election, tensions between north and south finally came to a head. Missouri did not secede but a rump group proclaimed secession october 31, 1861. Was the southern states attempt at disunion peaceful. In this groundbreaking book, the first major study in over 50 years of how the. In the three month of lincolns election, seven states were seceded from the union.
May 30, 2019 the american civil war was made inevitable when, in response to growing northern resistance to the practice of slavery, several southern states began to secede from the union. And then, of course, theres the small matter of the civil war, which was started by the north after 11 proslavery southern states seceded and formed the confederate states of america. Secession, the withdrawal of 11 slave states states in which slaveholding was legal from the union during 186061 following the election of abraham lincoln as president of the united states. In this lesson, we will explore the secession of the 11 states that made up the confederate states of america. The prevailing scholastic and philosophical opinion among many people, including most all southern politicians and socially prominent individuals was that it was both constitutionally sound and perfectly legal for any state to separate itself from. Why was the secession of the southern states so important. It applies to the outbreak of the american civil war when on december 20, 1860, south carolina officially declared their secession from the united states. The secession crisis of late 1860 and early 1861 led to the civil war when southern states seceded from the union and declared themselves a separate nation, the confederate states of america. Since secession is the most common way of establishing new states, the expectation is that a sound theory of secession will inform a normativebased international legal practice of state recognition douglas 1994, 2. Map of active separatist movements in north america. Other states would follow due to his antiexpansion slavery ideology. Dec 19, 2010 how the south rationalizes secession 150 years later, a campaign to deny that the souths exodus from the union was a revolution is in full force.
When the secession convention resumed its work on january 5, judge john c. Timeline leading to the war antebellum era bleeding kansas border. That process was the end game of a political battle that had been undertaken between the north and south shortly after the american revolution. Civil war trails program civil war trust confederate history month. Instead it was an insurrection and lincoln wanted to put it down. In the context of the united states, secession primarily refers to the voluntary withdrawal of one. Secession of the southern states timeline timetoast timelines.
Virginia decided that it was in their best interest to violate the constitution and side with southern slave holding states, not states or cotton growing states or southern states or any other qualifier. Alabama commissioner stephen fowler hale failed in his effort to convince kentucky to secede, but wrote to the governor a diatribe against northern attacks on slavery and lamented that lincolns election was nothing less than an open declaration of war, for the triumph of this new theory of government destroys the property of the south, lays waste her fields, and inaugurates all the horrors. The scholars immediately disagreed over the causes of the war and disagreement persists today. Breckinridge as a southern democrat who opposed secession the cousin, amazingly enough, of lincolns wife mary todd lincoln, and two compromise candidates from border states. Confederate officials are barred from political participation.
For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our nonslaveholding confederate states with. Sherman says to his friends in the south, you, you people of the south, believe there can be such a thing as peaceable secession. Which event was the catalyst for the secession of the first seven southern states in 1861. Many maintain that the primary cause of the war was the southern states desire to preserve the institution of slavery. The reasons for secession american battlefield trust. Many believe that secession is what caused the war too. Westward expansion in the united states during the 1800s, and the building of tension between the north and south. Chronology of major events leading to secession crisis aha. With southern states actively leaving the union, war broke out.
Allowing one or more state to seceed would have meant the end of the united states, as any other state could then decide to do the same thing whenever the wind blew the wrong way. To this end, i outline three mainstream theories of secession and then endorse the alan patten. In 1854 the kansasnebraksa act overturned the missouri compromises use of latitude as the boundary between slave and free territory and instead, using the principle of popular sovereignty, decreed that the residents would determine whether the area became a free state or a. Why did the election of abraham lincoln prompt the south to choose between remaining in the union or seceding. Lincoln and the republicans were reviled in the south, and did not carry a single state south of the mason dixon line. The failure of enforcement for the fugitive slave clause is mentioned repeatedly in many secession documents among the southern states. The civil war timeline 18611877 covers the north, the south, african. Civil war causes what was the true reason for secession. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. It was a divided state, with the eastern counties harboring prounion sentiment throughout the conflict, and it was the last state to secede from the union, in protest at lincolns call for troops. The secessionist states formed the confederate states of america. January 1861 six additional southern states secede from the union.
Did the southern states know the secession would lead to. Thus, on december 20, 1860, south carolina became the first state to secede from the union. This movement collapsed in 1865 with the defeat of confederate forces by union armies in the american civil war. The american civil war made a huge impact on tennessee, with large armies constantly destroying its rich farmland, and every county witnessing combat. The secession the stewing pot of sectionalism finally comes to a head as after the election of lincoln the south decides to secede starting with south carolina as they decide to only after a month into the lincoln presidency. Bleeding kansas is the term used to described the period of violence during the settling of the kansas territory. The three essays dealing with this period joseph strombergs republicanism, federalism, and secession in the south, 17901865. Likewise, the birth of the southern confederacy and the norths violent refusal to accept their separation is painstakingly documented. The election of abraham lincoln was the last straw for many southern states who were on the fence for secession. Southern states are forced to enact new constitutions, with the content dictated by the north.
December 20, 1860delegates to south carolinas secession convention vote 169 to 0 to leave the union. The southern states leave the union the civil war peacock, judith on. The impact of the events moved quickly without the election of lincoln. Secession in the united states simple english wikipedia. The following describes what was happening in the south during this most critical time leading up to the civil war. Order of secession of southern states thomas legion. While most states in the confederacy simply passed ordinances of secession, south carolina, georgia, mississippi, texas, and virginia passed additional declarations of causes, offering invaluable insight into the conventions political machinations and motivations. The 1860 presidential election turned on a number of issues including secession. Prosecessionists found philosophical justification for altering or abolishing a government and instituting a new one in the declaration of independence. Support of secession began to shift to southern states from 1846, after. Despite common southern efforts to rewrite history, it wasnt a war of northern aggression.
This timeline of events leading to the american civil war is a chronologically ordered list of. Which event was the catalyst for the secession of the first. Secession, as it applies to the outbreak of the american civil war, comprises the series of events that began on december 20, 1860, and extended through june 8 of the next year when eleven states. Within a few weeks of the election, southern states, unwilling to accept a republican president, began seceding from the union. Timeline of events leading to the american civil war wikipedia. Secession in the united states refers mainly to state secession. The act of secession was not an easy one, and once a state decided to do so, it would change the nation drastically. More specifically, those who held that the union was simply a compact among the states argued that states could secede from. They also argued that it was imperative to keep the southern states in the union in order for the u. Secession of the south timeline timetoast timelines. It was the most serious secession movement in the united states and was defeated when the union armies defeated the confederate armies in the civil war, 186165.
The people of georgia having dissolved their political connection with the government of the united states of america, present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation. The real cause of secession additional discussion on. Civil war timeline gettysburg national military park u. This pushed four other states in the upper south virginia, north carolina.
February 89, 1861 the southern states that seceded create a government. Constitution, as only member states can vote on amendments. From the norths perspective, however, the secession of the southern states was unconstitutional, inasmuch as a state s departure required the agreement of a majority of states in the country. Abraham lincoln elected president of the united states. Social and economic pressures slowly built until one day the country split, and the south seceded from the union. Civil war and reconstruction american memory timeline. States must ratify the 14th amendment in order to be readmitted to the union another violation of the u. February 2017 learn how and when to remove this template message. Shortly after, the other southern states followed to join the. Less than a month later, on march 4, 1861, abraham lincoln was sworn in as president of the united states. When abraham lincolns election in 1860 prompted several southern states to secede, the north was sharply divided over how to respond. The confederacy admitted them but they never controlled these states, and the proconfederate state governments were soon in exile.