What led the Southern states to secede from the Union in 1860 and 1861?
There were many factors that led to the 12 states secession from the
Union. And yes, I said 12 states. Missouri seceded in 1861 only to rejoin the
Union a short time later. These states had been a part of the Union for over 80
years. To dissolve these seemingly unpermiable bonds there had to be many
differences in views on both sides.
The election of 1860 was perhaps the most important election of all time.
Both parties had already stated their positions on certain issues. They were on
opposite ends of the spectrum on all issues; except the one that noted that there
was great tension among the states. Each party was very militant in their
support of certain issues including slavery. One issue was the admission of new
slave territories into the Union. This was something the Republicans were very
adamant about. They believed that slavery was wrong and should be
outlawed.(Doc. 1) The Southern states took this as a direct hit upon their
lifestyle and culture. Slavery had been apart of the South for over 200 years.
Slavery at the time was in decline among the Southern states; mostly because
people realized how wrong it was to own another human being. But the North
was to busy to realize this. The Republicans nominated a staunch abolitionist
Abraham Lincoln for president. Lincoln declared that, "Government cannot
endure permanently half slave, half free." This was in stark contrast to the
opposing party. This party could not however,come up with a single candidate,
and they split the ticket. Breckinridge represented the South while Douglas
represented the other Democrats. By splitting the ticket they ruined any hope of
ever beating Lincoln. Lincoln ran on the abolitionist platform. Many Southern
states vowed to secede if Lincoln was elected President. The Pittsburgh Press
also believed this to be true. (Do...