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Seccession. "to withdraw formally from a union or alliance”. By 1860, tensions throughout America over slavery would reach a breaking point, producing a political crisis and leading to the dissolution of the Union.
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Seccession "to withdraw formally from a union or alliance”
By 1860, tensions throughout America over slavery would reach a breaking point, producing a political crisis and leading to the dissolution of the Union. • Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, prompting South Carolina to secede; • 10 other states soon followed S. Carolina’s lead. POLITICAL COMPROMISE FAILED TO SAVE THE NATION.
The Election of 1860 • In 1860, the question of slavery fractured the Democratic party. • The leading Democratic presidential candidate was Stephen Douglas of Illinois, who supported popular sovereignty; • Douglas failed to gain Southern support at the national Democratic convention, held in Charleston, S.Carolina, because he refused to endorse legal protection of slavery in all the territories.
Since they couldn’t agree on a candidate, the party reassembled in Baltimore, Md. • Here they nominated Douglas, which outraged the South. • Southern Democrats retaliated by nominating John Breckenridge as their candidate.
The Constitutional Union Party was formed, which favoured political compromise, similar to that of 1850, to diffuse the mounting conflict; • They nominated John Bell of Tennessee; • The Republican Party, wanting to appeal to as many Northerners a possible, nominated Abraham Lincoln.
The Candidates The key issue of the election was the extension of slavery in the new territories Douglas (Northern Democrat) favoured popular sovereignty; Bell (Constitutional Union) wanted compromise. • Breckenridge (Southern Democrat) was in favour of slavery; • Lincoln (Republican) opposed slavery.
With the Democratic party divided, and the Constitutional Union party so new, it was evident that Lincoln was going to win the election. • There were 2 political contests – Lincoln v. Douglas in the North; Breckenridge v. Bell in the South. • In the 10 Southern states, Lincoln’s name did not even appear on the ballot! • Results: • Electoral College – Lincoln won 180/303 votes, but only received 40% of the popular vote. • Douglas won 12 electoral votes, but 30% of the popular vote. • Politicians and citizens in the South spoke freely about secession; • The North refused to believe danger was near.
The end of the union • “[S]ecession is a desperate remedy, but of the two evils [secession and abolition], I do think it is the lesser.” • David Harris
South Carolina is first to go... • Southerners believed that the election of a president whose party was committed to abolition threatened the survival of their society because it was based on slavery. • On Dec. 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede the Union. • 6 other states, including Texas and Florida, followed. • In Feb. 1861, these states formed the CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA (CSA)
The Confederate States of America • Constitution was modelled after the U.S. Constitution, with the exception that it protected slavery and emphasized the rights of individual states. • Jefferson Davis, former secretary of war and US senator, was named President.
Secession Justified • In his inaugural address, Davis argued that secession was consistent with the ideas contained in the Declaration of Independence – that government required consent of the governed. • Davis urged the North to allow the Confederacy to exist in peace, as the South’s independence posed no threat. • Lincoln agreed, however Northern opinion overwhelmingly demanded that the Union be preserved.
Conspiracy? • Each side felt the other was conspiring against the other • Davis felt that since Congress was controlled by the North (18 free vs. 15 slave states), they implemented laws and measures that inhibited the south. • Lincoln maintained that the North didn’t want to control the South, but the South wanted to expand to the west and do things not allowed by Congress (such as allow slavery). • NEITHER SIDE TRUSTED EACH OTHER, ECONOMICALLY OR POLITICALLY.
Fort Sumter – the war begins • Despite their mutual desire for peace, both Lincoln and Davis began to prepare for war in early 1861. • The first issue to be dealt with was what would become of federal government property in the seceded states? • The answer would lead to civil war.
In South Carolina, Confederate forces surrounded Fort Sumter, which guarded the harbour of Charleston. • The fort’s commander appealed to the federal government for help, but Lincoln hesitated: • Sending a naval force to help the fort would definitely lead to war; • On the other hand, the Union needed to be defended.
By the time Lincoln responded by sending ships, Davis had ordered the fort be captured, and the assault on Fort Sumter began. • After 2 days of bombardment (April 12 – 14, 1861), the fort surrendered. THE CIVIL WAR HAD BEGUN!
Assignment • Using this presentation and your textbook, label and colour the map provided. • Label all the Union states • Label all the border states that did not secede • Label the order in which the states seceded before the attack on Fort Sumter • Label the order in which the states seceded after the attack on Fort Sumter
