In this paper there has been a discussion of the legislation and the tensions preceding the southern Secession. Based on this discussing it can be concluded that the tensions, which culminated with the Civil War, were present many decades before the secession itself. Even threats of Civil war and secession were present much prior to this particular conflict. This paper has also concluded that the threat of Lincoln was real to the South, because of the Republican party’s very distinct foundation as an anti-slavery party. Slavery was a soft spot in the South because of the substantial value slaves had.
Abraham Lincoln didn’t want them to split off because it would be a weaker nation and they might have wars over slavery and state’s rights. That’s what led up to the civil war. This hostility, really fueled the conflict between the two and they started the fighting April 12, 1861. The war started officially when the South attacked Fort Sumter. They did this because the fort was a source of tension between them and the Union for several
‘Slavery was the root cause of secession’. ‘November 6 1860, Lincoln was elected president of America which resulted in panic emerging in the South’ . The election of Lincoln as president who was a Republican leader meant that ideologies, movements and values from the North would be implemented in the South which meant the abolition of slavery. Slavery was a huge characteristic of the South as the economy; politics; social status and psychological mind-sets were influenced by the process of slavery. The southern white population then derived the idea of secession which meant the South would gain independence from Northern aggression .
In February 1861, a new government was on the horizon in the United States, known as the Confederate States of America. Composed of seven states from the South, this new government looked to separate from a union that they felt was tipping in power towards those who wanted to threaten the rights of the South, especially slavery. Similarly, in early 1775, colonists were preparing for revolution against a power that they felt oppressed their rights and wanted to take away their liberties. However, the Civil War was a not a complete representation of a second American Revolution. The Civil War was more than an unsatisfied party rebelling against a larger power, but a clash between two vastly different ways of life.
Therefore the Southern states should have been allowed to secede from the union as the government of the Union did not protect some of their given rights. First of all, the Southern states had the right to secede because the North had too much power over them. “In all the non-slave-holding States…the people have formed themselves into a great sectional party…based upon an unnatural feeling of hostility to these Southern States” (Document I). Based on this quote, the Northern states started to believe in the abolitionist movement too much; so much that they started to consider the slave states as their enemies. As shown in the quote “By consolidating their strength, they have placed the slave-holding states
First, Southern States seceded from the Union because wanted
During the 19th century, the population of the United States of America was growing rapidly, and more and more Americans started to move west. Even though the American Identity was a strong as ever, there was still strife within the country. The Northern states and the Southern states had very different economical, political, and social aspects of life, leading to the two sides of the United States to disagree with each other. While the North supported Hamilton’s ideas of a strong central government and an economy that focused on manufacturing, the South favored Jefferson’s idea of stronger states’ rights and an economy that focused on agriculture.
With the abolition of slavery in all the states of the Union, Lincoln achieved two objectives: on the one hand, to increase considerably the number of adherents to the cause of the Union between the popular masses and also in the most important chancelleries of Europe; And, on the other hand, the massive emigration to the states of the Union of black slaves, who left the plantations and entered as soldiers of the Union. Certainly, with the liberation of black slaves, Lincoln suitably paved the way to ultimate
The Civil War is a very brutal war in American History. One nation fought and killed its own people, and over half a million lives were destroyed and even more families were torn apart. The nation was divided because of slavery. In the North, people wanted to abolish slavery and make free states. In the South, people wanted to keep slavery because it was profitable to their economy and generated a 100% profit on all goods sold.
In the Declaration of Independence, it states that if a government becomes destructive, the people have the right to abolish or create a new government altogether. According to this Document F, the Southern states were doing something that is allowed under the Declaration of Independence, “...that, whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of people to alter or abolish it, and to institute a new government…” (Document F). The Southern states did not think that the government was serving them properly. All of the states that seceded from the union knew if the U.S. government wasn’t going to serve them properly, why live in bias of Lincoln who was going to abolish their number one source of making income, slaves making cotton.
The South needed to seceded from the Union because of slavery
Election of 1860 My sticky note, The Election of 1860, was a very important part and greatly influenced the start of the Civil War. The reason behind this statement is that many people in the south opposed Lincoln as becoming president. Southerners feared that slaves would revolt and did not have trust in Lincoln. Northerners liked what Lincoln had to offer and wanted him to become president.
The election was significant as it reflected that Northerners perceived the Slave Power to be a greater threat than the Catholic Church, it played an important role in the growth of the Republican party and in portraying the downfall of the Know Nothings (American Party). This essay will analyse these factors and
The Constitution of the United States was formed in order to unify the separate states into one country, under one government. It established the government, laws and proclaimed the rights of United States citizens. Under the Constitution slavery was neither legal nor illegal, creating problems eventually leading to the dissolution of the Union. This oversight in the Constitution led to increased tension between the North, who called for an end to slavery, and the South were the institution was deeply rooted. The rapid expansion of the United States during the 1850’s through 1860’s revitalized the slavery debate, and called for decision on whether slavery would continue and spread, or be outlawed.
“The lack of… nationality, I believe, is one of the great evils of the times…” Senator John Sherman stated on February 10, 1863. The United States had been split into sections from the beginning, and it created a lack of unity and togetherness. In Document A, the reader can acquire from the reading that South Carolina (and later many other states) seceded from the Union because of states’ rights. Document A states that an amendment (specifically the