You just studied 20 terms! What would have happened had South Carolina (and the other Confederate states thereafter). Below are four scenarios that might have occurred had South Carolina (and by extension the rest of the eventual Confederacy) held tight after Lincoln's election and not withdrawn from the Union. Secession, in U.S. history, 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Although South Carolinians played a major role in the creation of the new federal Constitution, there were those in the state . The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more statesMississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texasand the threat of secession by four moreVirginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. how did southern leaders justify secession? The Election of 1860 By not seceding they would have, in this scenario, bought themselves an additional few decades of the slave system with all of the profits which that would have entailed. Eleven states with declarations of secession from the Union formed the main part of the CSA. 2. Copyright 2023 History Today Ltd. Company no. The South, however, regarded slavery as crucial to its plantation economy, society and traditions. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union on December 20, 1860. Bill Murray lives in Charleston and is frequently seen around town. This argument however, for rhetorical reasons, entirely ignores the backdrop of violence that held the slave system together. North Carolina May 20, 1861 In a unanimous vote on May 20, North Carolina was thought to be the last of the states that seceded. North Carolina was mostly a state of yeoman farmers who were beginning to . He could not ease the tensions over slavery, nor unite the country behind the Kansas-Nebraska Act. From the perspective of the Southern planters, it's hard to tell what would have happened in this scenario, but it is possible that the end result would have been far worse for them than the sharecropping system that eventually developed after the Civil War. The first seven seceding states of the Lower South set up a provisional government at Montgomery, Alabama. On December 17, 1860, a convention of state leaders met in Columbia, the capital of South Carolina, to discuss secession. In that case, this essay aims to examine two things: It is the contention here that secession was an utter disaster for the South. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". And now the State of South Carolina having resumed her separate and equal place among nations, deems it due to herself, to the remaining United States of America, and to the nations of the world, that she should declare the immediate causes which have led to this act. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. 2 Which Southern states were the last to secede? Many Southerners wanted to end economic dependence on the North. misguided political and religious beliefs in the North made future sectional unity impossible. The States two mottos surround the two ovals. The bombardment of the beleaguered U.S. garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861 is generally recognized as the first military engagement of the war. Slavery survives until cotton becomes an untenable cash crop, around 1910. One of the main arguments used by the southern states to justify secession was the idea of states' rights. Which event had the biggest impact on the South seceding? As white settlement spread westwards and new states were created, disagreement over whether slavery should be allowed in them kept the matter on the boil. Abraham Lincoln (November 1860), the seven states of the Deep South (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas) seceded from the Union during the following months. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". At the first sign of such overtures, the abolitionists might have withdrawn from the Republicans and formed a new Liberty Party. Perhaps by the 1880s or 90s the more prescient of the planters would have seen a decline to the cotton ecology beginning, and would have been willing to "sell high" on the institution of slavery before it collapsed on them. The victory of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election triggered cries for disunion across the slaveholding South. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 1556332. The conflict began primarily as a result of the long-standing disagreement over the institution of slavery. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union on December 20, 1860. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The debate is over. in American History from the University of Chicago. the Republican Party was planning to wage a war against slavery upon taking office in March 1861. If the movie Lincoln has shown the difficulties of passing the 13th Amendment in 1865, after four years of insurrection, it is very hard to imagine the same legislation passing with a full Southern contingent in Congress, going through the motions of the democratic process. In any case, I have used the four hypotheticals above to reiterate the point that secession was a gross strategic error. He has created this site to empower Americans of all backgrounds to increase their historical literacy. Many maintain that the primary cause of the war was the Southern states' desire to preserve the institution of slavery. With a unanimous vote of . Why did North Carolina decide to secede? The South wanted the slaves and needed them but the North did not. As early as 1835, when the postmaster in Charleston, South Carolina, found abolitionist material in the mail, he refused to deliver it and it was burned in public on a bonfire. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Why did South Carolina want to secede from USA in the 1830's? The troubles also showed Pierce to be an ineffective president. The event that caused South Carolina to secede from the Union was election of Abraham Lincoln. Southern states seceded after Lincolns election, then, because they felt that his election showed they had no power in the USA and that the North would soon destroy their way of life that centered around slavery. Others minimize slavery and point to other factors, such as taxation or the principle of States' Rights. In October he had privately informed the other southern governors that South Carolina would secede if Lincoln won the election and in November he told Governor Pettus of Mississippi that he did not mean to let our weaker brethren dodge the issue. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union on December 20, 1860. The eleven states of the CSA, in order of secession, were: South Carolina (seceded December 20, 1860), Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee (seceded June 8, 1861). Was South Carolina justified in seceding from the union? Feared Northern interference in Southern affairs (not justwith slavery). Additionally, after the disaster of 1860 the Democrats might have been more inclined to run as a national party in 1864 or 1868. Speculating on alternative history is always problematic, but I believe that it's useful in this case for the purposes of showing just how bad of an idea secession really was for the South in 1860. It is unclear whether he could have forced a resolution on the end of slavery in the Western territories. There was no army being mobilized to wage an impending war on the South. The secessionists claimed that according to the Constitution every state had the right to leave the Union. In 1860, South Carolina declared its secession from the United States, and they demanded that the US Army abandon Charleston Harbor, where its facilities were situated. By Benjamin Yates / August 15, 2022. While the civil war started in 1861 the secession of the South had already begun immediately after the presidential election of 1860 when South Carolina declared its independence on December 20th, 1860. Secession precipitated the American Civil War. Confederate States of America or Confederacy. That same day, the Confederate Congress voted to move the capital to Richmond, Virginia. Which states did not secede until after the Fort Sumter attack? But on December 20th, 1860, South Carolina held a secession convention in Charleston. The youngest to become president by election was John F. Kennedy, who was inaugurated at age 43. It was quickly followed up by the State House of Representatives giving a final approval in a 94-20 vote. The rupture of the Union had finally occurred, and the secession of South Carolina opened the floodgates as four more states from the Deep South quickly joined her. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Who wrote the music and lyrics for Kinky Boots? What percentage of South Carolina is black? South Carolina was the first of 11 states to secede at the beginning of the Civil War. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". There was talk in London in 186162 of mediating the war or recognizing the Confederacy. On December 17, 1860, the South Carolina legislature called for a convention to discuss whether that state would make the monumental decision to secede from the United States, becoming the first state to take such action. Home | About | Contact | Copyright | Report Content | Privacy | Cookie Policy | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there are a little more than 5 million people living in South Carolina. It is also somewhat likely that Delaware and Maryland would have eventually seen themselves aligned with the Northern antislavery coalition. They had supported the. South Carolina voted to secede from the United States as a result of Abraham Lincoln's election to the Presidency. Lincoln claimed that they did not have that right. The southern states believed that they had the right to secede from the Union if they so chose, just as the original colonies had the right to secede from Great Britain. Seventy members held 50 slaves or more; and 27 delegates, or 16% of the convention, held 100 slaves or more. Southerners invested in slavery while Northerners invested in industry. A moderate wing which was mostly concerned with protectionism, a transcontinental railroad, homesteading, and industrial issues. 1 Why did South Carolina and 6 other states secede? As of Friday July 10, 2015, at 10 a.m. The 1860 census showed that the slave population had grown to four million in a total population of 23 million. The most obvious (successful) corollary would be the 1790s rebellion in Haiti that was led by, Elizabeth Fox-Genovese and Eugene Genovese -. Seven states South Carolina , Georgia , Florida , Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana , and Texasleft the Union before Lincoln took office. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Why did South Carolinians believe they had the right to secede from the Union? Perhaps Stephen A. Douglas would not have caught typhoid in 1861 and instead been the standard-bearer. Ask a Confederate. South Carolina had joined the United States of its own free will in 1788 and believed that it had the right to leave when it chose. Ron DeSantis (R), according to a new poll released on . North Carolina had a long complicated battle within the state whether to secede or remain in the Union. One tactic to be potentially used by the Republicans would have been the creation of smaller states in the West to drive up the number of sympathetic legislators in Congress. 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. Convinced that their way of life, based on slavery, was irretrievably threatened by the election of Pres. The escalating controversy over the expansion of slavery into the territory acquired from Mexico prompted South Carolinas secession crisis of 1850 51. Eventually the radicals were defeated. Secession in practical terms meant that about a third of the population with substantial material resources had withdrawn from what had constituted a single nation and established a separate government. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Federal support of the First Transcontinental Railroad would have been obstructed, slowing the development of the West. For many years these laws were executed. Brazil was the last nation in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery, doing so in 1888. He was buried there in the Old North Cemetery. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Cotton as the predominant cash crop of the South survived until ecological issues rendered it untenable on a large scale. What did president James Buchanan do in response to the secession of South Carolina? Many maintain that the primary cause of the war was the Southern states desire to preserve the institution of slavery. This election, contested by four separate presidential candidates, was ultimately divided along sectional lines, with Abraham Lincoln dominating the northern states while John Breckinridge won the South. Lincoln's election fed the perception that Southern interests were losing control of the federal government, and that this government would eventually suppress the institution of slavery or outlaw it altogether. They seceded because they saw the ascendence of the Republican party as an existential threat to their preservation of slavery. Why did South Carolina secede from the Union? d. People in the state felt the Crittenden Compromise had failed. Lincoln had, over time, voiced strong objections to slavery, and his incoming administration was viewed as a threat to the right of the states to keep their institutions, particularly that of slavery, the business of the states. 1)The state's leaders believed that Lincoln was hostile to slavery. All of the states of the Deep South had now left the Union. Clearly and undoubtedly, South Carolina identified the failure of northern states to abide by the national Fugitive Slave Act as the primary motivating factor for secession, especially given the recent (1860) rise to power of a political party committed to keeping the national territories free of slavery. On December 20, 1860, the convention issued an ordinance of secession announcing the state's withdrawal from the union. The major issue that drove states to secession was slavery, but North Carolina's economy did not depend on slavery as much as the Deep South states did. The retaking of Charleston in February 1865, and raising the flag . Many northern whites, while in no doubt of their superiority to negroes, grew ashamed of slavery and wanted it to stop altogether. From the standpoint of the planter class in 1860, this economic/ecological catastrophe was an uncontrollable inevitability with or without the Civil War. Or perhaps the defeat of the South would have happened much more quickly in this scenario, without the attendant scars to the economy and the Southern psyche that were actually in place by 1865. What was one reason South Carolina gave for its decision to secede? Having proclaimed the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 null and void within its boundaries, South Carolina threatened to secede from the union if the federal government attempted to enforce the tariffs. South Carolina probably seceded first for a couple of reasons. Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were married in Mount Pleasant in September 2012. Rucker is a singer/songwriter/musician who rose to fame as the lead singer of Hoote & The Blowfish. State delegates met in Raleigh and voted unanimously for secession. Even moderates and Democrats had little choice but to conclude that the South triggered the Civil War (especially after Fort Sumter). The North experienced more immigration than the South. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. There was no immediate proposal to abolish slavery, the Democrats still had enough political muscle to obstruct such attempts, and there was still a large faction of the North that opposed taking any drastic action on slavery. Why did 7 states seceded from the Union? The American Civil War was fought to preserve the Union. The Fourteen Points, the League of Nations, and Wilson's Failed Idealism, The National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association, Grover Cleveland, Mugwumps, and the 1884 Election, The "Cleveland Massacre" -- Standard Oil makes its First Attack. The South wanted to keep their slaves, fear of race mixing, and Southerners believed that the Northerners were overstepping their boundaries. As the Republican candidate, he received 1,887 votes in Virginia and did not appear on the ballot in any other state which eventually joined the Confederacy. It's not entirely clear what else the slaves could have done at this point to warrant the expense of their upkeep to indebted and bankrupt owners. It's a site that collects all the most frequently asked questions and answers, so you don't have to spend hours on searching anywhere else. Why did South Carolina and 6 other states secede? Ruin their economy because it relied on slavery. 1. While this group also shared many of the economic concerns, they were driven at heart by abolitionism. Now perhaps in the long-term there was a very real danger of the Southern fears coming to fruition, but as of December 20, 1860 there was no Amendment in process to abolish slavery. When South Carolina seceded, Abraham Lincoln had not yet taken office. Similarly, when South Carolina's leaders promoted secession in 1860, they considered themselves the political heirs of the men of 1776. You just studied 20 terms! These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. For the purposes of this article, let's stipulate that the preservation of slavery and the plantation economy was the primary objective in seceding from the United States. By around 1880 or 1890 they could have created a very strong majority using these tactics and potentially pressed through an abolition amendment. Its example was swiftly followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas, which together created a new nation. All of this is speculation, but there is no guarantee that the Republican coalition would have remained stable through the 1860s.2. That is, the Republican Party supported a free Kansas and refused to countenance the idea of admitting another slave state after 1860. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The declaration also claims that secession was declared as a result of the refusal of free states to enforce the Fugitive Slave Acts. It's very hard to speculate on how the federal government might have intervened had a serious slave rebellion taken hold in the 1860s or 70s. I believe that the most likely scenario from above is #1, combined with #3. Bill Murray is arguably one of the most cherished and visible celebrities seen around the Charleston area. What happened when South Carolina seceded? It was slavery, however, that brought matters to breaking point. The victory of Abraham Lincoln in the 1860 presidential election triggered cries for disunion across the slaveholding South. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Tariffs protected northern industries but disadvantaged the mature markets of southern agriculture cotton, tobacco, lumber. And it pushed a divided nation even further apart. He warned that the economic interests of North and South were at odds. This idea was rejected in the 1850s and 60s, to what limited extent it was pursued. What are the three reasons why a person would have their license denied? Why did South Carolina secede from the Union quizlet? Would these scenarios have represented an improvement (for the elite planter class) over the devastation of the Civil War, followed by the total abolition of slavery? South Carolina was the first of 11 states to secede at the beginning of the Civil War. 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