Map of a map of the southern states during secession, showing the states which first seceded before april 15, 1861, and those which followed after the outbreak of the american civil war. The most serious attempt at secession was advanced in the years 1860 and 1861 as eleven southern states each declared. Missouri did not secede but a rump group proclaimed secession october 31, 1861. John moen is a cartographer who along with his wife are the orignal founders of. Lincoln perceived as an abolitionist wanted to contain slavery rather than ending it. Timeline of slavery and secession slavery as the cause. This timeline of events leading to the american civil war is a chronologically ordered list of. The map is colorcoded to show the federal states and territory including the union slaveholding states of missouri, kentucky, west virginia, maryland, and delaware, and the confederate states and territories. Secession in the united states refers mainly to state secession. 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.
Not all southerners supported secession, however, but those who did argued that because the southern states were a part of the union, their rights. After the 1860 election, tensions between north and south finally came to a head. Secession, south carolina history civil war, 18611865 publisher columbia, s. If the act of secession cannot be justified the southern people will be stigmatized as a brave and rash people deluded by bad men who attempted in an illegal and wicked manner to overthrow the union. This provoked the first round of state secession as leaders of the cotton states of the deep south were unwilling to remain in. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of south carolina from the. South carolinas amazingly hasty timeline to jump to secession before dealing with any of these issues with some sort of agreement showed their agenda quite obviously. Slaves are virtually nonexistent in northern states and as high as 51% in south carolina and 45% in louisiana. Below we present the text of the december 24, 1860 south carolina causes of secession document which could be considered roughly equivalent to a declaration of independence for south carolina. Secession in the united states simple english wikipedia.
In this lesson, we will explore the secession of the 11 states that made up the confederate states of america. South carolina adopted the declaration of the immediate causes which induce and justify the secession of south carolina from the federal union on december 24, 1860, following a briefer ordinance of secession adopted december 20. He and his wife, chris woolwinemoen, produced thousands of awardwinning maps that are used all over the world and content that aids students, teachers, travelers. The civil war was by far the most catastrophic event to ever happen in the american south. Declaration of the immediate causes which induce and.
Centennial civil war discovery trail civil war roundtables civil war trails program civil war trust. Earlier, there had been different tariffs for the north and south, but a congr. South carolina convention passes ordinance of seccession. Digital historyexplorationswhy did the south secede. There have been at least a few discussions on whether abraham lincoln and the republicans should have prosecuted the civil war, but surprisingly very little analysis on whether south carolinas secession in 1860 was a strategically wise move in the context of the american debate on slavery and states. On december 26, 1860, six days after south carolina declared its secession, u. Abraham lincoln won the 1860 contest on november 6 with just 40% of the popular vote and not a single southern vote in the electoral college. Declaration of the immediate causes which induce and justify. 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. Opponents of secession were often intimidated except the governor, who courageously stumped the state opposing withdrawal from the union. Why did the election of abraham lincoln prompt the south to choose between remaining in the union or seceding. Within days, southern states were organizing secession conventions. 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. Considering how uncle toms cabin was a book written about the devastating feelings floating through a slaves head.
The secession the stewing pot of sectionalism finally comes to a head as after the election of lincoln the south. South carolinas ordinance of secession december 1860. The secession of south carolina was followed by the secession of all the gulf states mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texas. December 5, 1859february 1, 1860 a protracted and acrimonious debate over the house speakership occupies congress for nearly two months. A timeline created with timetoasts interactive timeline maker. Lincoln is elected as president and the south is outraged putting more and more fuel into the fire of this growing separation of the country.
December 20, 1860delegates to south carolinas secession convention vote 169 to 0 to leave the union. Although south carolinians played a major role in the creation of the new federal constitution, there were those in the state who feared the. There is a great deal of theorizing about secession so that it is difficult to identify a consensus regarding its definition. Secession, south carolina history civil war, 18611865.
Chronology of major events leading to secession crisis december 2, 1859 radical abolitionist john brown is hanged in charles town, virginia for attempting to foment a slave revolt. The confederacy admitted them but they never controlled these states, and the proconfederate state governments were soon in exile. Calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of south carolina from the union known as the united states of america. Chronology of major events leading to secession crisis aha. All these classes saw this and felt it and cast about for new. On december 20, south carolina voted to secede, and issued its declaration of the immediate causes. Declaration of the causes of secession, georgia january 29, 1861 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. When south carolina seceded from the union in 1860, the main justification of secession was that southerners believed secession was the only way they could preserve their institution of slavery. A map showing the secession of the confederate states from the union, from the secession of south carolina december 20, 1860 to the secession of tennessee june 8, 1861. December 17, 1860south carolinas secession convention opens in columbia. March, 1860the virginia house of delegates overwhelmingly rejects a proposal by south carolina to organize a convention of southern states.
December, 1860twentythree house members and seven senators from the south make a public announcement calling for the creation of a southern confederacy. Timeline of events leading to the american civil war wikipedia. South carolinas declaration noted that a number of states wouldnt fully enforce fugitive slave laws. The document below reveals the reasons for south carolinas. Alexander stephens addresses the georiga legislature on secession. 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. Prosecessionists found philosophical justification for altering or abolishing a government and instituting a new one in the declaration of independence. Kentucky did not secede but a rump, unelected group proclaimed secession november 20, 1861. Graham held a number of prominent positions in nc prior to 1860, including governor of nc, us senator, and secretary of the navy.
Maps etc united states civil war secession of the south, 1861. Uncle toms cabin happened to be one of the best selling books back in the 1800s, and eventually played impacted the civil war greatly. Army major robert anderson, without orders from washington, and on his own initiative, abandoned the indefensible fort moultrie, south carolina, and secretly relocated companies e and h 127 men, of them musicians of the 1st u. Apr 15, 2010 now, about those secession comissioners. The map is colorcoded to show the federal states and territory including the union slaveholding states of missouri, kentucky, west virginia, maryland. The results of the 1820 census show a total population of 10,037,323 including 1,529,012 slaves or 15% of the population. The people of the state of south carolina, in convention assembled, on the 26th day of april, a.
On the timeline i will likely do so but again will link back here. South carolina was the first to go after its secession convention voted to secede on december 20, 1860. Secession of the southern states timeline timetoast timelines. Whenever government becomes destructive of these ends i. Considering how eli whitney created the device to help produce cotton much faster, it gave slave owners a reason to imbed more slaves. All of the violations of the alleged rights of southern states mentioned in the document are about slavery. Secession had a long history in the united statesbut as a threat rather than as an actual dissolution of the union.
The civil war timeline 18611877 covers the north, the south, african. Lincoln and the republicans were reviled in the south, and did not carry a single state south of the mason dixon line. These initial seven seceding states formed the confederate states. Power in the ascendant not only makes laws, but controls public opinion. More specifically, those who held that the union was simply a compact among the states argued that states could secede from. Chronology of the american civil war this area of the home of the civil war presents a timeline of the civil war beginning with lincolns election in november 60 and ending with the surrender of the css shenandoah in november 65. Only eight delegates voted against secession, while 166 supported it. There is also a claim that this subject has been neglected by political philosophers and that by the 1980swhen it finally generated interestthe discourse concentrated on the moral justifications of the unilateral right to secession. They would act despite no consensus from either the us or the other southern states something the virginia secession convention later complained a lot about and then try and. Thus, secession is never to be approached lightly, and the act of secession negates the value, benefits and security of the union. The secession of the south essay 771 words bartleby.
Civil war and reconstruction american memory timeline. South carolina, which would become the first state to secede during the civil war, also had earlier threatened secession, in 1828, over tariffs that were harming the states economy. A map of the southern states during secession, showing the states which first seceded before april 15, 1861, and those which followed after the outbreak of the american civil war. 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. The official secession, which was a brief statement, had been issued four days earlier. It was followed four months later by the states of georgia, florida, alabama, mississippi, texas and louisiana.
What led to the secession of the southern states flashcards. Bleeding kansas is the term used to described the period of violence during the settling of the kansas territory. The southern states leave the union the civil war peacock, judith on. Jul 30, 2017 south carolinas amazingly hasty timeline to jump to secession before dealing with any of these issues with some sort of agreement showed their agenda quite obviously. South carolinas declaration made it abundantly clear that the reason for secession was the desire to preserve slavery. Choose from 79 different sets of southern secession flashcards on quizlet. Secession of the south timeline timetoast timelines. December 17, 1860 south carolinas secession convention opens in columbia. Mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texas soon followed. December 24, 1860 declaration of the immediate causes which induce and justify the secession of south carolina from the federal union. It followed the brief ordinance of secession that had been issued on. Timeline of the civil war, januaryjune 1861 ncpedia.
The secession of south carolina on december 20, 1860, by a vote of 1690 was a response to the election of abraham lincoln of 1860. North carolinians debate secession catherine edmondston daughter of a wealthy eastern nc planter. Map of a map showing the secession of the confederate states from the union, from the secession of south carolina december 20, 1860 to the secession of tennessee june 8, 1861. Legal justification of the south in secession by hon. The southern states have shared the fate of all conquered peoples. Aug 15, 2017 on the timeline i will likely do so but again will link back here. Time line of the civil war home library of congress. The south and the northwestern states sustained this policy. Election of 1860 and secession abraham lincoln, an anti slavery republican was elected president. An economic argument over the mercantile northern states forcing enactment of high protective tariffs that would economically cripple the freetrade agricultural south. Within a few weeks of the election, southern states, unwilling to accept a republican president, began seceding from the union. Timeline of slavery and secession slavery as the cause for. The beginning of the end of the confederacy civil war. The declaration of the immediate causes which induce and justify the secession of south carolina from the federal union, also known as the south carolina declaration of secession, was a proclamation issued on december 24, 1860, by the government of south carolina to explain its reasons for seceding from the united states.
South secession map southern states secede civil war rights. Mississippi legislature passes resolutions in favor of secession. Although south carolinians played a major role in the creation of the new federal constitution, there were those in the state who feared the power of a strong central government. Learn southern secession with free interactive flashcards. Secession of the south, 1861 university of south florida. Opponents of secession were often intimidated except the governor, who courageously stumped the. Anything else is up to personal preference, quotes, custom quote formatting, etc. 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. Abraham lincoln elected president of the united states. Painfully are we conscious of the disadvantages in any effort to. The secession of south carolina was followed by the secession of six more states mississippi, florida, alabama, georgia, louisiana, and texas and the. 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. Similarly, when south carolinas leaders promoted secession in 1860, they considered themselves the political heirs of the men of 1776.
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