secession Flashcards
(6 cards)
initial threat to slavery of lincolns election
Lincolns election initially posed no threat to the ‘peculiar institution’, given reason for the South not to secede from the Union as he promised that he would not interfere with slavery where it already existed.
fire-eaters encouraging secession
Secession was encouraged by fire-eaters such as Robert Barnwell Rhett, as they tried to convince Southereners that they had no choice but to secede and that Lincolns election was a good enough reason to secede. Large volumes of newspaper editorials, speeches, political pamphlets etc. were created by fire-eaters who tried to convince Southerners that slavery was at threat. They convinced non-slaving whites that they also had reason to secede. They encourage people of the possibility of slave-uprisings and that the South should be separate. They reminded people of the ‘benefits’ of slavery (economic, radical and social)
Secession was not inevitable as anti – Breckinridge candidates has won 49% of the votes even in the seven lower south states.
reasons for secession
On 17th December 1860, a convention was held to decide whether South Carolina would secede, and on the 20th December 1860 the South Carolina convention voted 169-0. 4 days later it declared its action in a ‘Declaration of Causes of Secession’.
This spurred on the secession of several other states as South Carolina appointed commissioners to visit other states to convince them to secede and to propose a meeting for the creation of a provisional government for those states who did secede.
timeline of secession
20th December 1860: South Carolina
States secession convention passes the “ordinance of secession” which declared that South Carolina was no longer in the Union with the other states.
9th January 1861: Mississippi
States convention votes 85 to 15 in favor of secession, saying the threat to Union posed by slavery and states’ rights
10th January 1861: Florida
State convention in Tallahassee votes 62 to 7
11th January 1861: Alabama
- States convention in Montgomery votes 61 to 39
19th January 1861: Georgia
Secession decision came after heated debate with people like Alexander Stephens who initially opposed secession.
26th January 1861: Louisianna
State convention votes 113 to 17 in favour of secession
1st February 1861: Texas
State convention votes 166 to 8
Other states including Virginia, Arkansas etc. succeeded later.
republicans view on secession
Republicans viewed the events of the South as a continuation of the slave power conspiracy. They believed that a small number of secessionist planters had gained followers who supported secession, and they also claimed that most Southerners were not actually committed to secession.
jefferson davis
Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was elected as President of the Confederacy on 9th February 1861.
