449

February 1861Southern states form the Confederate States of America

April 1861Confederate forces attack FortSumter; the Civil War begins

Main IdeaIn 1860 Abraham Lincoln’s election aspresident of the United States was fol-lowed by Southern states leaving theUnion.

Key Termssecession, states’ rights

Reading StrategySequencing Information As youread the section, re-create the timeline below and list the major events ateach time.

Read to Learn• how the 1860 election led to the

breakup of the Union.• why secession led to the Civil War.

Section ThemeGeography and History The electionof 1860 clearly divided the nationalong sectional lines.

Secession and War

CHAPTER 15 Road to Civil War

After John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, calls for secession grew. South Carolina’sCharleston Mercury declared “The day of compromise is passed . . . [T]here is no peacefor the South in the Union.” The Nashville Union and American said, “The South willhold the whole party of Republicans responsible for the bloodshed at Harpers Ferry.”Republicans refused to take the threat of secession seriously. Secession is only a scaretactic, they argued, aimed at frightening voters from casting their ballot for AbrahamLincoln. To many Southerners, however, the election of Lincoln would be a final signalthat their position in the Union was hopeless.

The Election of 1860Would the Union break up? That was the burning question in the months

before the presidential election of 1860. The issue of slavery was seriously dis-cussed and eventually caused a break in the Democratic Party. As the electionapproached, a northern wing of the Democratic Party nominated Stephen

Secessionist ribbon

Preview of Events

Guide to Reading

✦ 1860 ✦ 1861 ✦ 1862

Nov. 1860Abraham Lincoln is elected president

Dec. 1860South Carolinasecedes

Nov. 1860

Dec. 1860 March 1861

Feb. 1861 April 1861

Abraham Lincoln’s Inaugural

Address, March 4, 1861

One section of our country

believes slavery is right and ought to

be extended, while the other believes

it

is wrong and ought not to be extende

d.

This is the only substantial dispute . . .

.

Physically speaking, we can not separa

te. We can not remove

our respective sections from each othe

r nor build an impassable

wall between them. A husband and w

ife may be divorced and go

out of the presence and beyond the re

ach of each other; but the

different parts of our country can not d

o this. . . .

In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow c

ountrymen, and not in

mine, is the momentous issue of civil

war.

450 CHAPTER 15 Road to Civil War

Union or Secession? President Abraham Lincoln and JeffersonDavis, president of the Confederacy, wereinaugurated just several weeks apart. Theseexcerpts from their Inaugural Addresses willhelp you understand differing points of viewabout secession from the United States in 1861.

Abraham Lincoln

1. According to Lincoln, what was theonly substantial disagreementbetween the North and the South?

2. What did Lincoln compare theUnited States to?

3. Did Lincoln and Davis say anythingin their inaugural addresses thatwas similar?

Learning From History

Jefferson Davis’s Inaugural Address, February 18, 1861As a necessity, not a choice, we have resorted to theremedy of separation, and henceforth our energies mustbe directed to the conduct of our own affairs, and the[continuation] of the Confederacy which we haveformed. If a just perception of mutual interest shallpermit us peaceably to pursue our separate polit-ical career, my most earnest desire will havebeen fulfilled. But if this be denied to us . . .[we will be forced] to appeal to arms. . . .

Jefferson Davis

Douglas for the presidency and sup-ported popular sovereignty. South-ern Democrats—vowing to upholdslavery—nominated John C. Breck-inridge of Kentucky and supportedthe Dred Scott decision. Moderatesfrom both the North and South whohad formed the ConstitutionalUnion Party nominated John Bell ofTennessee. This party took no posi-tion on slavery.

Lincoln NominatedThe Republicans nominated Abra-

ham Lincoln. Their platform,designed to attract voters from manyquarters, was that slavery should beleft undisturbed where it existed, butthat it should be excluded from theterritories. Many Southerners feared,however, that a Republican victorywould encourage slave revolts.

Lincoln ElectedWith the Democrats divided, Lin-

coln won a clear majority of the elec-toral votes—180 out of 303. Hereceived only 40 percent of the pop-ular vote, but this was more thanany other candidate. Douglas wassecond with 30 percent of the vote.

The vote was along purely sec-tional lines. Lincoln’s name did noteven appear on the ballot in mostSouthern states, but he won everyNorthern state. Breckinridge sweptthe South, and Bell took most borderstates. Douglas won only the state ofMissouri and three of New Jersey’sseven electoral votes.

In effect, the more populous Northhad outvoted the South. The victoryfor Lincoln was a short-lived one,however, for the nation Lincoln wasto lead would soon disintegrate.

Examining Whatcaused the split in the Democratic Party in 1860?

451CHAPTER 15 Road to Civil War

The South SecedesLincoln and the Republicans had promised

not to disturb slavery where it already existed.Many people in the South, however, did nottrust the party, fearing that the Republicanadministration would not protect Southernrights. On December 20, 1860, the South’s long-standing threat to leave the Union became areality when South Carolina held a special con-vention and voted to secede.

Attempt at CompromiseEven after South Carolina’s action, many

people still wished to preserve the Union. Thequestion was how. As other Southern statesdebated secession—withdrawal from theUnion—leaders in Washington, D.C., workedfrantically to fashion a last-minute compromise.On December 18, 1860, Senator John Critten-den of Kentucky proposed a series of amend-ments to the Constitution. Central to Critten-den’s plan was a provision to protect slaverysouth of 36°30'N latitude—the line set by theMissouri Compromise—in all territories “nowheld or hereafter acquired.”

Republicans considered this unacceptable.They had just won an election on the principlethat slavery would not be extended in any terri-tories. “Now we are told,” Lincoln said,

“the government shall be broken up, unlesswe surrender to those we have beaten.”

Leaders in the South also rejected the plan.“We spit upon every plan to compromise,”exclaimed one Southern leader. “No humanpower can save the Union,” wrote another.

The ConfederacyBy February 1861, Texas, Louisiana, Missis-

sippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia had joinedSouth Carolina and also seceded. Delegatesfrom these states and South Carolina met inMontgomery, Alabama, on February 4 to form anew nation and government. Calling themselvesthe Confederate States of America, they choseJefferson Davis, a senator from Mississippi, astheir president.

Southerners justified secession with the the-ory of states’ rights. The states, they argued, hadvoluntarily chosen to enter the Union. Theydefined the Constitution as a contract among theindependent states. Now because the nationalgovernment had violated that contract—byrefusing to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act and bydenying the Southern states equal rights in theterritories—the states were justified in leavingthe Union.

Reactions to SecessionMany Southerners welcomed secession. In

Charleston, South Carolina, people rang churchbells, fired cannons, and celebrated in thestreets. A newspaper in Atlanta, Georgia, saidthe South “will never submit” and woulddefend its liberties no matter what the cost.

Other Southerners, however, were alarmed. A South Carolinian wrote,

“My heart has been rent [torn] by . . . thedestruction of my country—the dismember-ment of that great and glorious Union.”

Virginian Robert E. Lee expressed concern aboutthe future. “I see only that a fearful calamity isupon us,” he wrote.

In the North some abolitionists preferred toallow the Southern states to leave. If the Unioncould be kept together only by compromisingon slavery, they declared, then let the Union bedestroyed. Most Northerners, however, believedthat the Union must be preserved. For Lincolnthe issue was “whether in a free government theminority have the right to break up the govern-ment whenever they choose.”

Presidential ResponsesLincoln had won the election, but he was not

yet president. James Buchanan’s term ran untilMarch 4, 1861. In December 1860, Buchanan senta message to Congress saying that the Southernstates had no right to secede. Then he added thathe had no power to stop them from doing so.

As Lincoln prepared for his inauguration onMarch 4, 1861, people in both the North and theSouth wondered what he would say and do.They wondered, too, what would happen in Vir-

secession would not be permitted, vowing tohold federal property in the South and toenforce the laws of the United States. At thesame time, Lincoln pleaded with the people ofthe South for reconciliation:

“We are not enemies, but friends. We must notbe enemies. Though passion may have strained, itmust not break our bonds of affection.”

Explaining How did the secedingstates justify their right to leave the Union?

452 CHAPTER 15 Road to Civil War

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On February 4, 1861,delegates met in Alabamato form a new nation.

South Carolina was thefirst state to secedefrom the Union.

West Virginia secededfrom Virginia in 1861and was admitted tothe Union in 1863.

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After the attack on Fort Sumter, four more Southern statesjoined the seven that had already seceded from the Union.1. Region Which slave states remained in the Union after

the Fort Sumter attack?2. Analyzing Information Which states did not secede

until after the Fort Sumter attack?

ginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee,Missouri, and Arkansas. These slave states hadchosen to remain in the Union, but the decisionwas not final. If the United States used forceagainst the Confederate States of America, theremaining slave states also might secede. In hisInaugural Address, the new president mixedtoughness and words of peace. He said that

Seceding States, 1860–1861

Boundary between Unionand Confederacy

Union free stateUnion slave state

Union Territories

Slave state seceding beforeFort Sumter, April 1861Slave state seceding afterFort Sumter, April 1861

Fort SumterThe South soon tested President Lincoln’s vow

to hold federal property. Confederate forces hadalready seized some United States forts withintheir states. Although Lincoln did not want tostart a war by trying to take the forts back, allow-ing the Confederates to keep them wouldamount to admitting their right to secede.

On the day after his inauguration, Lincolnreceived a dispatch from the commander of FortSumter, a United States fort on an island guard-ing Charleston Harbor. The message warnedthat the fort was low on supplies and that theConfederates demanded its surrender.

The War BeginsLincoln responded by sending a message to

Governor Francis Pickens of South Carolina. Heinformed Pickens that he was sending anunarmed expedition with supplies to FortSumter. Lincoln promised that Union forceswould not “throw in men, arms, or ammuni-tion” unless they were fired upon. The president thus left the decision to start shooting up to the Confederates.

Confederate president Jefferson Davis and hisadvisers made a fateful choice. They orderedtheir forces to attack Fort Sumter before theUnion supplies could arrive. Confederate guns

Checking for Understanding1. Key Terms Write a newspaper arti-

cle about the election of 1860, usingthe terms states’ rights and seces-sion.

2. Reviewing Facts Who served as thepresident of the Confederate Statesof America?

Reviewing Themes3. Geography and History What role

did sectionalism play in Lincoln’swinning the 1860 election?

Critical Thinking4. Drawing Conclusions Do you think

either Northerners or Southernersbelieved that secession would notlead to war? Explain.

5. Organizing Information Re-createthe diagram below. In the ovals,describe the events leading to the firing on Fort Sumter.

Analyzing Visuals6. Geography Skills Examine the map

on page 452. How many states madeup the Confederacy? Which stateseceded earlier—Mississippi orArkansas?

CHAPTER 15 Road to Civil War 453

Citizenship Make up a campaignslogan or song for Abraham Lin-coln, Stephen A. Douglas, John C.Breckinridge, or John Bell in the1860 presidential election.

Fort Sumter

opened fire on the fortearly on April 12, 1861.Union captain AbnerDoubleday witnessedthe attack from insidethe fort:

“Showers of balls . . .and shells . . . pouredinto the fort in oneincessant stream, causing great flakes of masonryto fall in all directions.”

High seas had prevented Union relief shipsfrom reaching the besieged fort. The Union gar-rison held out for 33 hours before surrenderingon April 14. Thousands of shots were exchangedduring the siege, but there was no loss of life oneither side. The Confederates hoisted their flagover the fort, and all the guns in the harborsounded a triumphant salute.

News of the attack galvanized the North.President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 troopsto fight to save the Union, and volunteersquickly signed up. Meanwhile, Virginia, NorthCarolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas voted to jointhe Confederacy. The Civil War had begun.

Explaining What action did Lincoln take after the attack on Fort Sumter?

HISTORY

Student Web ActivityVisit taj.glencoe.com andclick on Chapter 15—Student Web Activitiesfor an activity on theperiod leading up to theCivil War.

http://taj.glencoe.com