Why did the election of
Abraham Lincoln spark the
secession of the Southern
states?
Are they just being over-dramatic?
 “They have robbed us of our property, they have
murdered our citizens, they have set at naught the
decrees of the Supreme Court…they have declared
their determination to exclude us altogether from the
territories, and they have capped this mighty pyramid
of insults by electing Abraham Lincoln to the
Presidency, on a platform and by a system which
indicates nothing but the [suppression] of the South
and the complete ruin of her social, political, and
industrial institutions.”
A Divided Nation: Election of 1860
Parties
Candidates
 Republican
 Abraham Lincoln
 Southern Democrat
 John Breckenridge
 Northern Democrat
 Stephen Douglas
 Constitutional Union
 John Bell
N. Democrat: Douglas
Extension of
Slavery
Protective
Tariff
TransFree Land to
continental RR Homesteaders
S. Democrat: Breckinridge
Extension of
Slavery
Protective
Tariff
TransFree Land to
continental RR Homesteaders
Republican: Lincoln
Extension of
Slavery
Protective
Tariff
TransFree Land to
continental RR Homesteaders
Constitutional Union: Bell
Extension of
Slavery
Protective
Tariff
TransFree Land to
continental RR Homesteaders
Political Parties of 1860
Republican: Lincoln (Blue)
N. Democrat: Douglas (Red)
S. Democrat: Breckinridge (Green)
Constitutional Union: Bell (Yellow)
Secession
 After Lincoln won the election, South Carolina
responded by leaving the union
 Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana,
and Texas followed -- then Virginia, Arkansas,
Tennessee, and North Carolina
 They formed the Confederate States of America led
by President Jefferson Davis
Why such drastic measures??
 Read “South Carolina’s Declaration of Secession” an
answer the following questions on the back:
1. What amendment are they talking about in the
fourth paragraph? Based on this, do you think they
believe in strong states or strong central
government?
2. What “constitutional obligations” does this say the 14
states of the North are not fulfilling?
3. How valid is the argument that Abraham Lincoln’s
“opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery?”
Response of Seceding States
 Responded by taking over all federal property in the
South
 Confederates tried to starve out Fort Sumter in
Charleston, SC
 Federal troops had continued to occupy fort
Attack on Fort Sumter
 Lincoln decided to send food but no soldiers or
arms
 Jefferson Davis ordered an attack of the fort before
supplies could get there
 Confederacy bombarded the fort on April 12, 1861
 34 hours later, the federal troops surrendered
Compromise of 1850
Free-Soil Party
Wilmot Proviso
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
How did each event help divide the
U.S.?
Election of
Lincoln
Kansas-Nebraska
Act
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
John Brown’s
Raid