South To Secede Dbq

The decision for the South to secede from the Union was not a knee-jerk decision. There were many issues that played a role in their decision to secede. For example, economically speaking, the South's main economy was based on slave labor, and with the populous tide turning against the institution of slavery, it was a matter of time before the government would abolish the practice; thus, interfering with the livelihood of plantation planters and essentially bankrupting the South's overall economy. Also, politically speaking, "the effort to maintain a balance between free states and slave states was being threatened by the expansion in the West" (Schultz, K.M., 2013). Although a series of compromises were enacted, supporters eventually became

The first state to do so was South Carolina. On December 20, 1860, in a state assembly, South Carolina ratification was repealed and they voted to withdraw from the Union. Consequently, six other states followed suit, Mississippi, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana; eventually forming their own independent republic, the Confederate States of America on February 7, 1861.

In response to the drastic measure taken by the southern states, President Lincoln sought a diplomatic middle course. He did this by first re-assuring them that he would leave the institution of slavery intact. Also, the president reminded them of the perpetual and indissoluble binding agreement that each state agreed to when joining the Union, and that secession was not an option. As stated in his first inaugural address: "Physically speaking, we cannot separate. We cannot remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced and go out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this" (NPS.gov,

In a dispute over shipping food to a garrison of men at Fort Sumter, President Davis of the Confederacy disputed the validity of President Lincoln's intentions. Amid the bickering, President Davis declared any effort by Union forces to deliver goods to Fort Sumter would be considered an aggressive act, and they would respond accordingly. But as a preemptive move, President Davis ordered the surrender of Fort Sumter. In any event, the garrison of men at Fort Sumter fought valiantly but to no avail, and eventually had to surrender the fort to the Confederate army. Consequently, the Union army responded with 75,000 volunteers to squash the rebellion. As it stands, this was the first physical altercation of the Civil War, but the first major battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Manassas (Bull Run). "It was a chaotic encounter fought by volunteers short of training and organization and haphazardly equipped" (Grant, R.G., 2017). Treated like a spectator sport, civilians showed up to the battlefield with picnic lunches to view the battle. The Confederates were victorious, killing nearly 3,000