Civil War History - Secession and PoliticsWas it Slavery, or was it States Rights? Perhaps it was the election of Lincoln? What were the real reasons for Southern Secession and what were the political issues in this time of war? Find your answers here in the Secession and Politics Disussion.
The Deep South seceded because their purely sectional candidate was not elected, not because the man Abraham Lincoln was elected.
Ole
Ole, this is interesting.
I'm aware of southern threats to secede in the event of Lincoln's election, but am not aware of their threates to secede in the event that "their" candidate was not elected.
Perhaps you wouldn't mind sharing how you arrive at that conclusion? It seems to go against the Lincoln-less ballots and pre-election comments of Southern leaders.
If the south was going to secede if Lincoln were elected, it kinda follows that it was going to secede if its favored candidate was not elected. Even without polls, the nation could see that the winner was going to be Lincoln or the strongest of the splintered three. The more aware probably knew that it would most certainly be Lincoln or a run-off.
Only the victory of its candidate would have averted southern secession. But then, election of its candidate would have put a secession-friendly administration in office.
If southern leaders had already decided on secession. Pre-election comments and Lincoln-less ballots were but a side-bar.
Ole,
I have to disagree with you there friend.I think the Southern states seceded because a Republican Party candidate was elected.If Douglas or Belle had won I don't think that they would have left the Union over the election.Of the 4 candidates only if Lincoln was elected would the South secede.Thats what was said before the election and I believe their comments proved to be accurate.Remember secession took a vote of all the states delegates to make happen.Some would've wanted to secede anyway no doubt but I think they would have been in the minority.
__________________ "The sword is mighty, but principles laugh at swords. Overwhelming force may crush truth to earth but, crushed or not the truth is still the truth." Regards, Ashley
To stir the pot a bit- I agree that the South seceded because an acceptable Southern candidate was not elected. Of course, it didn't matter which Republican, any would do. But I disagree with Mobileboy, the election of Douglas would also have precipitated secession. At this point in time, the Southerners wanted, in fact demanded, untrammelled Federal protection of slavery in the territories. No Republican was acceptable because non-expansion was a basic tenet of the Republican Party. Douglas was committed to popular sovereignty, and by 1860, had taken a hard line towards the South. The Southerners in fact split up Democratic Party to prevent Douglas from getting its nomination, their only chance of getting a candidate elected with anything like empathy towards the South. And ultimately prevented the only man capable of preventing a Republican victory from winning. If the Southerners were going to break up the last remaining national party because they didn't like Douglas and want him as President, then they were just as likely to break up the Union with Douglas as president. I see secession as going forward, or at least attempted.
Furtheremore, it behooved the Southerner leaders to move at this time. If they were going to go, it had to be done while they had any kind of strength and clout. The very reason they wanted guarantees was because they saw how weak they were becoming in relation to the North, and were only going to grow weaker with time. Essentially it was now or never. Why else oppose Douglas so vehemently?
__________________ 'It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, whose coffin is draped by the flag, who allows the protester to burn the flag'
Could it be that Southerners were looking for a pretext to seceed and saw the election of any Republican as President as such?
__________________ F. S. Powers
Union Ancersor: Pvt Arnuah Norton, 60th Ohio. (G-G-G Grandfather) Died at Salisbury NC, November 3, 1864
Confederate Ancestors: Captain Thomas A. Morrow, 29th Texas Cavalry (G-G-G- Uncle) and 2LT George W. Morrow, 31st Texas Cavalry (G-G-G Grandfather). Both survived the war
EWC, the Deep South openly declared their intention to secede should Lincoln be elected.
Did they also threaten secession in the event Douglas was elected?
Hal
----------------
They in fact seceded--from the Democrat Party--when Douglas locked up the nomination.
Also:
"A third man, now: Jefferson Davis, tall and slim and haggard, coming into the [US Senate] chamber to the sound of muted rustlings in the galleries, going to his desk and depositing documents there with thin, bloodless hands, sitting down as if ineffably weary. The Vice President called the Senate to order and recognized the Senator from Mississippi. Senator Davis rose to speak.
"Davis had something to say. The revolution that hardly anyone really wanted was coming closer and he did not like the sound of it; as a reasonable man, he would urge his opponents to be reasonable enough to see things as he saw them. Through his words there came, not only the Southerners' unappeasable opposition to Douglas, but the defiant challenge of a whole section which, if it did not consciously want disunion, would endure continued union only on its own terms." [Bruce Catton, The Coming Fury, pp. 42-43]
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