Potomac Pride
Sergeant Major
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2011
- Location
- Georgia
Let's see slavery was mentioned 1432 times coercion mentioned 230 times in the convention records I'll adjust it to 84% slavery 16% coercion. However, some of the coercion if not all was related to the protection of slavery so as I study the issue we may creep back to 95%
Like this one.
her honor and interest, to restore and maintain it—but that it is proper to declare through the Convention now assembled, her opposition to the coercion , under existing circumstances, of any slave State, and an unalterable determination not to submit to any Administration of the Government in
Why was coercion even a topic? Secession. And why did the states claim they seceded? Right.
Or take this from the Virginia General Assembly, March 11th, 1861. Emphasis mine:
7. That the main causes of the trouble between the north and the south, are to be found in the offensive intermeddling of the former with our exclusive right to regulate our domestic institutions--in their arrogant and pharisaical ascription of sinfulness to them--and in the insulting claim to exclude us from territories of which we are part owners, except upon the condition of our parting with our slaves, and in the formation, and accession to power, of a party "founded on geographical discriminations:" All which acts we hold to be equally against the spirit and provisions of the constitution--a just equality of rights and social duty: that the first duty of the north, if it would win back the states that have gone out of the Union, or would keep in those which still remain, is to "do justice" to the south, by removing these causes of complaint. But if from prejudices they choose to indulge, or an incorrect appreciation of their obligations, they shall decide that they cannot or will not remove those causes, then they should at once concur in some proper mode of providing for the peaceable separation from another of such states as may choose to remain united on the original terms of constitutional and social equality, to be secured by proper additional guarantees, and those which refuse to continue in the Union on those terms--for continued Union on any other terms is simply impossible.
Thanks for your comments. I previously stated that slavery was an important topic of discussion at the Virginia Secession Convention. However, the delegates originally voted overwhelmingly in early April 1861 NOT to secede when slavery was the main issue of concern. Therefore, the evidence shows that slavery by itself was not the issue which caused the secession of Virginia. There had to be some other issue which caused them to change their mind and vote for secession. This particular issue was the threat of federal coercion as a result of Lincoln's request for troops to which Va. Governor Letcher's response was:
"Your object is to subjugate our Southern States, and a requisition made upon me for such object---an object, in my judgment, not within the purview of the Constitution, or the act of 1795---- will not be complied with. You have chosen to inaugurate civil war, and having done so, we will meet it, in a spirit as determined as the Administration has exhibited towards the South."