Secession After the 1860 Election State Date Vote South Carolina US government response Crittenden Virginia Peace Conference Upper Southern States Creation of the Confederacy

Mood after the 1860 election… A lot of Southerner's were outraged by Lincoln’s win – who was portrayed as an abolitionist BUT Secession was not inevitable Union sympathisers Loyalties laid at a state level > the South as a whole (i.e. South isn’t united) Fear of what happens with one state secedes and no other states follow (Nullification Crisis) However, some southerners did want to secede… ‘Immediate secessionists’ want to leave straight away! Other secessionists wanted to wait for Lincoln to act against the South

Secession – South Carolina 10th November, South Carolina’s legislature called for elections to decide whether a convention should meet on 17th December. The convention would decide whether South Carolina would secede. 20th December South Carolina Convention voted 169-0 in favour of secession This created a chain reaction across the deep South. When Congress met in early December, 30 representative from 9 Southern States declared secession Individual states initially dedicated themselves to individual action, but it was clear that the South was committed to joint action (Congressmen in discussion) 4th February 1961 commissioners set to other southern states to propose a new government.

SLAVE POWER CONSPIRACY? Secession – Spreading Winter 1860-1: elections for conventions that would decide on secession took places Essentially ‘immediate secession’ or cooperationists (this group represented a range of opinions) South Carolina - 20th December 1860 – 169-0 Mississippi – 9th January 1861 – 85-15 Florida – 10th January 1861 – 62-7 Alabama – 11th January 1861 – 61-39 Georgia – 19th January 1861 – 208-89 Louisiana – 26th January 1861 – 113-17 Texas – 1st February 1861 – 166-8 SLAVE POWER CONSPIRACY? Republicans saw this as a SPC Few planters conned the electorate into voting for secession Planters did dominate, but debatable % for secession was greater where slavery was higher David Potter – acted democratically

Creation of the Confederacy Few American’s expected war in early 1861, nor did many Northerners think that secession was permanent 4th February – 50 delegated from seceded states met at Montgomery to launch a Confederate Government 8th February a provisional Constitution was adopted, the next day a Provisional Congress created a committed to draft a permanent Constitution This permanent Constitution was approved in March and ratified by all 7 Confederate states Difference from the Union constitution was defence of slavery and states rights 9th February Jefferson Davis is named provisional President, 18th February he took oath Provisional Congress: Passed major finance legislation, adopted a stars and bars flag, raised an army

The Upper South January 1861 the state legislatures of the upper southern states called elections for conventions to decide on secession Less secessionist than the lower southern states and did not immediately vote for secession Smaller stake in slavery Less than 30% of the population was black Non-slaveholders questioned how the Confederacy would serve their needs Upper south had close ties with the North BUT distrust Lincoln and would put their southern affiliations first if he forced seceding states back into the Union

What did the USA Government do? Buchanan remained President until March 1861 Took no action against federal institutions across the lower south (e.g. post offices) Did not recall federal garrisons at Fort Sumter and Fort Pickens Congress met in December 1860 – Crittenden recommended the following Compromise Missouri Compromise line across to the Pacific Constitutional amendment promising no interference in those slave states Congress forbidden to abolish Slavery in D.C. Virginia Peace convention Feb 1861 133 delegates in Washington D.C. to try and get the lower Southern states back Came up with proposals similar to Crittenden – ignored by Congress and Confederacy

Lincoln Lincoln was willing to compromise (letter to Seward, not said publically) e.g. fugitive slave law BUT position on slave expansion was clear… no Thought secession was a plot by a small group of planters, he was mistaken Cabinet was of all factions, rather than talents. Hadn’t been particularly friendly with Lincoln before Seward (state), Chase (treasury), Welles (Navy), Smith (Interior), Cameron (war) Became President on 4th March

Fort Sumter: Context Over the winter, Confederacy had taken all forts apart from Sumter and Pickens Sumter was a more serious problem (led by ex-Kentucky slave holder Major Robert Anderson) Confederates – can not have a ‘foreign’ fort in the middle of its main harbour Union – Lincoln said he would retain federal property in the south, lot at stake

You are Abraham Lincoln, Fort Sumter had 6 weeks of supplies left. What do you do? A Send supplies B Give up Fort Sumter to the Confederacy C Send an observer to assess the situation 20 10 30 Fort Sumter had 6 weeks of supplies left. Lincoln sent an observer to assess the situation.

30 20 10 You are William Seward, Secretary of State. Do you take any action? A No B Yes – tell the Confederacy the Union will not abandon C Yes – tell the Confederacy the Union will abandon 30 20 10 Seward sent reassurance to the South that Sumter would be abandoned by the Union

Send provisions and reinforcements You are Lincoln. You call a cabinet meeting in March, where the observer tells you there is no support for the Union whatsoever. Northern newspapers are demanding that Sumter be held. What do you do? A Give up Sumter B Send provisions and reinforcements C Send provisions only 10 20 30 Lincoln called a cabinet meeting in March, where the observer told them there was no support for the Union whatsoever. Northern newspapers were demanding that Sumter be held. 4th April Lincoln tells Anderson to expect a relief expedition – three ships and 500 men

You are Beauregard (army general), and go to meet Anderson (Army officer at Fort Sumter). What do you say to him? A Tell him to sit back and relax! B Tell him he can stay for 2 weeks C Tell him to evacuate 10 30 20 Beauregard tells Anderson to evacuate. He refused.

You are Jefferson Davis, Anderson has refused to leave, what do you order to happen? What do you do? A Open fire! B Nothing 30 20 4.30am on 12th April Confederate guns open fired – for the next 33 hours 5000 round of artillery. No deaths!

Fort Sumter 4.30am on 12th April Confederate guns open fired – for the next 33 hours 5000 round of artillery One death (someone fell down the stairs in the Fort!) Troops were allowed to march out and evacuate to Washington DC Impact on NYC (typically pro-Southern) – 250,000 Union rally 15th April Lincoln issued a call to arms – 75,000 men for 90 days to put down the rebellion 19th April ordered a blockade of the Confederacy

Second wave of secession Upper south now had to commit themselves Virginia was crucial – Industrial capacity! Votes 88-55 in support of secession and Richmond became the Confederate capital May – Arkansas and North Carolina June – Tennessee West Virginia, Kentucky, Delaware, Missouri, Maryland did not secede!

________________ caused the Civil War Assess the validity of this view 1860 election Actions of Abraham Lincoln Actions of James Buchanan Southern political leaders Fort Sumter Growing Abolitionist feeling ________________ caused the Civil War Assess the validity of this view

Southern Political Leaders: it was Southern politicians who pushed for and led Secession from the Union which started the war and the confederate leader, Davis, ordered the taking of Fort Sumter starting the war South Carolina and the other seceding states can be argued to have acted irrationally given Lincoln’s stated position on slavery and the constitutional constraints on his power, particularly as the Republicans did not control Congress Lincoln, on becoming President, was conciliatory but firm and Congress did seek compromise, but Southern politicians largely refused to enter into any discussion of compromise Lincoln at the time, and some historians since, believed that the war was a result of a ‘slave power conspiracy’ in which the Southern politicians from the planter class conned the Southern voters into secession and war Lincoln’s election: Lincoln winning the Presidency was the trigger for secession which signalled the start of the war. With Lincoln winning the presidency with no support in the South, Southern fears of Northern domination seemed to be confirmed Lincoln had been portrayed as an abolitionist throughout the South following the Douglas-Lincoln debates in 1858 Lincoln made no effort to reassure Southerners during the campaign. Lincoln’s belief in a ‘slave power’ conspiracy meant he was unwilling to make concession to the South that may have prevented secession and prevented war.