Chapter 15, Section 4

Secession and War

Election of 1860

The Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas

The Southern Democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge, who supported the Dred Scott Decision

The Constitutional Union Party nominated John Bell

Lincoln Nominated/Elected

The Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln Their platform was that slavery should be left

undisturbed where it existed, but should not spread into new territories

With the Democrats divided, Lincoln won a clear majority of electoral votes

The vote was along sectional lines Lincoln’s name didn’t even appear on the ballot

in many Southern states

The South Secedes

Many people in the South didn’t trust that the Republicans would allow slavery to remain where it already existed

On December 20, 1860, South Carolina held a convention and voted to secede

Attempt at Compromise

Senator John Crittenden offered a last-minute compromise, proposing a series of amendments to the constitution

Central to his plan was a provision to protect slavery under the 36 30 North Compromise Line

The Republicans found this unacceptable because they had just won an election based on the principle that slavery should not extend into any new territories

The Confederacy

The Confederate States of America was formed in February 1861 and Jefferson Davis was chosen as their president

It included Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia.

They felt that “states’ rights” gave them the right to secede.

The national government had refused to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law

Reactions to Secession

Most Southerners were thrilled but others were worried

Some Northern abolitionists were happy to see the South go!

Most Northerners agreed that the Union must be preserved.

Presidential Responses

Buchanan sent a message to Congress saying that the Southern states had no right to secede, but he had no power in stopping them from doing so

North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas were the remaining slave states

They threatened to secede if the US used force against the Confederate States

Fort Sumter

On the day after his inauguration, Lincoln received word that Fort Sumter, a federal fort that was captured by the Confederacy, was low on supplies and that the Confederates demanded their surrender

The War Begins

Lincoln ordered an unarmed expedition to South Carolina to replenish the fort

He said that it would be up to the Confederacy to fire the first shot

Confederate president Jefferson Davis ordered their forces to attack Fort Sumter

They opened fire on April 12th, 1861. Thousands of shots were fired, but no one was

killed The Civil War had just begun.