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 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 12 th,  Thousands of shots were fired, but no one was killed  The Civil War had just begun.