Falling into a Civil War Section 10-4

CandidatePolitical PartyPopular VoteElectoral VotePolitical Position Abraham LincolnRepublican1,866,452180Slavery should be kept out of territories Stephen DouglasNorthern Democrat1,382,71312Popular sovereignty should decide slavery issue John C. BreckinridgeSouthern Democrat847,95372Government needs to protect slavery John BellConstitutional Unionist 592,90639Gov’t should protect slavery and keep country together ELECTION OF 1860

Abraham Lincoln 16 th President of the US Grew up in a log cabin in Kentucky Served as a lawyer throughout his younger years Lincoln secretly arrived in Washington D.C. in the middle of the night by railcar

Results of the election Vote for Lincoln was seen as the least extreme option towards the issue of slavery Lincoln also was seen as a man that could keep the Union together The South afterwards believed they had lost their voice in the national government

South Carolina makes the first move… 6 weeks after Lincoln is elected president, South Carolina votes unanimously to leave the country 6 other Southern states would eventually follow SC… Mississippi, 1/9/1861 Florida, 1/10/1861 Alabama, 1/11/61 Georgia, 1/19/61 Louisiana, 1/26/61 Texas, 2/1/61 Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee would eventually follow as well

President Buchanan, how are you going to respond? 15 th President Personally against slavery, but saw it as necessary to keep country together Buchanan will downplay the issue and reinforces the importance of staying together as a country Does not back his words with any type of action (sending troops)

The Confederate States of America (CSA) CSA would write a constitution very similar to the USA Stressed states rights over federal Implied states had right to secede Forbid importing new slaves from other countries

Jefferson Davis becomes the CSA’s 1 st President Davis was a Senator from Mississippi Served previously as a Secretary of War Was selected to compliment both radical and moderate southerners Did not want the 6 year presidential position

Attack on Fort Sumter, FIRST SHOTS OF THE WAR! March 4 th, 1861, Lincoln took office, he encouraged peace between the Confederacy and the Union April 4 th, 1861, Sumter needed supplies and Lincoln would agree to send them, sent a message to previous S. Carolina government Fort Sumter would be the beginning of the war…Lincoln would ask for his commanders at Ft. Sumter to hold their position April 13 th, eventually after a night’s bombardment, the Union army would surrender to the Confederates