The Secession Crisis * Southern militant leaders, champions of “Southern nationalism” concept and also known as fire eaters, began demanding an end to the Union * The Withdrawal of The South * South Carolina seceded first. They called a special convention and voted unanimously on Dec. 20, 1860 to be the first state to secede from the Union. * Six other states joined South Carolina as Lincoln entered office. * Mississippi – Jan. 9, 1861 * Florida – Jan. 10 * Alabama – Jan. 11 * Georgia – Jan. 19 * Louisiana – Jan. 26 * Texas – Feb. 1 * Feb. 1861 – representatives of the seven seceded states met at Montgomery, Alabama and formed a new nation, The Confederate States of America. * Northern response was confused and indecisive * Pres. James Buchanan told Congress in Dec. 1860 that no state had the right to secede from the Union but suggested the Federal Gov. had no authority to stop a state if it did. * Seceded states immediately seized federal property (forts, arsenals, government offices) but had insufficient military power to seize Fort Sumter – located in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina – and Fort Pickens – located in the harbor of Pensacola, South Florida. * Pres. Buchanan refused to yield Fort Sumter to the commissioners sent by South Carolina. * Pres. sent reinforcements to Fort Sumter in Jan. 1861. First shots fired between both North and South. * The Failure of Compromise * Sen. John Crittenden of Kentucky submitted Crittenden Compromise. * It would have guaranteed the permanent existence of slavery in the slave states and satisfy Southern demands on issues such as fugitive slaves and slavery in DC. * Heart of the plan was to reestablish the Missouri Compromise Line. Slavery prohibited north of the line and the opposite for south. * Republicans were not willing to accept the plan.
The Secession Crisis * Southern militant leaders, champions of “Southern nationalism” concept and also known as fire eaters, began demanding an end to the Union * The Withdrawal of The South * South Carolina seceded first. They called a special convention and voted unanimously on Dec. 20, 1860 to be the first state to secede from the Union. * Six other states joined South Carolina as Lincoln entered office. * Mississippi – Jan. 9, 1861 * Florida – Jan. 10 * Alabama – Jan. 11 * Georgia – Jan. 19 * Louisiana – Jan. 26 * Texas – Feb. 1 * Feb. 1861 – representatives of the seven seceded states met at Montgomery, Alabama and formed a new nation, The Confederate States of America. * Northern response was confused and indecisive * Pres. James Buchanan told Congress in Dec. 1860 that no state had the right to secede from the Union but suggested the Federal Gov. had no authority to stop a state if it did. * Seceded states immediately seized federal property (forts, arsenals, government offices) but had insufficient military power to seize Fort Sumter – located in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina – and Fort Pickens – located in the harbor of Pensacola, South Florida. * Pres. Buchanan refused to yield Fort Sumter to the commissioners sent by South Carolina. * Pres. sent reinforcements to Fort Sumter in Jan. 1861. First shots fired between both North and South. * The Failure of Compromise * Sen. John Crittenden of Kentucky submitted Crittenden Compromise. * It would have guaranteed the permanent existence of slavery in the slave states and satisfy Southern demands on issues such as fugitive slaves and slavery in DC. * Heart of the plan was to reestablish the Missouri Compromise Line. Slavery prohibited north of the line and the opposite for south. * Republicans were not willing to accept the plan.