Essay On Why The South Seceded From The Union Of 1850

In 1850 there was an equal amount of slave and free states in the Union. Before the Civil War, the U.S. was separated into three sections: North, South, and the West. The North was industrial and antislavery, with many factories and trading ports. The South was agricultural and proslavery, with many farms and plantations. The West was new and a place where you could look to start your life over. The North and South came to blows when it came to the issue of slavery, which caused the South to try and secede from the Union. The Southern states seceded from the Union because Lincoln, who was an abolitionist was elected president, Southern states wanted to keep their slaves, and they believed it was their state rights to keep slavery. First, the
In Document 5 - Lincoln’s Election it says “Many Southerners favored secession as part of the idea that the states have rights and powers which the federal government cannot legally deny. The supporters of states’ rights held that the national government was a league of independent states, any of which had the right to secede.” This quote proves that the South believed that they could leave the Union whenever they felt that their state rights were being ignored. The South seceded from the Union in anticipation of President Lincoln abolishing slavery. The South would leave the protection of the Union before having their rights taken away. In conclusion, states in the South seceded from the Union because Lincoln, who was an abolitionist was elected president, Southern states wanted to keep slaves, and they believed it was their state rights to keep slavery. The South did not want President Lincoln to end the practice of slavery. The Southern states wanted to keep slavery because it was an important part of Southern life. They believed it was a state right that could not be taken away from them. The secession of the Southern states would ultimately lead to the Civil