States’ rights describes the ongoing battle over political power before the federal government and the individual states. When the attitudes toward slavery started to change, states’ rights became an issue. Many citizens believed it should be up to the state governments on whether or not slavery …show more content…
He held all of the free states and none of the slave states during his election. When Lincoln was elected the President of the United States on November 16, 1860, states started to discuss succeeding. It was their final straw since Lincoln was apart of the anti-slavery Republican Party. A little over two months after President Lincoln was elected, South Carolina became the first state to succeed on December 20, 1860. They believed Lincoln was against slavery which, in turn, meant he was against the South. Many other states followed South Carolina's lead and together formed the