Slavery: The Southern States During The Civil War

In the mid-1800s, there was conflict surrounding the idea of slavery. This conflict led to a division of the nation and had a huge impact on the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln. Slavery was considered necessary in the Southern States, but as a united nation both the North and the South couldn’t have their way. The Northern States wanted to prohibit slavery, however the Southern States wanted to allow slavery. This led to many disputes, violent uproars, and protest throughout the nation.
In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska act was passed allowing two states located in the middle of the states to decide whether they wanted to allow slavery within their borders. Nebraska became a free state due to its position being so far North, however the choice for Kansas was not as easy. Slavery was allowed in Kansas, but on a much smaller scale than in Southern States. The Civil War was a war fought between the people of the Union (Northern States) and those of the Southern States (Confederates) from 1861-1865 where the confederacy fought to establish itself a separate nation. As Lincoln states in Document A, “I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free.” In this document Lincoln discusses how the nation needs to be as one and either all be slave states or all be free states because the division would cause
The document discusses points such as that “a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization”. Southern States argued that slavery was a necessary means and a way of living. These slaves were their mean to make necessary products. The State of Mississippi felt that “there was no choice left but submission to the mandates of abolition.” Abolition in this case meant to get rid of slavery. The Southern States knew if they didn't secede from the Union, slavery would be prohibited nation