Southern Secession After Lincoln's 1860 Election

The Union Unravels

Abraham Lincoln's victory (Nov 6, 1860) triggered the secession of 11 Southern states and the formation of the Confederacy.

Secession Timeline

1. Dec 20, 1860: South Carolina (unanimous convention vote)
2. Jan 9, 1861: Mississippi
3. Jan 10: Florida
4. Jan 11: Alabama
5. Jan 19: Georgia
6. Jan 26: Louisiana
7. Feb 1: Texas
8. Feb 4: Montgomery Convention → Confederate States of America formed
9. Feb 9: Jefferson Davis elected provisional president
10. Apr 12–13: Fort Sumter bombarded → war begins
11. Apr 17–Jun 8: Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina secede (after Lincoln's call for troops)

Core Motivation

Declarations of causes (SC, MS, GA, TX) explicitly cite preservation of slavery and opposition to Republican "hostility" to slaveholder rights. States' rights invoked for slavery, not abstractly.

Lincoln's Response

• Refused to recognize secession legality
• Called 75,000 volunteers to suppress "insurrection"
• Blockaded Southern ports

The election was the catalyst; slavery was the cause.