Why Southern States Seceded After Lincoln's Election

Secession Followed Lincoln's 1860 Victory, Not Obama's

The southern states that withdrew from the Union did so after Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860, not after any modern election. The secession crisis (1860–1861) and the ensuing Civil War (1861–1865) were driven primarily by the issue of slavery and the related debate over states' rights.

Lincoln's anti-slavery-expansion platform convinced Southern leaders that their economic and social system was threatened, prompting secession.