Neither answer above is fully correct. South Carolina, and all other states, participated in the 1860 election and supported John Breckenridge. They feared that Lincoln would abolish slavery, a subject that had been very touchy for South Carolina since 1830. Unhappy with the election results and expecting Lincoln to enact anti-slavery laws, South Carolina seceded from the Union, with 6 other states quickly following. Eventually, the states in the Confederacy would total 11.
Delegates from the original 7 states met in Alabama and voted to form the Confederate States of America on February 8, 1861.
Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4.
The Confederate states quickly amassed an army, and focused on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which the Union army still occupied. The Confederates demanded the surrender of the fort, which was denied. On April 12, the Confederates fired on the fort, taking it by force 34 hours later.
Lincoln never acknowledged the Confederate government and argued against their right to secede. Therefore, in his eyes, the attack on Fort Sumter constituted armed insurrection, and led to the Civil War. The battle that would ensue lasted 4 years and resulted in 620,000 deaths among soldiers on both sides. The final battle ended on May 13, 1865.
No comments:
Post a Comment