Why did the Southern states leave the Union?
The main event that caused the Southern States to secede was Abraham Lincoln’s victory in the Election of 1860. I believe that the Southern states had a desire to preserve the institution of slavery under a leader that practiced the customs that they did. The Southern States justified their reason to leave the Union by writing declarations for their city newspapers and hosting conventions dedicated to people who believed in slavery. However, Florida did not justify their reason to secede since they had no issues in previous declarations or files of press from other states. Although this event was handled safely in the South, the North violated this secession which eventually led to the Civil War.
The states leaving the Union became known as the Confederacy, taking charge in a practice no human should ever go through. However, nothing is further from the truth as the Southern States had every legal right to secede and determine their destiny. The laws against secession were only signed after states started to leave. Although this was President Lincoln’s biggest fear in the history of the United States, the obvious prediction of secession years earlier could’ve helped solve this dilemma.
