What would happen if the South seceded from the Union?
Why would the South not have left?
What was the fair share of the US military?
Why did Lincoln use the Emancipation Proclamation?
Why were the Northern troops called the Union Army?
What was the purpose of the United States?
When did slavery end?
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Why didn't they just let the South secede?
Economically, the U.S. wasn't about to let the region driving its GDP just pull up stakes and start their own country. The economic stability of the entire country in the mid-19th century was predicated upon an industrial north, and an agricultural south. They supported each other in a way.
What if the union let the South secede?
If the South had been allowed to secede, both North and South could have benefited. The North would have evolved into a country with social and economic policies similar to those of Canada or northern European countries without the continuing drag of a large undeveloped and inefficient South.
Did the South legally secede from the union?
The Supreme Court weighed in on the secession issue in Texas v. White in 1869, declaring it unconstitutional.
When was secession made illegal?
In Texas v. White (1869), the Supreme Court ruled unilateral secession unconstitutional, while commenting that revolution or consent of the states could lead to a successful secession.
What was the real reason for the Civil War?
Many maintain that the primary cause of the war was the Southern states' desire to preserve the institution of slavery. Others minimize slavery and point to other factors, such as taxation or the principle of States' Rights.
Why did Lincoln think secession was unconstitutional?
He gave several reasons, among them his belief that secession was unlawful, the fact that states were physically unable to separate, his fears that secession would cause the weakened government to descend into anarchy, and his steadfast conviction that all Americans should be friends towards one another, rather than ...
Is it illegal for a state to secede?
Constitutionally, there can be no such thing as secession of a State from the Union. But it does not follow that because a State cannot secede constitutionally, it is obliged under all circumstances to remain in the Union.
Is Texas allowed to secede?
Current Supreme Court precedent, in Texas v. White, holds that the states cannot secede from the union by an act of the state. More recently, in 2006, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stated, "If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede."
What were the Confederates fighting for?
Common sentiments for supporting the Confederate cause during the Civil War were slavery and states' rights. These motivations played a part in the lives of Confederate soldiers and the South's decision to withdraw from the Union. Many were motivated to fight in order to preserve the institution of slavery.
Was South Carolina justified in seceding?
The people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, on the 26th day of April, A.D., 1852, declared that the frequent violations of the Constitution of the United States, by the Federal Government, and its encroachments upon the reserved rights of the States, fully justified this State in then ...
What was the last state to secede from the Union?
North CarolinaFour days later, on May 20th, 1861, North Carolina became the last state to join the new Confederacy. State delegates met in Raleigh and voted unanimously for secession. All of the states of the Deep South had now left the Union.
Did the founding fathers believe in secession?
Hamilton and Madison hoped secession would never happen, but they never denied that it was a right and a practical possibility. They envisioned the people taking arms against the federal government if it exceeded its delegated powers or invaded their rights, and they admitted that this would be justified.
Is Texas allowed to secede?
Current Supreme Court precedent, in Texas v. White, holds that the states cannot secede from the union by an act of the state. More recently, in 2006, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stated, "If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede."
Can Florida secede from the Union?
Constitutionally, there can be no such thing as secession of a State from the Union.
Can a city secede from a state?
Urban secession is a city's secession from its surrounding region to form a new political unit. This new unit is usually a subdivision of the same country as its surroundings. Many cities around the world form a separate local government unit.
What if the Confederates won at Antietam?
If Lee had won at Antietam, Lincoln's party might have lost its Congressional majorities to a Democratic party willing to compromise with the South. Lee's defeat not only lost these opportunities, it allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
Why didn't the US just let the South secede? : r/AskHistorians - reddit
On a side note, how important were Southern crops to maintaining the North's industry prewar? Until WW2, raw materials for industrial processes (e.g. lubricants) were effectively agricultural products (e.g. palm oil) that industrial centers had to acquire through importation from (domestic or international) agricultural sectors (e.g. Britain and its African colonies).
Why did the North not let the South secede? - Quora
Answer (1 of 17): That is a good question. Lincoln believed the Union was of prime importance. His first priority was to save the Union; it was not to free the slaves. For years I have been an ardent Unionist. But, I had a friend from high school from Missouri, a border state, that opined the Civ...
Did The South Have The Right To Secede - The Liberty Papers
The comments that have been generated by this post at my personal blog on Lee-Jackson Day, as well as a comment thread I’ve been involved with in response to a related post at Republitarian, have led me to an interesting question. Namely, when the Confederacy seceded from the Union in the wake of the 1860 election, did they have the
Why did some Southern states secede immediately after Lincoln’s ...
Get an answer for 'Why did some Southern states secede immediately after Lincoln’s election in 1860?' and find homework help for other Secession and Civil War questions at eNotes
Why did the Union allow the Confederacy to secede from the Union?
Chief of the reasons is legitimacy. For the Union to allow the Confederacy to unilaterally secede from the Union would have been a loud and booming message: “The USA is not a country. Our government doesn't matter. We are not a democracy, we are an anarchy.”
How did the Confederate States of America secede from the Union?
The Confederate States of America seceded from the Union individually using secession resolutions passed by their legitimately elected state legislatures and signed by their legitimately elected sitting governors, all elected and serving in office while the state was part of the Union. Nobody can claim there was an overthrow of a legitimate state government, or that the seceding state governments were illegitimate at the time of secession.
What did the Confederacy steal?
So, from the jump, the Confederacy was stealing that which belong to, or with, the US federal government.
How did the Federal Government respond to the Secession?
As Lincoln did in 1861, one would expect the Federal Government to respond in the same manner, if necessary, to halt a secession by use of arms. The Federal Government has overwhelming military force to do so compared to the National Guard, even collectively (for which the individual state governors are commander in chief of their respective National Guard forces). From a practical standpoint, a state could not expect to succeed with a unilateral secession unless Congress authorized it and blocked the President from preventing it with force of arms by Congressional Act, if by nothing more than refusing money from the US Treasury to fund using the Armed Forces to prevent it.
What was the Southern Confederacy's economic status in 1860?
The Southern Confederacy, taken as an independent nation, would have ranked fourth richest among all the economies of the world in 1860. They probably would have been all right, but they would have had to allow slavery to die out of its own weight. For quite some time slavery had been less and less efficient as a form of labor; and its continuance would have complicated any attempt at a cogent foreign policy.
What did Southern apologists say about the economy?
Southern apologists and other contemporary spokespersons pointed out the strength of the Southern economy before the war intervened. Although some of their positive comments concerning Southern industrial capacity can be classed as propaganda, much of the data they cited could not be denied. Senator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee, later vice president and president of the United States, noted in 1860 that the copper mines of his state kept seven smelting furnaces in constant operation annually and that the number of residents engaged in manufacturing was virtually the same as that in Illinois. Moreover, Tennessee produced more woolen textiles, more corn, more wheat, and 150 times more pig iron than New Hampshire, and it was building 1100 miles of railway annually while New Hampshire was laying down only 200 miles.
What does it mean to allow unilateral secession?
For the Union to allow “unilateral secession" meant that any state could leave the union, at any time, for any reason. That would mean that no other nation, nor any state within the Union, nor any private individual, could deal with the USA as a government and be sure that that agreement would be upheld. After all, the moment any of the states feels shorted, they can leave, tearing a hole in any agreement.
How can a state secede?
For if one State can secede peacefully , another may -- and till may. One may go because her slave property is not protected; another because her cotton manufactures are not protected; a third because the national debt weighs too heavily upon her, -- and so forth. For any reason they may choose to allege, or for no reason at all, all the States would be at perfect liberty to sever the bonds which hold them together, and dissolve the Union into its original elements. This is absurd. No construction of the Constitution which permits such a proceeding has any basis in common sense.
Can South Carolina secede from the Union?
Nor is there any more wisdom in the suggestion, that South Carolina may secede, if the other States assent. It is not a ease for assent, or for the action of the other States at all. It is simply a case of obedience and disobedience to a fundamental law. The Constitution imposes certain obligations upon all the States, and all the people of the Union. Obedience to the laws of Congress is among these obligations. Secession is simply a refusal to obey those laws. It may not take that form at the outset, -- but it must come to that in the end. South Carolina may resolve upon secession, -- may declare herself out of the Union, -- may withdraw her Senators and Representatives from Congress, -- refuse to permit her citizens to be Postmasters, Collectors, Marshals, or Federal Judges, and ignore utterly in words the authority of the Federal Government, without nullifying in act any Federal law. So long as she confines herself to these demonstrations, the Federal authority may not be called on to exercise coercion. To that extent she may be permitted to "secede." But secession in this form is a mere phrase. The time must come when it will take the shape of resistance to Federal law; and then the Federal Government can no longer ignore or assent to her recusancy. If her troops seize upon Fort Moultrie, for example, they will be seizing Federal properly, and the Federal Government must resist the robbery and regain possession. If her merchants refuse to pay duties on imported goods, those goods must be seized and held by the Federal Government as security for the satisfaction of Federal law. If a vessel leaves Charleston without a proper clearance from Federal authority, she may be seized by any Power as an unauthorized cruiser on the high seas, and forfeited as lawful prize.
What was the cause of Georgia's secession?
It was, in sum, the combination of classic northern Clay‐Lincoln Whigs and long‐time antislavery activists from across the entire political spectrum into a single great (and successful) antislavery party that prompted Georgia’s secession, and decidedly not Lincoln’s position on the tariff or other questions of economic liberty. Because the ruling party (as of Lincoln’s election) refused to recognize the legitimacy of property in slaves in the national territories and half of the states, the southern political class resolved to secede and establish a nation of their own, specifically dedicated to protecting the most special of all special interests in the region, property in slaves:
When did South Carolina withdraw from the Union?
The people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, on the 26th day of April, A.D. , 1852, declared that the frequent violations of the Constitution of the United States, by the Federal Government, and its encroachments upon the reserved rights of the States, fully justified this State in then withdrawing from the Federal Union; but in deference to the opinions and wishes of the other slaveholding States, she forbore at that time to exercise this right. Since that time, these encroachments have continued to increase, and further forbearance ceases to be a virtue…
What was Georgia's main concern when it declared independence?
When Georgia proclaimed its independence and, in keeping with American tradition, listed its grievances against the Union government, it also noted the overriding and primary importance of protecting slavery over all else. Importantly, Georgia’s declaration noted first the influence and impact of northern abolitionists both on national politics and the potential security of southern society, continuing to highlight proslavery themes in the pattern established by South Carolina:
What did Mississippi say about slavery?
Mississippi left virtually no room to mistake her purposes in seceding from the United States, declaring that slavery, particularly slavery of “the black race,” is decreed by “nature” and in fact perfectly consonant with naturalistic, scientifically‐informed and realistic views of the modern industrial economy.
What did the people of Virginia declare?
The people of Virginia…having declared that the powers granted under the said Constitution were derived from the people of the United States, and might be resumed whensoever the same should be perverted to their injury and oppression; and the Federal Government, having perverted said powers, not only to the injury of the people of Virginia, but to the oppression of the Southern Slaveholding States.
What did the Confederacy stand for?
It shouldn’t need to be said, but the Confederacy didn’t stand for opposing federal overreach or eliminating handouts to big business–it stood for slavery.
Why did the seditious pamphlets and papers come to us?
They have, through the mails and hired emissaries, sent seditious pamphlets and papers among us to stir up servile insurrection and bring blood and carnage to our firesides.
Why did the Southern states secede from the Union in the early 1800s?
the southern states in the early 1800's over fishing rights hoping to provoke the southern states into seceding from the Union, so purity of ideals was definitely not a cause, what it came down to was money.
What were the New England Federalists unhappy with?
In 1814, many New England Federalists were unhappy with the War of 1812, which interrupted trade with Britain and Canada. 26 of them met at Hartford, Connecticut, to discuss the possibility of seceeding from the United States and voted out articles of secession. However, these articles got to Washington after the Battle of New Orleans, and were essentially laughed at.#N#The opposition to the articles of secession was so great that it amounted to political suicide for the Federalists. Interestingly, the opposition to the New England secession effort was strongest in the South.
What was Andrew Jackson's threat to South Carolina?
Andrew Jackson faced the same threats of secession from South Carolina over the tariff of Abominations, and responded with the threat of force; although, in that case, South Carolina backed down, and forestalled the eventual for about 30 years. 5. Last Great Hope. The US was the last democratic nation at the time.
What does the Gettysburg Address say about slavery?
Even the Gettysburg Address says nothing about slavery except, "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.".
Why were both sides wrong on the timing of the war?
Both sides were wrong on the timing. Because the North didn't want to lose the cotton revenues - over half the export trade of the USA. The South wanted more control of their own states. Lincoln did not support this. Also, the South supported slavery, and Lincoln didn't. Reply to this post.
When was Lincoln's message to Congress?
Lincoln's deeper reasonings are best illustrated in his Message to Congress in Special Session on July 4th, 1861.
Which was the last democratic nation?
The US was the last democratic nation at the time. If the Union failed, democracy failed.
Why should the North take the lead in a secessionist movement?
In fact, there are serious reasons why the North itself should take the lead in a secessionist movement. Just think what America would look like without its mostly Southern states. (We could retain “America”: they could call themselves “Smith & Wesson” or “Coca-Cola” or something like that.) Universal health care.
What would have made it possible to boycott Southern goods that could then have been bought from other countries?
The thriving Northern economy, galvanized by technological advances, would have made it possible to boycott Southern goods that could then have been bought from other countries. Northern economic and political might would have purchased important foreign alliances, which could have been used to isolate the South.
What would a red state do without the FDA?
And without any type of regulation, it could finally compete with similarly unhampered societies all over the world. Without the FDA, a new red-state republic could use refined transfats to develop ever tastier delicacies, perhaps energizing its economy by instituting a toxic-food-for-toxic-toys program with China.
What is the sad truth about the red states?
The sad truth is that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” can only be achieved at this point if the nation is split in half.
Which president did more damage to the liberal agenda?
Jimmy Carter did more damage to the liberal agenda, which had been heroically advanced by that arch-fiend Richard Nixon, than any other modern president. In 1993, Arkansan Bill Clinton proposed a budget nearly devoid of social investment and almost identical to Reagan’s years earlier.
Is the association of North and South with modernity and regression so prominent, so visible, so all-encompassing answer?
The association of North with modernity and South with regression is so prominent, so visible, so all-encompassing that its familiarity has made it invisible. Here are the facts—with important exceptions in every category. The great research universities are in the blue states. So are the great medical schools, the great hospitals, and the great law schools. The great art and history museums are in the blue part of the country.
Will the presidency swing one way?
The presidency will swing one way and Congress— then, or two years later—will swing another. No matter the current state of the Republican Party, the iron law of “throw the bums out” will kick in, and the outsiders will once again have the White House. And still nothing will have changed.
Conflicts between Free states and slave states until 1820
Slavery was the Peculiar Institution of the South. Especially since the southern economy was largely dependent on cheap slave labor. Please check out my article here for more information on why Slavery was less prevalent in the North but centered in the South.
The Missouri compromise of 1820 – keeping the balance
Until 1819 there was a balance between 11 slave states and 11 free states.
The compromise of 1850: Not a solution but a postponement
The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to join the US as a free state, kept the Oregon territory free from slavery, ended the slave trade in DC, and gave the population of the potential future states of New Mexico and Utah popular sovereignty, the chance to decide on slavery.
The fugitive slave act of 1850
The Dred Scott Case happened in 1856/57 but since it is directly connected to the Fugitive Slaves Act I would like to shortly present that case here.
The Kansas-Nebraska act – the question of slavery becomes violent
In May of 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska act was signed. But once again the act didn`t solve the underlying problem and was pushed through against the will of the North who feared the unrestrained expansion of slave power.
Why did the South secede?
After the election of 1860, the political landscape within the US was very different in comparison to the years prior.
What would happen if the South seceded from the Union?
If the South had seceded from the Union, the North would have still bought Southren cotton since the cotton was an essential supply material. Even through the war, Southern producers found ways to send small shipments North, in addition to some intermittent bales of cotton that the Union Amy captured.
Why would the South not have left?
The South wouldn’t have left if they didn’t fear abolition of slavery would destroy their economy. Both sides were deeply conflicted about it.
What was the fair share of the US military?
A ‘fair share’ of US military equipment, US military bases and assets, a division of all Federal government assets, more territorial concessions. Whatever the Union gave, it would never be enough. The Confederacy would have kept demanding more and more and more, and making more and more threats.
Why did Lincoln use the Emancipation Proclamation?
Therefore, Lincoln used the Emancipation Proclamation as a tool of the rules of engagement to free slaves in the Confederate States, not in those Northern States where slavery existed and was legal at the time.
Why were the Northern troops called the Union Army?
Initially to preserve the Union of States that comprised the entity known to the world as “The United States,” The Northern troops were known as “the Union Army” because preservation of the Union was the paramount reason when war broke out in 1861.
What was the purpose of the United States?
An experiment in statesmanship and cooperation between the diverse North and South. The US wanted to be the showcase of democracy, moral government and cooperation between two diverse sections of the country. If the south had seceded, the Union would be broken and the whole thing would have been the laughing stock of the world.
When did slavery end?
Slavery was a somewhat larger cause at the end of the war but preservation of the Union was always paramount. Slavery was finally eradicated in January, 1865 by the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The 14th Amendment in 1868 grants granted citizenship to all slaves born in the US. Maryellen Reilly. , Pharmacist.