Why did southern states seceded from the union?

Answer 1

the Texas this is the right answer
This could take a book, but here's a brief summary. The Southern states did not secede for a single reason, and not all Southern states placed the same importance on each reason. The popularity of secession varied by state and regions within states. I should also preface the discussion by commenting that the North's primary motivation for the war was preservation of the Union, not abolition, which was a secondary motivation. Indeed, there's ample evidence that until mid way through the war the North would have accepted Southern states back into the union while maintaining slavery and Lincoln himself is on record stating so.

The free and slave states had many decades of contention leading up to secession. One of the main reasons was the westward introduction of new states into the union. Abolitionists north and south wanted to require all new states admitted into the union to be Free states. Not only would this stop the spread of slavery, it would further decrease the power of slave holding states in the federal government. Southern slave holding states grew concerned that this would further erode the tenuous power they held in the federal government. This conflict led to various compromises and even armed hostilities in western territories well before secession.

The South's concern for the imbalance of federal power extended to more than slavery. The rapidly industrializing North wanted domestic priority over European industry for access to all American Natural Resources and agricultural yields. The Northern-dominated federal government imposed tariffs and duties that Southerners found objectionable because in many cases European trade benefited them more than domestic trade. Southern state governments generally believed that European industry's need for its products, in particular cotton, would lead the UK and France to recognize and support the CSA. This belief certainly factored into their decision to secede, but European abolitionist sentiment and the Union's actions to prevent European support and recognition stopped it from happening.

South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas all wrote declarations of causes for secession. All four states list preservation of slavery as a primary cause including the economic and social problems of emancipation and the failure of Northern states to return escaped slaves as required by the Constitution. All four documents discuss secondary causes such as conflicts between Northern industrial and Southern agrarian economic interests, an imbalance of federal power dominated by Northern interests, and a generalized sense of having differing destinies as a people.

States that followed the lead of other seceding states generally shared their same sentiments, but did not initiate secession until other factors tipped the scales. For instance, North Carolina was divided on the issue but when secession in other states left the state completely cut off from the rest of the Union it tipped the scales in favor of secession. Virginia with its deep roots in the Revolution was also divided on the issue until it became apparent that the North and South were mobilizing their forces for war.

Support for secession was far from universal in the South. Areas where the economy was not dominated by plantations, particularly highland areas either supported the Union or wanted no part of the whole affair. Highland counties voted to secede from states that joined the Confederacy. West Virginia broke off from Virginia. Tennessee sent almost as many troops to fight for the Union as for the Confederacy. Southern urban areas were at best lukewarm to the idea of secession, but at the time voting rights heavily favored large land owners. Every Confederate state except for South Carolina sent both white and black forces to fight on the side of the Union. As many as 100,000 white Southerners fought on the side of the Union and by the end of the war almost 200,000 blacks had served too. By the end of the war, 10% of the Union army was black. (There are websites claiming that black soldiers fought in the tens of thousands for the Confederacy, and it's a complete fabrication. At most a few hundred volunteered and were accepted as volunteers for combat. The rest were slaves pressed into service in support roles.)

Answer 2

The South believed that each state was it's own separate country (state) able to make laws and print money and decide issues, such as slavery, on it's own terms. Their motto was pro states rights. The south thought the only purpose of the federal Government was what was written into our constitution, that of a common defense. It did not believe any laws of the Federal Government would be higher then State laws.

The North believed that the highest power was the Federal Government. That states were separate sections of one country. All money would be printed through the federal government. The highest laws, according to the north, was those made by the federal government. Slavery, according to the north, was a federal issue.

Slavery, in any event was already being phased out due to existing laws. The times were changing and the need for slaves was quickly declining. The war became an issue that could speed up this issue.

Lincoln's great claim to fame was when he freed the slaves of the south. Slaves in any state that did not break from the union were still slaves. This freed virtually zero slaves as the south did not recognize Lincoln's authority over them. The war became a moral issue now. Slavery, most would agree, was terrible. Freeing the slaves of the south became good press. (We ignored the slaves states in the north until after Lincoln's death). Today, we remember only the politics of this wonderful concept.

Answer 3

The South believed that each state was it's own separate country (state) able to make laws and print money and decide issues, such as slavery, on it's own terms. Their motto was pro states rights. The south thought the only purpose of the federal Government was what was written into our constitution, that of a common defense. It did not believe any laws of the Federal Government would be higher then State laws.

The North believed that the highest power was the Federal Government. That states were separate sections of one country. All money would be printed through the federal government. The highest laws, according to the north, was those made by the federal government. Slavery, according to the north, was a federal issue.

Slavery, in any event was already being phased out due to existing laws. The times were changing and the need for slaves was quickly declining. The war became an issue that could speed up this issue.

Lincoln's great claim to fame was when he freed the slaves of the south. Slaves in any state that did not break from the union were still slaves. This freed virtually zero slaves as the south did not recognize Lincoln's authority over them. The war became a moral issue now. Slavery, most would agree, was terrible. Freeing the slaves of the south became good press. (We ignored the slaves states in the north until after Lincoln's death). Today, we remember only the politics of this wonderful concept.

Answer 4

the Texas this is the right answer
This could take a book, but here's a brief summary. The Southern states did not secede for a single reason, and not all Southern states placed the same importance on each reason. The popularity of secession varied by state and regions within states. I should also preface the discussion by commenting that the North's primary motivation for the war was preservation of the Union, not abolition, which was a secondary motivation. Indeed, there's ample evidence that until mid way through the war the North would have accepted Southern states back into the union while maintaining slavery and Lincoln himself is on record stating so.

The free and slave states had many decades of contention leading up to secession. One of the main reasons was the westward introduction of new states into the union. Abolitionists north and south wanted to require all new states admitted into the union to be Free states. Not only would this stop the spread of slavery, it would further decrease the power of slave holding states in the federal government. Southern slave holding states grew concerned that this would further erode the tenuous power they held in the federal government. This conflict led to various compromises and even armed hostilities in western territories well before secession.

The South's concern for the imbalance of federal power extended to more than slavery. The rapidly industrializing North wanted domestic priority over European industry for access to all American Natural Resources and agricultural yields. The Northern-dominated federal government imposed tariffs and duties that Southerners found objectionable because in many cases European trade benefited them more than domestic trade. Southern state governments generally believed that European industry's need for its products, in particular cotton, would lead the UK and France to recognize and support the CSA. This belief certainly factored into their decision to secede, but European abolitionist sentiment and the Union's actions to prevent European support and recognition stopped it from happening.

South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas all wrote declarations of causes for secession. All four states list preservation of slavery as a primary cause including the economic and social problems of emancipation and the failure of Northern states to return escaped slaves as required by the Constitution. All four documents discuss secondary causes such as conflicts between Northern industrial and Southern agrarian economic interests, an imbalance of federal power dominated by Northern interests, and a generalized sense of having differing destinies as a people.

States that followed the lead of other seceding states generally shared their same sentiments, but did not initiate secession until other factors tipped the scales. For instance, North Carolina was divided on the issue but when secession in other states left the state completely cut off from the rest of the Union it tipped the scales in favor of secession. Virginia with its deep roots in the Revolution was also divided on the issue until it became apparent that the North and South were mobilizing their forces for war.

Support for secession was far from universal in the South. Areas where the economy was not dominated by plantations, particularly highland areas either supported the Union or wanted no part of the whole affair. Highland counties voted to secede from states that joined the Confederacy. West Virginia broke off from Virginia. Tennessee sent almost as many troops to fight for the Union as for the Confederacy. Southern urban areas were at best lukewarm to the idea of secession, but at the time voting rights heavily favored large land owners. Every Confederate state except for South Carolina sent both white and black forces to fight on the side of the Union. As many as 100,000 white Southerners fought on the side of the Union and by the end of the war almost 200,000 blacks had served too. By the end of the war, 10% of the Union army was black. (There are websites claiming that black soldiers fought in the tens of thousands for the Confederacy, and it's a complete fabrication. At most a few hundred volunteered and were accepted as volunteers for combat. The rest were slaves pressed into service in support roles.)

Answer 5

The south seceded from the union because they believed in nullification, and the north did not. Nullification was a term for the individual state having the right to disregard or override a federal law. This really came down to the northern states wanting to do away with slavery, and the south not wanting this.