The southern states made the assumption that Lincoln would make slavery illegal.
The election of Lincoln, who had refused to allow any extension of slavery.
election of president Lincoln
Many events contributed to several Southern states seceding from the Union in 1860. One important event was the election of Lincoln.
Lincoln's winning the 1860 election on behalf of the Republican Party.
Abraham Lincoln
the election of Abraham Lincoln
The most immediate cause of the South's secession from the union was the election of Lincoln during the 1860 election. The South did not support Lincoln at all (in some southern states, his name didn't even appear on the ballot) and when he won the election they felt unrepresented by the government. South Carolina was the first to go.
The election of Abraham Lincoln as president in 1860, who was seen as anti-slavery, led to the Southern states seceding from the Union. They feared that his presidency would threaten their way of life, particularly regarding slavery.
He rejected the final compromise because it would have allowed some new slave-states.
Lincoln's win in 1860 on a ticket of no new slave-states. This meant that the South would always be outvoted in Congress.
Lincoln's win in 1860 on a ticket of no new slave-states. This meant that the South would always be outvoted in Congress.