Why did the Southern states secede?
The Thirteen Colonies set up a Continental Congress that declared independence in 1776 from Great Britain and formed a new nation, the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence, as we know it, had been referred to as rebellion and treason by the parent power, Great Britain. Less than one century later, secession, also known as rebellion and treason, was attempted again by the Southern states.
When the Southern states seceded, they acted on the belief that the Union was merely a compact, or agreement, among sovereign states. The South, and many Northern states, also believed that the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution limited "Federal powers with the independent States." (Bill of Rights and States' Rights and Secession of Southern States). Through the decades, Southerners had become increasingly disturbed by their lessening influence in the Federal government. The presidential election in 1860, furthermore, was the last straw.
The strength of Southern sentiment can easily be explained: the political balance favored the North. This topic is referred to as Sectionalism.
The Southern states were aligned strongly with the Democratic Party, but the election of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, was perceived as the death blow to the South and its interests. The South, through the decades, had witnessed numerous tariff acts that favored Northern interests, and, with Lincoln in office, it believed that additional unfavorable tariffs would again be imposed. See also South and Secession: Why did the South, aka Southern States, Secede?
