Secession and the Civil War

Secession and the Civil War

In the aspect of the United States of America, secession principally referred to the voluntary pulling out of one or more states from the Union that made up the United States; but loosely meant leaving the territory to establish a separate region or new state. Dis-unionists represented the southern states, most of them. They were the sect that never wanted to be associated with the Union. These created the Northern and Southern member state region and a worrying faction within the United States. The civil war soon followed the secession threat that faced the US. These key events point to the struggle of making America. Motivation and threats to leave the union, or the discussions justifying the move, represent a crucial feature in America’s politics since its inception. Some argue that secession was a real concern of constitutional right while other as from natural of revolution. However, the seceded states were defeated during the Civil War between the two factions. This paper seeks to investigate the central focus points on why secession and civil war took place by considering the State Rights and taxes contradiction. At the same time, the core issue revolves around the theme of slavery.

The resistance to the laws that were brought up for the slaves instigated the secession period. The North regions were directed to capture slaves and enslave them or bring them to their master. “But all is not law which calls itself law. When iniquity frames itself into law, the sacredness of law is gone. When an enactment, falsely calling itself law, is imposed upon us, which disgraces our country, which invades our conscience, which dishonours our religion, which is an outrage upon our sense of justice, we take our stand against the imposition.”[1] In the same right, South Carolina declared its decree of separation. “The state with the highest percentage of slaves in its population and a long history of political radicalism…the legislatures unanimously voted to leave the Union. In justifying there move…the legislatures restated the compact theory of the Constitution that had become more and more central to the southerner’s political thought…since the nullification controversy which placed the issue of slavery squarely at the central at the centre of the crisis.”[2] Leaders from South Carolina courageously struck for the independence of their region. “The state of South Carolina having resumed her separate and equal place among states deems it due to herself….”[3]

Texas had seceded before South Caroline could join them. The Texas state reports that “when the settlers demanded greater autonomy, the Mexican government sent an army to impose central authority…a convention of representatives from American Settlement—declaring Texas an independent nation.” [4]  Moreover, concerning Texas, “When a government has stopped to protect the lives, liberty, and property of the individuals, from whom its legitimate powers are derived.”[5] With the race of Lincoln Abraham, who was thought to be anti-slavery, many states commenced their departure, some of the states include, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Alabama, and Georgia. It was at this point that the confederacy elected Jefferson Davis to be their leader.

The confederacy was disbanded after the civil war. After the Civil War, Stephens addressed that the war was brought to being as a concern for statutory clauses. These statements brought shame to Jefferson Dias, who was the president of the confederacy.[6] However, some had a firm belief that the civil war was based on issues of slavery. The mother to a black soldier writes that “the chance is now given to you to terminate within a day, the bondage of centuries, and to rise in one bound from social degradation to the plane of common equally with all other varieties of men.”[7]

Sequentially the elimination of slavery seems warranted as an outcome of the Civil War. Moreover, Dayton reports that “…other issues than slavery are at stake in the war, yet most of his accusations against the northern states seem to revolve around their hostility to slavery.”^[8] Many other concerns are at play in the war but a lot of evidence point to the fact that it revolves around slavery[9].

In conclusion, the discrepancies between the two factions of the South and North led to the practices of secession and the Civil War likewise. From the texts provided, it is clear that the South thrived on slavery to build its economy while the North was not in support of such servitude. Even though there existed social and economic concerns, such as variances in taxation and State Rights, the principal focus remains to be the theme of slavery. However, upon the end of the war, the worrying factions came together, forming the United States of America.

Work Cited

Dayton Family Papers. “A Defense of the Confederacy (1861).” In Voices of Freedom: A            Documentary History, 6th ed.

Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom: a Documentary History. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton &       Co., 2011.

Ira Berlin et al., “Letter by the Mother of a Black Soldier (1863).” In Voices of Freedom: A           Documentary History, 6^th ed

Middletown and Witness, “Resistance to the fugitive slave acts (1850).” In Voices of Freedom:   A Documentary History, 6th ed.

Moore, Frank, “South Carolina Ordinance of Secession (1850).” In Voices of Freedom: A            Documentary History, 6th ed.

Moore, Frank. “Alexander H. Stephens, the Cornerstone of the Confederacy (1861).” In Voices   of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6th ed

Texas State Library. “Texas Declaration of independence (1836)”. In Vices of Freedom: A

Documentary History, 6th ed.

[1] Middletown and Witness, “Resistance to the fugitive slave act (1850).” In Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6^th ed.

            [2] Moore, Frank, “South Carolina Ordinance of Secession (1850).” In Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6^th ed.

            [3] Ibid 270

            [4] Texas State Library. ”Texas Declaration of independence (1836)”. In Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6^th ed.

            [5] Ibid 262

            [6] Moore, Frank. “Alexander H. Stephens, the Cornerstone of the Confederacy (1861).” In Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6^th ed.

            [7] Ira Berlin et al., “Letter by the Mother of a Black Soldier (1863).” In Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6^th ed.

[8] Dayton Family Papers, “A Defense of the Confederacy (1861).” In Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, 6^th ed.

            [9] Foner, Eric. Voices of Freedom: a Documentary History. 6th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2011.