Lesson 3: Division and the Outbreak of War

Key Idea

The presidential election of 1860 revealed a nation fractured over slavery. The Democratic Party split into northern and southern factions, unable to agree on a single candidate. This division allowed the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, to win the presidency.

Lincoln and the Republican Party opposed the expansion of slavery into western territories. He won the election without his name appearing on the ballot in ten southern states. For many southerners, Lincoln's victory was a sign that the federal government no longer protected their interests.

Key Idea

Following Abraham Lincoln's election, many Southern leaders feared he would end slavery. In December 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede, or formally leave, the Union. Six other states in the Deep South soon followed, declaring that they were no longer part of the United States.

In February 1861, delegates from these states met to form a new nation. They established the Confederate States of America and wrote a constitution that protected slavery. They elected Jefferson Davis, a former senator from Mississippi, as their president. This new government claimed to be an independent country.

Key Idea

Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, Southern leaders defended their decision to secede with the idea of states' rights. They argued that the states had freely joined the Union and could freely leave to protect their own interests, particularly the institution of slavery.

President Lincoln and many northerners completely rejected this view. They believed the United States was one indivisible Union that could not be broken apart by individual states. Lincoln vowed to preserve the nation, setting the stage for a direct conflict over the country's future.

Key Idea

After Southern states left the Union, a U.S. army post named Fort Sumter remained in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina. President Lincoln announced he would send only food and supplies to the soldiers there, forcing the new Confederacy to make a choice.

Confederate leaders decided to attack rather than allow the fort to be resupplied. On April 12, 1861, they fired on the fort. After 34 hours, the U.S. soldiers surrendered. This attack on federal property ended any hope for a peaceful solution and marked the beginning of the Civil War.