What arguments did Abraham Lincoln use against the secession of the Southern states? Select all that apply.

Question

Secession would need to be approved through popular sovereignty.
Secession would need to be approved through popular sovereignty.

The government was a union of people, not states.
The government was a union of people, not states.

The Southern states lacked the power to secede under the Constitution.
The Southern states lacked the power to secede under the Constitution.

Slavery was a system that would eventually bankrupt the Southern states.

Answer 1

Abraham Lincoln used the following arguments against the secession of the Southern states:

1. The government was a union of people, not states.
2. The Southern states lacked the power to secede under the Constitution.

Lincoln did not argue that secession would need to be approved through popular sovereignty, nor did he claim that slavery would inevitably bankrupt the Southern states as a primary reason against secession. His arguments were largely focused on the nature of the Union and constitutional principles.