According to the statements made by the states of Georgia and Mississippi, these states chose to secede because they sought to protect and maintain the institution of slavery, which they viewed as essential to their economic interests and social order. Secessionists wanted to make and follow their own laws about this issue. According to the vice president of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens, the most important idea of his new country was the belief that the negro is not equal to the white man and that slavery is his natural and normal condition. The states that joined the Confederacy wanted their laws to reflect this belief, without interference from the United States government.
The States of Georgia and Mississippi Explain Their Reasons for Secession:
Georgia Declaration of Secession, January 1861
"The party of Lincoln, called the Republican Party . . . [admits] to be an anti-slavery party. The prohibition of slavery in the Territories, hostility to [slavery] everywhere, [and] the equality of the black and white races is the cardinal principle of this organization."
prohibition: banning
cardinal principle: main idea
Mississippi Declaration of Secession, January 1861 "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery—the greatest [economic] interest of the world. . . . [A] blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution [of slavery]. There was no choice left [to] us but . . . abolition, or a dissolution of the Union . . ."
commerce: business
abolition: the end of slavery
dissolution: breaking apart
The Vice President of the Confederacy Explains Why the South Seceded:
By the time Abraham Lincoln was sworn in as U.S. president, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union. These states attempted to form a new country called the Confederate States of America, or the Confederacy.
In March of 1861, the vice president of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens, gave a speech about why the South had seceded.
"Our new government is founded upon . . . the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery . . . is his natural and normal condition. This, our new government, is the first . . . based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth."
negro: an old term for people of African heritage
condition: status of place in society
Question Imagine you are a historian researching why the Southern states seceded. Based on these passages, what conclusions could you reach? Complete the text below, based on the information in the passages by Georgia, Mississippi, and Stephens.
According to the statements made by the states of Georgia and Mississippi, these states chose to secede because they _____. Secessionists wanted to make and follow their own laws about this issue. According to the vice president of the Confederacy, Alexander Stephens, the most important idea of his new country was ______. The states that joined the Confederacy wanted their laws to reflect this belief, without interference from the United States government.
1 answer