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

Question

1. Secession would need to be approved through popular sovereignty.
2. The government was a union of people, not states.
3. The Southern states lacked the power to secede under the Constitution.
4. 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:

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

While Lincoln may have had views on slavery and its consequences, the specific argument about slavery bankrupting the Southern states was not a primary argument he used against secession. Popular sovereignty (option 1) was more associated with debates over the expansion of slavery into new territories rather than a principle he invoked in opposition to secession.