IV. Road to Ft. Sumter part III

Secession

A. Election of 1860

Rep- Abraham Lincoln (IL)

Platform: Slavery is morally wrong, internal improvements, transcontinental RR

Constitutional Union Party- John Bell (TN)

Platform: Alcohol/Immigrants

So. Dem- John C. Breckinridge (KY)

Platform: protection of slavery

No. Dem- Stephen Douglas (IL)

Platform: Popular sovereignty

• Strategies in the election– Democrats spent time attacking each other– This split the democratic vote– Republicans spent time on populous and mid-

western states

Results of the Election• Electoral Vote

– Lincoln 180 (every northern state ex NJ)

– Breckinridge 72 (most of the south

– Bell 39 (TN, VA, KY)

– Douglas 12 (MO, NJ)

• Popular Vote– Lincoln 39.9%– Douglas 29.5 %– Breckinridge 18.1%– Bell 12.5%

Other 3 candidates received 1 million more votes than Lincoln- Lincoln did not appear on 10 southern ballots

Reactions

• Northern– Pleased with the

results & the prospect of ending slavery

• Southern– Powder keg has

been ignited– Lincoln did not

need the south to win the election

B. Secession (Separate)

• History of Secession– 1776: US Separates from Great Britain– 1803: New England contemplates secession

over admission of LA– 1814: The Hartford Convention- New England

tries to secede from US over War of 1812– 1845: New England wanted to secede over the

admission of Texas

Legality of Secession• Northern Argument

– The South entered to union under a contract (the Constitution

– Lincoln’s Inaugural address

• Secession was not legal

• States still part of the Union

• Lincoln would not assail the south

• Gov’t control federal property

• Southern Argument– The contract was

breeched– Declaration of

Independence– 10th Amendment

-Declaration of Independence

C. South Secedes• December 20, 1860

– 129 delegates of S.C. met in Charleston & unanimously voted to secede from the Union

• Reasons for secession– Each state was sovereign & independent– Entered the union voluntarily– 10th amendment allows them to leave

• South Carolina held its breath, waiting for the other southern states to secede

• Absolutely nothing happened

Order of Secession• South Carolina Dec 20, 1860

• Mississippi Jan 9, 1861

• Florida Jan 10, 1861

• Alabama Jan 11, 1861

• Georgia Jan 19, 1861

• Louisiana Jan 26, 1861

• Texas Mar 2, 1861

D. Confederate Constitution• Est. and ratified Mar 11, 1861

• Same as the US Constitution with 4 major differences– The words “promote the general welfare” are

taken out of the preamble and “each state acting in its sovereign & independent welfare” is added

– Explicitly guarantees slavery in state & territory- outlaws IST

– Prohibits protective tariffs for internal improvements

– Limits the president to one 6 year term

The Confederate States of America is Born

• Jefferson Davis is elected President of the CSA

• Alexander H. Stephens is elected Vice-President

E. Crisis in Charleston• Dec. 26, 1860, six days after SC seceded,

Maj. Robert Anderson relocated his men from Ft. Moultrie to a more defensible Ft. Sumter– The fort was about 90% complete at the time

• Anderson only had a garrison of about 85 men

• The South took this as a hostile move

• 1st attempt to re-supply Ft. Sumter– Buchanan sends help– Jan. 9, 1861: The Star of the west was sent

from New York to Ft. Sumter to bring necessary supplies

– Orders were sent by mail and were never received by the fort

• WHY?

– Cadets from the Citadel were manning guns in the harbor

– The Cadets fire on the ship and turn it around

• Lincoln attempts to re-supply Ft. Sumter– April 4: Lincoln informs SC governor Francis

Perkins of his intension to re-supply the fort– April 10: Perkins notifies Jefferson Davis, who

orders PGT Beauregard to demand the evacuation and surrender of the fort.

– April 11: Beauregard sends aides under a flag of truce to deliver his ultimatum- Anderson declines

– April 12, 1861, 3:20am: Aides revisit the fort and make one more request for surrender- Major Anderson refuses again. He is told the CSA will open fire in 1 hour

F. Fort Sumter• April 12, 1861, 4:30am: Cpt. George S.

James orders a tracer shot over the fort. This tracer shot signals the firing to begin

• First shot was fired from Ft. Moultrie

• Union returned fire at daybreak

• Bombing from Ft. Moultrie ignited a fire in the officer’s quarters threatening the main powder magazine

• After 34 hours of bombing, Major Anderson surrenders leaving the fort in CSA control

G. Captains Report

• Major Robert Anderson

• 0 casualties

• Gen PGT Beauregard

• 1 casualty

• CSA horse