Lincoln's Election and Southern secession

Lincoln's 'House Divided' Speech

A speech wherein Lincoln argued that the U.S. cannot remain half slave and half free, emphasizing the national moral crisis over slavery.

Kansas–Nebraska Act

Legislation that allowed for popular sovereignty, but was criticized by Lincoln as a fraud after the Dred Scott decision.

Dred Scott Decision

A Supreme Court ruling that stated African Americans could not be citizens and invalidated the Missouri Compromise.

Republican Party Platform (1860)

Opposed the expansion of slavery into territories and aimed to protect free labor.

Election of 1860

A pivotal election where Lincoln won with ~40% of popular vote and 180 electoral votes, splitting the Democratic vote.

Sectional Reactions to Lincoln’s Election

Northerners saw it as a legitimate victory against slaveholding elites, while Southerners viewed it as a threat to their way of life.

Secession of South Carolina

The first state to secede from the Union on December 20, 1860, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America.

Confederate States of America (CSA)

Formed in February 1861, emphasizing states' rights and explicitly protecting slavery.

South Carolina Declaration of Secession

Claims that secession is lawful self-defense to preserve slavery, citing violations of the Constitution by Northern states.

Fort Sumter

The site where the first battle of the Civil War occurred when Confederate forces fired on the Union-controlled fort.

Border States

Slave states that remained in the Union: Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri, and Delaware, important for their strategic and economic significance.

Key Causes of the Civil War

Long-term factors include slavery and sectionalism; short-term triggers include the Dred Scott decision and Lincoln's election.