Transcript Abraham Lincoln, the Election of 1860, and Secession "A House Divided"    In his “House Divided” speech, Abraham Lincoln addresses how the election of President.

Abraham Lincoln, the Election of
1860, and Secession
1
"A House Divided"



In his “House Divided” speech,
Abraham Lincoln addresses how
the election of President Buchanan,
the Nebraska Bill, and the Dred
Scott decision will affect the unity of
the Nation.
“In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis
shall have been reached, and passed. ``A
house divided against itself cannot stand.'' I
believe this government cannot endure;
permanently half slave and half free. I do not
expect the Union to be dissolved ---I do not
expect the house to fall ---but I do expect it will
cease to be divided. It will become all one
thing, or all the other.”
“Either the opponents of slavery, will arrest the
further spread of it, and place it where the
public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in
course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates
will push it forward, till it shall become alike
lawful in all the States, old as well as new--North as well as South. Have we no tendency
to the latter condition?”
2
1860 Election Banners
3
South Carolina's Causes for
Secession from the Union




The election of 1860 has left many on
edge in the South, particularly South
Carolina.
The fear that a Republican President
would take actions to limit states' rights
has led them to take drastic action.
In this declaration, South Carolina
outlines there reasons for secession
from the Union.
“The people of the State of South Carolina….declared
that the frequent violations of the Constitution of the
United States, by the Federal Government, and its
encroachments upon the reserved rights of the States,
fully justified this State in then withdrawing from the
Federal Union; but in deference to the opinions and
wishes of the other slaveholding States, she forbore at
that time to exercise this right. Since that time, these
encroachments have continued to increase, and further
forbearance ceases to be a virtue.”
4
Constitution of the Confederate
States of America




When the framers of the Confederate
Constitution set out to draft the document they
were set on forming a document that was
fundamentally different form the one they
opposed.
The framers wanted a document that not only
represented their ideological differences, but
their governing differences as well.
Ironically, in the end, the only difference that can
be found between the two documents is in the
ideology.
The government that was set up by the
Confederate Constitution is practically identical
to that of the United States.
5
Confederate President Jefferson Davis




Jefferson Davis served as the provisional
president of the Confederacy until elections
could be held.
On February 18, 1861 he delivered his inaugural
address.
In this address, the causes for southern
secession and the differences between their
government and that of the Union are explained.
“We have changed the constituent parts, but not the system of our
Government. The Constitution formed by our fathers is that of these
Confederate States, in their exposition of it, and in the judicial
construction it has received, we have a light which reveals its true
meaning.”
6
Crittenden Compromise





On March 4, 1861, a Peace Convention was held in
Washington.
This convention was called to order by the state of
Virginia.
Virginia, on the verge of secession, was looking for a
way they could compromise with the federal government
before making the final decision.
The outcome of the Peace Convention was the
Crittenden Compromise.
This compromise proposed six amendments to the
Constitution and four resolutions. The amendments and
resolutions were centered around slavery, slave trade,
and fugitive slave laws.
7
A Cure for Republican Lock-Jaw

This cartoon depicts congressional efforts to pass the Crittenden Compromise.
8
Abraham Lincoln's
First Inaugural Address



In his first Inaugural
Address, Abraham
Lincoln, addresses the
issue of South Carolina
seceding from the
Union.
In doing so, he also
outlines how he will
handle the situation as
President of the United
States.
The picture is of the
crowd gathered to see
Abraham Lincoln
delivering his first
inaugural address.
9
Lincoln's July 4 Message to
Congress




On July 4, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln
addressed a special session of Congress.
In this address, he announced that a war has
been declared on the states that seceded from
the Union.
He also calls on Congress to make available the
funds and man power needed for a short war.
“It is now recommended that you give the legal
means for making this contest a short, and a
decisive one; that you place at the control of the
government, for the work, at least four hundred
thousand men, and four hundred millions of
dollars…”
10