Secession and War
The Election of 1860:
The Democratic Party supported Stephen A. Douglas because of his stance on popular sovereignty. Meanwhile the Republicans were choosing between William Seward and Abraham Lincoln. Ultimately, the Republicans chose Lincoln because of his more moderate views and the party declared an anti-slavery stance, making it super unpopular with Southerners.
Many Southerners worried that if the Republicans got in power, they would encourage abolitionist radicals like John Brown to start slave revolts. Further, they were worried that if Republicans gained power, that they would try and get rid of slavery.
Because of the fact that the Democrats were divided over who to vote for, Lincoln ended up getting a majority of the votes in the election, despite the fact that he only received 40% of the popular vote. Lincoln's name did not even appear on Southern ballots as a voting option but he won every Northern state.
Even though Lincoln and the Republicans promised to leave slavery alone, the South was deeply skeptical that they would protect Southern voting rights. As a result, South Carolina took a vote and decided to secede on December 20, 1860.
Southerners rejected the North's attempts at compromise and by February of 1861 Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia had all joined South Carolina in secession. These states selected Jefferson Davis as their president and called themselves the Confederate States of America.
In your notebook answer these questions:
1. How many Confederate States were there?
2. Which side had more total land?