Which event led to the secession of Texas and other southern states?

Answer 1

Texas was not the first southern state to secede. South Carolina was the first. As far as the cause for this string of secession, you have to understand the United States in the mid-1800s. Secession was set into motion in 1776 if you really think about it. The biggest cause was the fact that the Declaration of Independence was signed, forming a new nation (the United States), with the institution of slavery still there. It can be said, if you are bold enough, that our Founding Fathers were hippocrates. The Declaration of Independence states that ALL men are created equal. Apparently this did not apply to African slaves. Following the Revolutionary War the United States developed in different ways. In fact, when referring to the United States at that time, people would say "the United States ARE"... this suggests a divide, or at the very least that the nation was not consolidated as one country. The southern states were mainly agricultural, whereas the northern states had begun to industrialized. The northerners also began to become vocal about the institution of slavery. A group was formed known as the Abolitionists. This group's main purpose was to end slavery forever. The south felt threatened by this. Because the south was agricultural they depended on slave labor to work the tobacco fields, cotton fields, etc... The south depended on trade of these goods with England and other European nations. The north was busy building steel mils and other big industrial businesses. From 1800 on the tension grew between the north and south. The Federal Government began to pass tariffs that affected the south's trade with Europe. The south disagreed with these tariffs because they believed that their own State Governments were more powerful than the Federal Government. Because of this they believed that they had the right to ignore any laws passed by the Federal Government that they did not agree with. So now we have two main issues... first is the slavery issue, second is the question of whether the State Governments were more powerful than the Central Federal Government. South Carolina actually threatened to secede early in the 1800s. This was stopped when the President threatened to send Federal troops into South Carolina to stop them. Throughout the early 1800s a series of "Compromises" were made in Congress in order to appease the south and keep the peace. Think of this as putting a bandaid on a deep cut that needs stitches. It will only work for a short time, but eventually something has to give. That is exactly what happened. The Abolitionists became stronger and stronger. Several books and pamphlets were published condemning slavery...(Uncle Tom's Cabin, etc...). Also, a new political party was formed. This party was called the Republican Party. This party was anti-slavery, and believed that the Federal Government overrides the State Governments on all issues. At the same time there was a rift in the Democratic Party. Then came the Presidential Election of 1860. By this time the Democrats were divided and weak. This left an opening for the Republicans to take over the White House. The Republican Candidate was a Lawyer from Illinois names Abraham Lincoln. He was a great speaker and believed in the Union. He wasn't necessarily anti-slavery in the same sense as the abolitionists were. Lincoln was of the idea that slavery should be contained where it already existed and that it would eventually die out. Lincoln's main concern was preserving the Union of the United States. He said that if he could save the Union by freeing all of the slaves he would do it, and if he could save the Union by freeing some slaves and leaving others in bondage he would do that. Lincoln was a complicated, brilliant man. The President in office during the campaign of 1860 was James Buchanon...(probably the worst President of all time). Buchanon did nothing to preserve the Union. In fact, he did NOTHING PERIOD. Due to the rift in the Democratic Party it looked like Lincoln and the Republicans could win the election. Seeing this South Carolina seceded from the Union. Lincoln won the election with only about 40% of the popular vote. However due to secession this was enough for him to become the 16th President of the United States. Following Lincoln's win 10 more states followed South Carolina out of the Union, Texas being one of them. On Lincoln's first day in office there was a note on his desk from the commander of a fort in the bay of Charleston, South Carolina. The fort was called Fort Sumter. President Abraham Lincoln's entire Presidency was consumed by the Civil War. By 1865 the War was over. The Union was preserved. Slavery was ended. The question about State Governments vs. Federal Government was answered. Five days after the war ended President Abraham Lincoln was shot and killed at Ford's Theatre by John Wilkes Booth, a southern sympathizer. Lincoln never lived to see the nation heal. For the next ten years the nation went through a terrible process of Reconstruction. The important thing now was that when speaking of the United States, people would say the United States IS, not ARE. We finally became one nation of people working toward the same cause. To make this nation the Greatest nation on the Earth, and the Great State of Texas is a BIG part of that IDEA. Hope this helps.