![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() To the surprise of other Southern states-and even to many South Carolinians-the convention voted to dissolve the state’s contract with the United States and strike off on its own. That was not enough to calm the fears of delegates to an 1860 secession convention in South Carolina. Read more about the election Southern Secession A steady flow of immigrants, especially from Ireland and Germany during the potato famine of the 1840s and 1850s, insured the North a ready pool of laborers, many of whom could be hired at low wages, diminishing the need to cling to the institution of slavery. The states of the North, meanwhile, one by one had gradually abolished slavery. Ownership of more than a handful of slaves bestowed respect and contributed to social position, and slaves, as the property of individuals and businesses, represented the largest portion of the region’s personal and corporate wealth, as cotton and land prices declined and the price of slaves soared. Slaves could be rented or traded or sold to pay debts. Slavery was interwoven into the Southern economy even though only a relatively small portion of the population actually owned slaves. On the eve of the Civil War, some 4 million Africans and their descendants toiled as slave laborers in the South. The agrarian South utilized slaves to tend its large plantations and perform other duties. That dispute led to secession, and secession brought about a war in which the Northern and Western states and territories fought to preserve the Union, and the South fought to establish Southern independence as a new confederation of states under its own constitution. The burning issue that led to the disruption of the union was the debate over the future of slavery. Causes of the Civil War, From States' Rights to Slavery | HistoryNet Closeįeature Day One at Chancellorsville - Hooker’s Big Mistake ![]()
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