Was it a mistake to refuse the South's secession?

The answer was states rights, but not as normally taught. The original deal struck when the constitution was written was that the North would be able to ban the slave trade eventually, but they would also have to return all escaped slaves back to the South. By 1864, the Republican states were totally against this. read more

The proximate cause of the South's secession was the election of Abraham Lincoln with a Republican majority in 1860. However, in and of itself, secession was a major overreaction to this political setback. read more

Secession, as it applies to the outbreak of the American Civil War, comprises the series of events that began on December 20, 1860, and extended through June 8 of the next year when eleven states in the Lower and Upper South severed their ties with the Union. read more