Did the South have a right to leave the union?

Question

most know it had nothing to do with slavery,was it worth 600,000 lives?

Answer 1

The Confederacy used the excuse that the Union government was "tyrannical". Under the Declaration of Independence, that's the only validation that could be used for overthrowing the government or withdrawing from the Union. The issue was over states' rights, and the issue of slavery was secondary. Lincoln said that he no longer cared about slavery until January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation. That only freed slaves in "rebel" states. Was it worth 600,000 lives? Yes, because it brought our nation back together again, even though the cost was great & we lost Lincoln to an assassin's bullet.

Answer 2

I think the word "nothing" is too absolute -- and thus incorrect.

Was it worth 600,000 lives? Absolutely NOT. Slavery would have died out for ethical and economic reasons.

Was it worth those lives to keep the union intact. Absolutely! If the south had been allowed to leave the union it would have set a precedent that would have seen the country fall to pieces.

Answer 3

"... most know it had nothing to do with slavery ...."

What an idiot.

No, there was and is no such thing as a "right" to leave the union. And yes, they left the union because of slavery. How do I know this? Look at the historical fact that eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina (the area around Great Smoky Mountain Nat'l Park) tried to secede from those two respective states so that they could remain loyal to the Union. And that region, dotted with mountains, didn't have slaves. That region, like the rest of the south Appalachian region, was too hilly for plantation farming, so there weren't any slaves. The Republican Party voting habits of that region date all of the way back to the Civil War era -- because those voters didn't want to secede from the Union. I firmly believe that slavery was the ONLY reason for the South to secede.

Answer 4

It had everything to do with slavery as slavery was a major part of the American economy at that time for the South and the North. Did they have a right to leave the Union?.....Sure, they also had the right to pay back every dollar the Northern States pumped into the south for info-structure, rails, ports, ect. They also had the right to repay the north for their share of the land cost that America paid to purchase the south from other countries. Following this logic you can see why they simple chose war over peace. They hoped to keep the spoils of war instead of compensation to their fellow Americans.

Answer 5

Not they didn't, especially when they failed to follow the law introduced through the Continental Congress. The South creating their own President was treason punishable by war. The Northern Union States won remember......

Answer 6

they say it was over states rights. partially thats correct. the north, while not sincerely opposed to it, had done away with slavery simply because the economical need was not supportive of a slave based system. the south was totally dependent upon the production of slave labor, they feared the political and economic collapse of the region. especially, since manifest destiny saw the expansion of the US westward, southerners quickly realized their political representation was diminishing. the western states were not adequate for agriculture, therefore the premise of popular sovereignty (let the states decide for themselves) dictated that slavery was not needed in the arid western states.

look at it this way, are you going to do work at a job you already quit? you can't honestly bind someone legally when they don't even recognize your authority. yes the south did have a right to leave, but the north also had the right to protect the integrity of the union.

this period was littered with inept politicians that kept passing the buck to their successors. lincoln had only served one term as a senator before he was elected. he did not support slavery, but he certainly didn't want to abolish it. remember, the southern states fired first. lincoln tried all diplomatic avenues availible.

Answer 7

I wouldnt say that it had "nothing" to do with slavery. This was one catalyst for wanting to suceed from the union

Did they have a right to leave? yes

Answer 8

I think your right to leave is no longer in question, once you have resolved yourself to going to war.

By leaving and forming their own confederate nation they pretty much have the right to do anything they want, provided they had won the war.

Answer 9

Obviously not.