The consequences of the American Civil War (1861-1865) were very harmful for Mississipi.
Even tough there were conflicts related to issues such as the payment of tariffs, or the rights of the states versus the federal goverment, it was in fact the reluctance to abolish slavery the main reason that drove this and other states into the decision of leaving the union.
John A. Quitman (1798 – 1858) was reelected as governor of Missisipi in 1849. He is known as the Father of Secession.
Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) represented Missisipi in the US Senate as a member of the Democratic Party, and afterwards he served as the first and only President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865.