Final answer:
If Georgia leaders had voted for secession, Georgia would have officially withdrawn from the Union. Secession was about states' rights and property, which in the context of the time, largely referred to the right to own slaves. The transition from secession to the Civil War was marked by the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter.
Step-by-step explanation:
Alexander Stephens fought against the debate over secession in Georgia. If Georgia leaders had voted for secession, Georgia would have officially withdrawn from the Union. This action is underscored by the context that other states such as South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas followed suit after South Carolina's secession. The debate over secession primarily centered on states' rights, and those who chose to leave the Union, including influential figures like Jefferson Davis, saw it as a legal right to protect their property and maintain their way of life which was tied to the institution of slavery.
Secession did not immediately lead to the Civil War, as there was debate on both sides on how to respond. However, the key moment that transitioned from secession to war was the attack on Fort Sumter. Alexander Stephens, who later became the vice president of the Confederacy, at first fought the secession debate in Georgia, indicating the complexities within Southern leadership regarding the departure from the Union.