Final answer:
Six states that seceded by 1861 are South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana due to tensions regarding slavery in the west and the nation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The six states that seceded by February 1861 include:
- South Carolina
- Mississippi
- Florida
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Louisiana
In the 1850s, tensions between the North and the South escalated due to disagreements over the extension of slavery in the west and slavery in the nation. These tensions led to the secession of multiple southern states and the formation of the Confederate States of America.