Question

Why did the southern states threaten to secede if abraham lincoln won the election of 1860?

A. because they believed that lincoln was going to continue the practice of slavery.
B. because they believed lincoln would replace cotton industry with manufacturing
C. because was involved with a bribery scandal.
D. because they believed he wanted to remove the missouri compromise 1920s.
E. because they believed that he would not continue to uphold the practice slavery.

Answer 1

Southern states threatened to secede if Lincoln won the 1860 election due to their belief that his presidency would end the practice of slavery. They felt their economic and social way of life was directly threatened by the Republican Party's opposition to the expansion of slavery. Option A is correct.

Step-by-step explanation:

The southern states threatened to secede if Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 because they believed he would end the practice of slavery, which was integral to their way of life and economic interests. The Republican Party, which Lincoln represented, opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories, and leaders in the South feared Republican control would threaten their slave-based economy and social order. This fear was exacerbated by events leading up to the election, such as the Dred Scott decision and John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, which polarized the nation. Despite the Republican's assurance that they did not intend to abolish slavery where it already existed, southern leaders felt secession was their only option upon Lincoln's election.

Southern states began organizing secession conventions shortly after the 1860 election, and South Carolina was the first to secede, citing the federal government's failure to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act as a main grievance in their 'Declaration of the Immediate Causes'. Ultimately, the secession of southern states led to the formation of the Confederate States of America and the subsequent Civil War.