Which was the first state to call for a special convention to consider secession?
History · Middle School · Mon Jan 18 2021
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- The first state to call for a special convention to consider secession was South Carolina.
- On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union after a special convention in Charleston voted unanimously to this effect. This action came shortly after the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States in November 1860, an event that raised concerns among Southern states about the future of slavery.
- The concept of secession refers to the act of a state or region formally withdrawing from a nation or federation to which it belongs. Prior to the Civil War in the United States, there was a growing tension between Northern and Southern states primarily over the issue of slavery and states' rights. Many Southern states feared that their way of life and economic interests, which were largely tied to the institution of slavery, were under threat, especially with the rise of the anti-slavery Republican Party.