Abraham Lincoln led the nation through the Civil War, but what about the causes of the Civil War? Why did President Lincoln stop the South from seceding?

Much has been written about Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. We know that Lincoln led the nation through the Civil War, but not as many articles have been written about why Lincoln fought the war to stop the secession of southern states? Was secession legal? The South certainly thought so, and only wanted to leave the Union in peace. Why did Lincoln stop southern secession - and thus unleash the bloodiest war in American history?

Slavery and Secession

What were the real causes of the Civil War -- slavery or states' rights? What led to southern secession?

On March 4, 1861, after taking the required oath to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States," Abraham Lincoln assured the South he would not interfere with slavery within their borders.

Modern critics of Mr. Lincoln argue that this shows Lincoln's lack of commitment to racial justice. They fail to acknowledge that, first of all, Lincoln's views on slavery progressed as the war went on. But most importantly, Lincoln was legally correct in his First Inaugural. He pointed out that he lacked the constitutional authority to strike at slavery in the southern states.

Accordingly, President Lincoln denounced as unfounded the "apprehension" of those southerners who feared for their "property, and their peace, and personal security." On the contrary, he promised that "all the protection which, consistently with the Constitution and the laws, can be given, will be cheerfully given to all the States when lawfully demanded, for whatever cause--as cheerfully to one section as to another."

This, however, doesn't change the fact that the southern states seceded - particularly those of the Deep South - cited slavery as their main, underlying grievance with the northern states in general and the incoming Lincoln administration in particular. The southern states knew that Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery, that he was unlikely to force the northern states to return escaped slaves, and that he had morally (and repeatedly) condemned slavery.

Was Secession Legal?

Regardless of the Deep South's rationale for secession, they were in fact leaving. That was the reality Abraham Lincoln had to confront in March 1861. His goal was to lure the Deep South back into the fold and convince the other states, especially the Upper South and border states, to remain under the U.S. Constitution.

President Lincoln probably realized that bitter feelings and prejudice had so gripped the nation that his assurances on slavery would be cynically dismissed as hollow and deceptive. He therefore didn't limit his speech to an appeal for reconciliation, but laid out in very direct and emphatic terms his view of the Constitution and the Union it upheld.

"I hold, that in contemplation of universal law, and of the Constitution, the Union of these states is perpetual." He argued that the perpetuity of the Constitution was clearly implied by the Framers' stated desire to seek a "more perfect Union" than that of the Articles of Confederation (which had declared itself perpetual).

Lincoln also appealed to logic and reason, holding that no respectable government ever contained a provision for its "termination," and he contended that the Union of the states predated not only the Constitution itself, but the American Revolution as well. He pointed all the way back to 1774, when the First Continental Congress associated the colonies in protest of British policies. Here he was on shaky ground, but he nevertheless concluded that the Union was perpetual, a fact "confirmed by the history of the Union itself."

Preparation for War

Lincoln followed this brief civics lesson with the following statement: "It follows from these views that no State, upon its own mere motion, can lawfully get out of the Union." He added that "resolves and ordinances to that effect are legally void, and that acts of violence, within any State or States, against the authority of the United States, are insurrectionary or revolutionary, according to circumstances."

It was this declaration (and Lincoln's subsequent decision to reinforce Fort Sumter) that put the seceding southern states and the new Lincoln Administration on a collision course that would ultimately cost the lives of over 600,000 people, wreak havoc on the nation's economy, and forever change the course of history.

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For more information, consult the following sources...

The Constitution of the United States

Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address