South Carolina's 1860 Secession Declaration Cites States' Rights and Slavery as Justification
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States, a decision that ultimately triggered the American Civil War. The state's 'Declaration of Secession' articulated its reasons for leaving the Union, primarily asserting the right of a state to govern itself and to abolish a government deemed destructive. The declaration argued that the federal government had violated the U.S. Constitution by asserting power over states and attacking the institution of slavery, thereby denying South Carolina its right to choose its own institutions and restricting its sovereignty. South Carolina viewed the election of President Abraham Lincoln and the anti-slavery Republican Party in 1860 as a clear indication that Northern states would use the federal government to undermine slavery and the sovereignty of Southern states. The declaration claimed that the federal government had failed to protect the rights of the states, thus dissolving the compact of the Union. 
