South Carolina Adopts an Ordinance of Secession
South Carolina adopted its ordinance of secession on December 20, 1860.
Published · Updated · 1 min read
The Event
South Carolina adopted its ordinance of secession on December 20, 1860. It was the first state to act after Abraham Lincoln's election.
The Wider Story
The state's leaders defended slavery as central to their position. Other Southern states followed during the growing constitutional crisis.
Putting the Event in Perspective
Secession was not the same event as the firing on Fort Sumter in April 1861.
Reading the Historical Record
The causes should not be reduced to an unexplained disagreement over abstract states' rights.
About the Historical Recreation
The accompanying visual is an illustrative reconstruction: an 1860 South Carolina convention hall with distant delegates and unreadable papers. It is not authentic archival footage, an eyewitness record or additional evidence for the event.
Sources
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