Compromise Of 1860 Analysis

Entering the 1850s, the North and South continuously disagreed on many important issues. These differences in political and legal ideas resulted in a split of the country. Forming the Confederate States of America, eleven southern states left the union. Although this split left many citizens to worry about economic balance, rights, and power, many others agreed that the split was necessary and for the better. The North and South were constantly fighting on every idea presented and could not create peace. Thus, many would agree that the Confederacy’s secession was legal because of the North and South’s un-mendable relationship, past failures of compromise, and need for peace.

From the beginning, the North and South spoke oppositely on a variety

It can be seen that multiple attempts at compromise between the North and the south had been made in the past but no concrete solutions had come out of it. Instead, those compromises only spurred more debate and disagreement between the two. In an action to save face, Kentucky senator John Crittenden proposed the Crittenden Compromise at the end of 1860. If accepted, this compromise would make national governments not take away the rights of those who owned slaves. Despite the South’s approval of this compromise, Congress and President Lincoln rejected it. This was the last straw for many southern states as it was just another example of them not being represented. Even the states who did not really want to break apart such as Tennessee and Virginia eventually chose to leave because of Lincoln’s set policies. No one in the south wanted to feel unheard and unrepresented in their own country anymore. They had different views from the President and the north on almost everything and no agreement seemed to be insight. The secession was definitely needed to prevent further oppression or unrest. The legality of

It was very clear that both the North and the South were just ticking time-bombs waiting to explode. While one side felt represented, the other felt extremely unheard. The election of 1860 further emphasized this point with the election of Lincoln as almost no one from the South had supported him. Nearly all of his popular votes and electoral votes had come from the North, causing unrest for the people in the South. For the South, it felt as though they didn’t matter. If they were to stay, they would be continuously outvoted in political decisions by not only the North but by the president himself. Nowhere in the country did they feel at peace with their representation or with their neighboring states. Learning from history, the colonies’ were not happy with their representation and treatment from Britain, as the South was not in the current situation. Comparing the two events, it is clear that they are fairly similar and should be evaluated as so. The South’s secession seen on the basis of the colonies’ break away is legal because it was their way of escape from an abusive figure head. The Confederacy’s secession was their way of creating peace not only for themselves but for the country as a