Editor's Choice
How is Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election linked to the 1861 Confederate attack on Fort Sumter?
Quick answer:
Abraham Lincoln's 1860 election led to heightened tensions, as Southern states, fearing threats to slavery, began to secede, starting with South Carolina. This secession set the stage for the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter. Although Lincoln's platform aimed to stop slavery's expansion, Southern states interpreted his election as a direct threat. Lincoln strategically withheld military actions, waiting for the Confederacy to initiate conflict, which culminated in the April 1861 attack on Fort Sumter.
Abraham Lincoln was elected in November 1860; by December, South Carolina would host a secession convention, thus becoming the first state in what would become the Confederate States of America. South Carolina slave owners and many others in the Deep South feared that Lincoln's election meant the end of slavery, even though Lincoln's political platform only mentioned stopping slavery where it had already existed. Before April 1861, the Lower South had already seceded. South Carolina seized Fort Moultrie as it was on what they regarded as their property, even though it was a federal military installation. In the waning days of the Buchanan presidency, he sent a ship to resupply another beleaguered garrison at Fort Sumter--the ship was fired upon by Confederate shore batteries. Lincoln therefore did nothing to relieve the fort but did not give the commander there, Major Robert Anderson, permission to surrender. Lincoln did not send ammunition to the fort but rather waited for the Confederacy to fire the first shots of the war, which it did on April 12, 1861.
Get Ahead with eNotes
Start your 48-hour free trial to access everything you need to rise to the top of the class. Enjoy expert answers and study guides ad-free and take your learning to the next level.
Already a member? Log in here.