democrat

Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.

Content: By the early months of 1861 seven states had clearly committed themselves to a course of disunion and the Confederacy, but hope that the upper South could resist the forces of secession was ripe in both North and South. This proved illusory because it was based on the ability of the country to avoid the use of force.

​Content: With the election of Abraham Lincoln, it seemed that the die was cast. The South would leave the United States and seek a future in a southern Confederacy. Yet, breaking the bonds of Union proved strangely difficult for many, particularly in the upper South. In early February 1861, several states met in Montgomery, Alabama to craft a new nation, but only seven slave states showed up, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas. Over the next several weeks it seemed possible to develop a strategy to keep the remaining seven from joining their fellow slave states in disunion.