Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a separate government set up by the southern states that seceded from the United States after the presidential election of 1860. Commonly called the Confederacy, it contained thirteen states that united in war to establish independence from the remaining states, called the Union . The American Civil War (1861–65) tore the nation apart and was the bloodiest conflict in the nation's history.

Secession

In 1860, the nation was struggling with many political issues. The most difficult involved the protection and expansion of slavery . The United States was expanding into new territories across the West. Whether slavery would be permitted sparked intense argument on both sides of the question in Congress and across the nation.

The southern economy depended very much on slavery, so there was great southern interest not only in protecting slavery in existing states but in allowing it to expand to new territories. Since northern state economies depended on employed immigrants instead of slaves, there was little support there for allowing slavery to expand into new territories.

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865; served 1861–65) was elected to the presidency at the end of 1860. As he opposed the expansion of slavery, many in the South feared his election was the first step in the complete abolition of slavery throughout the nation. These fears triggered plans for secession.

Independence

Soon after Lincoln's election, the state legislature of South Carolina organized a state convention to consider secession. On December 20, 1860, convention delegates voted in favor of secession and made plans to meet again in Alabama to form a southern republic. Beginning on January 9, 1861, six more states followed South Carolina: Mississippi , Florida , Alabama, Louisiana , Georgia , and Texas .

The states that seceded believed they had the right to do so. They believed each state voluntarily entered the nation and, therefore, had the right to leave whenever they wished. As far as the southern states were concerned, their constitutional right to have slavery and to control other political issues was in jeopardy, so being part of the United States no longer served their interests.

In February 1861, delegates from the first seven states to secede met in Montgomery, Alabama, to create a united southern government. They quickly drafted and adopted a provisional constitution, and on February 8 the Confederate States of America was born. The constitution provided a temporary government for one year. Jefferson Davis (1808–1889), a U.S. senator from Mississippi and a former secretary of war, was elected to become the interim president until a permanent government could be established. He was inaugurated February 18, 1861.

The constitution the Confederacy adopted was similar to the U.S. Constitution , but with important differences. It established similar branches of government but emphasized the independence of states within the Confederacy. It put all the legislative power in a Congress. It gave the confederate president more power than the U.S. president had, but the position was limited to only one term of six years. The confederate judiciary was similar to the federal judiciary, but to protect its own power, Congress never passed legislation to allow the confederate Supreme Court to function. In light of the political issues that led to secession, the confederate constitution explicitly protected slavery and forbade the government from imposing protective tariffs, or taxes.

The active Confederacy

An incident at the federally owned Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, sparked the American Civil War in April 1861. The Confederate states fired on the fort to force the federal government to leave South Carolina soil. In response, President Lincoln called for troops from the Union states to organize against the rebellious attacks. In reaction to Lincoln's call, the southern states of Virginia , North Carolina , Tennessee , and Arkansas joined the Confederacy in April and May. Citizens of Missouri and Kentucky were sharply divided over the issue of secession, so those states were claimed by both the Union and the Confederacy.

The Confederacy moved its capital to Richmond, Virginia, on July 20, 1861. In elections that November, Davis was elected as the first president of the permanent Confederacy. Davis struggled to establish a united Confederacy. The task was difficult because Confederate states were intent on protecting state's rights and independence.

Davis led the Confederacy throughout its fight for independence, but eventually the Confederacy lost the Civil War to the Union in April 1865. The Confederate States of America dissolved with surrender, and all states eventually renewed their ties with the United States of America.