Considering that South Carolina, as well as the other Southern States, had labour-intensive economies and reaped heavily from cheap slave labour, they needed a reliable assurance of non-abolitionism. But that was not the case with Lincoln. The President had reservations about emancipation, given that he worked alongside emancipationists. Other factors such as taxation and the principle of States’ Rights also contributed to the fallout.
Inasmuch as President Lincoln explicitly stated that he was not an abolitionist, his ambivalence towards slavery and the consequential failure to advocate for it meant that abolition laws could quickly be passed under his watch. Technically, Lincoln believed that slavery was morally wrong, but what was holding him back from explicitly advocating for emancipation was its enshrinement in the constitution (CATO Institute, 2016). To the Southern States such as South Carolina, the look warm attitude meant uncertainty to its labour market, and pulling out of the Union was the only sure way to obtain immunity.
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More so, Lincoln’s assumption of power further pronounced federal overreach, which would equally interfere in the commerce of the Southern States. In essence, conventional wisdom states that the Southern States was a great stronghold of Jeffersonianism, which had shaped a culture of free trade through low tariffs and limited federal intervention. With Lincoln’s imminent enthronement, the Southern States anticipated weakened sovereignty, which ultimately fuelled the secession. Notably, the North’s intransigent unwillingness to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 further fuelled dissent since it showed that Washington was not ready to support the South’s motives (Paul, 2017). In fact, President Lincoln’s slight commitment to the Act proved to South Carolina (and the Southern States at large) that his administration would easily mount support for abolition despite his current denial.
To sum up, after Lincoln’s ascension to power, South Carolina’s secession was motivated by the realization that the Southern and Northern States had grossly differing viewpoints, and thus interests in critical issues such as slavery and State sovereignty. Therefore, the separation was meant to protect their economic interests, which included holding onto slavery laws.
References
CATO Institute. “Why Did the Southern States Secede?” Retrieved from https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/why-did-southern-states-secede
Paul, C. (2017). “Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.” Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/federal/fugitive-slave-act-of-1850/
