“States’ Rights” influenced SC’s decision to secede from the Union. Explain how.
States' Rights was a key issue that influenced South Carolina's decision to secede from the Union. The concept of States' Rights holds that individual states have the right to make decisions and enact laws that are in their own best interest, even if those decisions conflict with federal law.
In the years leading up to the Civil War, South Carolina and other southern states felt that their rights were being threatened by the increasingly powerful federal government. Many southern states relied heavily on the institution of slavery for their economies, and they believed that the federal government was overstepping its boundaries by attempting to regulate or abolish slavery.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected as President in 1860 on a platform that included opposition to the expansion of slavery, South Carolina and other southern states saw this as a direct threat to their way of life. They believed that seceding from the Union was the only way to protect their rights and preserve their economic and social structures.
Ultimately, the secession of South Carolina and other southern states led to the outbreak of the Civil War, as the remaining Union states were unwilling to allow the seceded states to leave the Union unchallenged. The concept of States' Rights played a significant role in the decision to secede and was a key factor in the lead-up to the Civil War.