why did southern states secede?
a. they believed they could be more economically prosperous without the north.
b. they believed the union no longer represented their interests.
c. the supreme court decided they were legally able to do so.
d. they wanted to re-align themselves with England.
The correct answers are a and b:
a. They believed they could be more economically prosperous without the north. Many of the Southern states were agrarian economies heavily reliant on agriculture, particularly cotton production. They believed that their economic interests would be better served by being independent from the industrialized northern states.
b. They believed the union no longer represented their interests. There were increasing tensions between the northern and southern states over issues such as slavery, state rights, and tariffs. Southerners felt that their interests and way of life were being threatened by the increasing influence of the northern states, leading them to secede from the United States.