President James Buchanan looked to his cabinet for advice on the secession crisis, but like the country itself, the cabinet was hopelessly divided.
Category: Secession
The Feeling of Secession Grows Stronger
Southern states began taking steps toward leaving the Union, while some northerners began talking of keeping the South in the Union, even by force if necessary.
This Struggle Must Continue
President Jefferson Davis responds to a letter from North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance urging the Confederate government to try negotiating peace with the U.S. to ease the growing discontent in his state.
The Missouri Secession
Remnants of the popularly elected Missouri legislature gather at Neosho to approve seceding from the Union, even though a Unionist government operated at Jefferson City.
A Set of Aristocrats and Overbearing Tyrants
Tennessee voters approve secession from the Union, but eastern Tennessee remains defiantly Unionist.
The Confederate Capital Relocation
The Confederate Congress votes to adjourn after approving the relocation of the national capital from Montgomery, Ala., to Richmond, Va.