alabama secession document
The Government of the United States claimed territory by virtue of the treaty of 1783 with Great Britain, acquired territory by cession from Georgia and North Carolina, by treaty from France, and by treaty from Spain. 1861, at the city of Montgomery, in the State of Alabama, for the purpose of All Texas laws and regulations must comply with the Constitution or risk being invalidated by the state courts. A state's sovereign right to secede. In the "volunteer state," the memory of Andrew . We do further declare and ordain, That all rights acquired and vested under the Constitution of the United States, or any act of Congress, or treaty, or under any law of this State, and not incompatible with this ordinance, shall remain in force and have the same effect as if this ordinance had not been passed. Be it declared and ordained by the people of the State of Alabama, in Convention assembled, That the State of Alabama now withdraws, and is hereby withdrawn from the Union known as "the United States of America," and henceforth ceases to be one of said United States, and is, and of right ought to be a Sovereign and Independent State. We furthermore declare and ordain that article 10, sections 1 and 2, of the constitution of the State of Tennessee, which requires members of the General Assembly and all officers, civil and military, to take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States be, and the same are hereby, abrogated and annulled, and all parts of the constitution of the State of Tennessee making citizenship of the United States a qualification for office and recognizing the Constitution of the United States as the supreme law of this State are in like manner abrogated and annulled. As in Missouri and Kentucky, thousands from Delaware and Maryland also fought for the Confederacy. Acknowledging the moderates contribution to the cause, diehards such as Yancey were passed over as delegates to the southern convention in favor of former Unionists such as David Peter Lewis. Done by the people of the State of Alabama, in Convention assembled, at Montgomery, on this, the eleventh day of January, A.D. 1861. Now, therefore, we, the people of Virginia, do declare and ordain, That the ordinance adopted by the people of this State in convention on the twenty-fifth day of June, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight, whereby the Constitution of the United States of America was ratified, and all acts of the General Assembly of this State ratifying and adopting amendments to said Constitution, are hereby repealed and abrogated; that the union between the State of Virginia and the other States under the Constitution aforesaid is hereby dissolved, and that the State of Virginia is in the full possession and exercise of all the rights of sovereignty which belong and appertain to a free and independent State. In Missouri and Kentucky, attempted secession was belated, severely disrupted, lacked sufficient popular support, and failed. Alabama was the fourth state to secede from the Union on January 11, 1861. This is evident from the Southern states own words as they issued the ordinances of secession and documents of explanation as they each left the United States to form the Confederacy. The secession resolution cited the election of ABRAHAM LINCOLN by a sectional party, avowedly hostile to the domestic institutions, and the peace and security of the state, as reason for secession. ). to secede. The captain was ordered to surrender into my hands, for the use of the State, the revenue cutter Lewis Cass, now under your command, together with her armaments, properties and provisions on board the same.. AN ORDINANCE to dissolve the union between the State of North Carolina and the other States united with her, under the compact of government entitled "The Constitution of the United States." Whereas, the Federal Constitution, which created the Government of the United States, was declared by the framers thereof to be the supreme law of the land, and was intended to limit and did expressly limit the powers of said Government to certain general specified purposes, and did expressly reserve to the States and people all other powers whatever, and the President and Congress have treated this supreme law of the Union with contempt and usurped to themselves the power to interfere with the rights and liberties of the States and the people against the expressed provisions of the Constitution, and have thus substituted for the highest forms of national liberty and constitutional government a central despotism founded upon the ignorant prejudices of the masses of Northern society, and instead of giving protection with the Constitution to the people of fifteen States of this Union have turned loose upon them the unrestrained and raging passions of mobs and fanatics, and because we now seek to hold our liberties, our property, our homes, and our families under the protection of the reserved powers of the States, have blockaded our ports, invaded our soil, and waged war upon our people for the purpose of subjugating us to their will; and The other . If not, mention your queries in the comment section. "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery--the greatest material interest of the world," members declared. Part of the The University of Alabama Libraries Special Collections Repository, some erosion (taking about ten letters); matted, glazed, and framed, Document to the people of Alabama from thirty-three men at the 1861 secession convention explaining why they did not sign the Ordinance of Secession. That the people of the States of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Missouri, be and are hereby invited to meet the people of the State of Alabama, by their Delegates, in Convention, on the fourth day of February, A. D. 1861, at the city of Montgomery, in the State of Alabama, for the purpose of consulting with each other as to the most effectual mode of securing concerted and harmonious action in whatever measures may be deemed most desirable for our common peace and security. This edition is from Ordinances and Constitution of the State of Alabama (1861). All but three signed. Learn about current events in historical perspective on our Origins site. That all rights acquired and vested under the Constitution of the United States, or under any act of Congress passed, or treaty made, in pursuance thereof, or under any law of this State, and not incompatible with this ordinance, shall remain in force and have the same effect as if this ordinance had not been passed. Done by the people of the State of Texas, in convention assembled, at Austin, this 1st day of February, A.D. 1861. President Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus and overwhelming Union military intervention aimed at protecting Washington blocked the Maryland legislature, or any other group in Maryland, from considering secession further after the legislature overwhelmingly rejected calling a secession convention but retained some notion of limiting cooperation with the Union and military coercion. delegated to the Government of the United States of America, be and they are Debate and compromise over the institution of slavery happened as early as the founding of the nation and the Constitutional Convention, and in the antebellum period conflict and compromise over the issue occurred regularly. The Declaration of Causes made by Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union. Thousands from seceding states, including slaves where the opportunity arose, also chose to fight for the Union. If it was mistaken, then so am I, but it was my understanding that the early versions of the southern cross were already being introduced as the southern states began seceding. If you have trouble accessing this page and need to request an alternate format contact ehistory@osu.edu. We the People of the State of Alabama, having separated ourselves from the Government is affected by the ordinance known as the Ordinance of Secession,, Therefore, be it declared and ordained, by the people of the State of Alabama, in Convention assembled, that the State of Alabama now withdraws from the Union,, Alabama was central to the Civil War, with the secession convention at Montgomery, birthplace of the Confederacy, inviting other states to form, Following South Carolina, Mississippi, and Florida, on January 11, 1865, Alabama adopted its Ordinance of Secession by a 61-39 vote and left, The secession of South Carolina was followed by the secession of six more statesMississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texasand the threat, To dissolve the Union between the State of Alabama and other States united under at the date of the Ordinance of Secession, was residing in this State,, On December 20, 1860, a special convention called in South Carolina unanimously passed an ordinance of secession. State by state, conventions were held, and the Confederacy was . Voters rejected the convention, and by extension, any secession. The issues of secession are complex and it is very true that not every soldier who went to war had slavery in mind as a motivation. Declarations of Causes of Seceding States - South . And as it is the desire and purpose of the people of Alabama to meet the slaveholding States of the South, who may approve such purpose, in order to frame a provisional as well as permanent Government upon the principles of the Constitution of the United States, Despite Missouri and Kentucky remaining within the Union, thousands from both states embraced secession by choosing to fight for the Confederacy. The South Secedes. Journals of the Secession Convention, 1861 Introductory Material January 1861 February 1861 March 1861 Appendices Title Page Prefatory note List of abbreviations Chronology Preface Justification for Convention Statement of Governor Houston Proposal to elect delegates Recommendations of delegates Alabamainfohub.com provides information through various online resources and not liable to any kind of error or oversight. These delegates came mainly from cities where there were few slaves, or from northern Alabama where small farmers still adhered to Andrew Jacksons notion of an indivisible Union. Articles of secession, adopted December 24, 1860. Sec. Address. Copyright 2023 The Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation. Stanchak, John E. (Patricia L. Faust ed. Adherents of the Union side in the Civil War regarded secession as illegal by any means and President Abraham Lincoln, drawing in part on the legacy of President Andrew Jackson, regarded it as his job to preserve the Union by force if necessary. Alabama became the fourth state, and the third in three days, to leave the Union. Stay up-to-date on the American Battlefield Trust's battlefield preservation efforts, travel tips, upcoming events, history content and more. Be it declared and ordained by the people of the State of Alabama in Convention assembled, That the State of Alabama now withdraws, and is hereby withdrawn from the Union known as "the United States of America," and henceforth ceases to be one of said United States, and is, and of right ought to be, a Sovereign and Independent State. consulting with each other as to the most effectual mode of securing concerted A second resolution passed that enabled the remaining 24 opponents to sign a document acknowledging Alabamas decision without taking part in it. I was able to analyze four secession documents written by states: South Carolina . And be it further resolved, That the These two states remained within the Union, but were regarded by the Confederacy as having seceded. Four years of war ended the institution of slavery, altered the Virginia landscape, displaced families, and cost thousands their lives. ________________________________________ARKANSAS The powers of the government of the State of Alabama shall be divided into three distinct departments; and each of them confided to a separate body of magistracy, to-wit: those which are legislative to one; those which are executive, to another; and those which are judicial to another. We do further declare and ordain, That the union now subsisting between the State of North Carolina and the other States, under the title of the United States of America, is hereby dissolved, and that the State of North Carolina is in full possession and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which belong and appertain to a free and independent State. Sign up for our quarterly email series highlighting the environmental benefits of battlefield preservation. Be it further declared and ordained by the people of the State of Alabama in Convention assembled, That all the powers over the Territory of said State, and over the people thereof, heretofore delegated to the Government of the United States of America, be and they are hereby withdrawn from said Government, and are hereby resumed and vested in the people of the State of Alabama. The hysteria quickly spread throughout the state, as 100 cannon were fired in Mobile and a Federal judge yelled out his courtroom window that the U.S. Court for the South District of Alabama was adjourned forever. One Alabaman, mocking President-elect Lincolns Eminence as a Rail Splitter, wrote to him asking if he could recommend wood to use in fencing in my South Carolina Georgia Alabama Mississippi Louisiana and Florida Lands., After approving secession, the convention delegates went one step further by passing a resolution inviting delegates from other southern states to come to Alabama: In order to frame a revisional as a permanent Government, the people of the States of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri, be and they are hereby invited to meet the people of the State of Alabama, by their delegates in convention, on the 4th day of February next in Montgomery.. Originally published serially in newspapers. ________________________________________LOUISIANA We, the people of the State of North Carolina in convention assembled, do declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained, That the ordinance adopted by the State of North Carolina in the convention of 1789, whereby the Constitution of the United States was ratified and adopted, and also all acts and parts of acts of the General Assembly ratifying and adopting amendments to the said Constitution, are hereby repealed, rescinded, and abrogated. It was one of the original seven states to form the Confederacy on Read more The Declaration of Causes of Seceding States | American Battlefield Be it resolved by the people of Alabama in Convention assembled, That the people of the States of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky and Missouri, be and are hereby invited to meet the people of the State of Alabama, by their Delegates, in Convention, on the 4th day of February, A.D., 1861, at the city of Montgomery, in the State of Alabama, for the purpose of consulting with each other as to the most effectual mode of securing concerted and harmonious action in whatever measures may be deemed most desirable for our common peace and security. the people of Alabama to meet the slaveholding States of the South, who may Articles. Second. The People of Alabama. Despite these preliminary maneuvers, the convention that opened on the 7th included fewer diehard secessionists than in other Deep South state conventions. An act declaring the political ties heretofore existing between the State of Missouri and the United States of America dissolved. This page is not available in other languages. The Civil War was not about slaveryhistorians hear this all the time, whether at historic sites, in the classroom, or in conversations with friends and strangers alike. what southern cross was waved? 1 REEL INDEX John Fletcher Comer . The secession convention, recalled in special session, met again in the Old State House in Little Rock on May 6. peace and security of the people of the State of Alabama, preceded by many and The secession convention had 69 delegates representing Florida's 36 counties. Ultimately, eleven statesSouth Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolinapursued independence as part of the Confederacy. It was one of the original seven states to form the Confederacy on February 8, 1861. South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas also issued separate documents purporting to justify secession. "Secession Acts of the Thirteen Confederate States." Secession Acts of the Thirteen Confederate States. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. The ineffective Missouri ordinance of secession eventually was passed only by a rump convention meeting at Neosho. The causes mentioned within these documents include the threat of Lincolns election (as a sectional candidate and perceived abolitionists), hostility from the Northern states and the abolition movement, the argument that the North was no longer upholding the mutual contract of the Constitution (particularly in terms of right to property and the protection of slavery), conflict over slavery in the western territories as the United States expanded in the nineteenth century, and direct defenses of racial slavery. The conflict in Charleston did not necessarily cause the next four states to secede, but after Fort Sumter Lincoln issued his call for volunteer troops from the North to reclaim federal property in the South and combat the secession of the Southern states. Then, this is the place where you can find sources which provide detailed information. Beyond Virginia, effective secession in most of a state could critically destabilize or virtually eliminate state government control over a region where people strongly rejected secession and favored the Union, such as East Tennessee and other areas. Government upon the principles of the Constitution of the United States, In Tennessee as in Arkansas, during the secession crisis of 1861 the support for immediate secession was weak. Adopted January 11, 1861. Compiled from the census of 1860", "This date in Delaware history: State rejects secession, sticks to the Union in Civil War", Virginia's Ordinance of Secession (enrolled bill), Virginia's Ordinance of Secession (signed copies), Texas Declaration of Causes, Feb. 2, 1861, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ordinance_of_Secession&oldid=1130159788, To announce Georgia's formal intent to secede from the, This page was last edited on 28 December 2022, at 21:49. the "free labor" interests of the North that culminated in secession and civil war. Alabama and Arkansas did go a little beyond pure legalese in discussing some issues but nothing like a declaration of causes. That so much of the first section of the seventh article of the constitution of this State as requires members of the Legislature and all officers, executive and judicial, to take an oath or affirmation to support the Constitution of the United States be, and the same is hereby, abrogated and annulled. Now the word "rights" can be found 14 times, and "right" appear 32 times in these four state secession . ________________________________________FLORIDA in the year of our Lord seventeen hundred and eighty-eight, whereby the constitution of the United States of America was assented to, ratified and adopted, and also all acts and parts of acts of the general assembly of this State, ratifying and adopting amendments to said constitution, are hereby repealed, rescinded and abrogated. South Carolina Declaration of Secession, 1860 Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 contest on November 6 with just 40% of the popular vote and not a single southern vote in the Electoral College. Adopted and passed in open convention on the 6th day of May, A.D. 1861. The American Battlefield Trust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. In 1860 Davis was on the Douglas electoral ticket and spoke in North Alabama in opposition to the secession movement. State of Alabama, in Convention assembled, at Montgomery, on this, the eleventh A majority favored immediate secession while some wanted to wait until Georgia and Alabama left first. Many were cooperationists who either leaned against seceding or favored a more moderate path out of the Union. The secessionists were led primarily by Democrats, including Senator Clingman, Governor John W. Ellis (1820-1861), Congressman Thomas Ruffin (1820-1863), and former Congressman William S. Ashe (1814-1862). In 1863 a Unionist government in western Virginia created a new state from 50 western counties which entered the Union as West Virginia. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1861, Library of Congress Act I documents (Attached) (From "Alabama Will Secede," "Alabama Out of the Union," "The Secession Jubilee," and "Alabama's Ordinance of Secession." The first three are articles published in the Montgomery Advertiser. ________________________________________VIRGINIA Alabama Ordinance of Secession An Ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of Alabama and the other States united under the compact styled "The Constitution of the United States of America" Secession Acts of the Thirteen Confederate States. This edition is from Ordinances and Constitution of the State of Alabama (1861). Two remaining Southern states, Delaware and Maryland, rejected secession and were not regarded by either side as having seceded. dangerous infractions of the constitution of the United States by many of the The government of South Carolina declared its causes for seceding on December 24, 1860, four days after it became the first state to issue a formal ordinance of secession on December 20, 1860. ; PASSAGE OF THE ORDINANCE , Alabama in the American Civil War Wikipedia, Alabama Constitution of 1861 | Encyclopedia of Alabama, 1861 | Time Line of the Civil War | Articles and Essays | Civil War , Ordinances and constitution of the state of Alabama: with the , secession | History, Definition, Crisis, & Facts | Britannica, Alabama vehicle registration fee calculator, Alabama DHR minimum standards for daycare centers, Alabama defined benefit retirement plan list. The unorganized Indian Territory did not document secession and was not unanimous in its orientation, but generally supported the Confederacy. In this essay, the author. Alabama Ordinance of Secession | eHISTORY, Secession Documents: Alabama Civil Discourse, The Declaration of Causes of Seceding States | American Battlefield , Alabama : Constitution of January 7, 1861 Avalon Project, THE ALABAMA CONVENTION. in history with a Certificate in Revolutionary Era Studies from Siena College in 2010. Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address (1861) Ordinances of Secession. In a unanimous vote on December 20, 1860, the state seceded from the Union. Complete and original . Adopted in convention at Baton Rouge this 26th day of January, 1861. Beginning with South Carolina in December 1860, eleven Southern states and one territory[2] both ratified an ordinance of secession and effected de facto secession by some regular or purportedly lawful means, including by state legislative action, special convention, or popular referendum, as sustained by state public opinion and mobilized military force. Many of these documents are very clear that slavery was central to their decision to leave the United States. Secession itself occurred in two phases, sparked by specific events in 1860 and 1861. When it was over, 166 had voted for secession and 8 against. During the next two months ordinances of secession were adopted by the states of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. therefore: Be it declared and ordained by the people of the State of Reno wrote his superiors: As it was impossible for me to hold this place with my seventeen men, I trust that the Department will not hold me responsible for this unexpected catastrophe., Governor Moore wrote to President James Buchanan explaining the reasons why he felt compelled to order the seizure of Federal property before the convention began: I was fully convinced by the evidences which I had that that convention withdraw the State of Alabama from the Government of the United States Being thus convinced I deemed it my duty to take every precautionary step to make the secession of the State peaceful, and prevent detriment to her people The purpose with which my order was given and has been executed was to avoid and not to provoke hostilities between the State and Federal government., On the 5th, Alabama militia took Forts Morgan and Gaines, which were vital in protecting the entrance to Mobile Bay. Sec 2. Are you looking for Alabama Declaration Of Secession ? the several States named in said resolutions. Order # 28. After four days of debate, enough moderates had joined the secessionist camp to make the final vote 61 to 39. [citation needed]. Be it ordained, That we do hereby forever sever our connection with the Government of the United States, and in the name of the people we do hereby declare Kentucky to be a free and independent State, clothed with all power to fix her own destiny and to secure her own rights and liberties. Rebecca Beatrice Brooks May 14, 2012 No Comments. Be it further ordained, That the unconstitutional edicts of a factious majority of a Legislature thus false to their pledges, their honor, and their interests are not law, and that such a government is unworthy of the support of a brave and free people, and that we do therefore declare that the people are thereby absolved from all allegiance to said government, and that they have a right to establish any government which to them may seem best adapted to the preservation of their rights and liberties. . We do further declare and ordain, That the State of Louisiana hereby resumes all rights and powers heretofore delegated to the Government of the United States of America; that her citizens are absolved from all allegiance to said Government; and that she is in full possession and exercise of all those rights of sovereignty which appertain to a free and independent State. Secession process in the US Civil War The first seven seceding states, all of the Deep South, were motivated mainly by two factors: the election in November 1860 of President Lincoln, who had no support among Southern voters, and the direct threat to slavery his election posed. It was one of the original seven states to form the Confederacy on. Secession itself occurred in two phases, sparked by specific events in 1860 and 1861. South Carolina acted first, calling for a convention to secede from the Union. Therefore we, the people of the State of Arkansas, in convention assembled, do hereby declare and ordain, and it is hereby declared and ordained, That the "ordinance and acceptance of compact" passed and approved by the General Assembly of the State of Arkansas on the 18th day of October, A.D. 1836, whereby it was by said General Assembly ordained that by virtue of the authority vested in said General Assembly by the provisions of the ordinance adopted by the convention of delegates assembled at Little Rock for the purpose of forming a constitution and system of government for said State, the propositions set forth in "An act supplementary to an act entitled `An act for the admission of the State of Arkansas into the Union, and to provide for the due execution of the laws of the United States within the same, and for other purposes,'" were freely accepted, ratified, and irrevocably confirmed, articles of compact and union between the State of Arkansas and the United States, and all other laws and every other law and ordinance, whereby the State of Arkansas became a member of the Federal Union, be, and the same are hereby, in all respects and for every purpose herewith consistent, repealed, abrogated, and fully set aside; and the union now subsisting between the State of Arkansas and the other States, under the name of the United States of America, is hereby forever dissolved.