Page "Abraham Lincoln" Paragraph 42

As Lincoln's election became evident, secessionists made clear their intent to leave the Union before he took office the next March.

On December 20, 1860, South Carolina took the lead by adopting an ordinance of secession ; by February 1, 1861, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas followed.

Six of these states then adopted a constitution and declared themselves to be a sovereign nation, the Confederate States of America.

The upper South and border states ( Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, and Arkansas ) listened to, but initially rejected, the secessionist appeal.

President Buchanan and President-elect Lincoln refused to recognize the Confederacy, declaring secession illegal.

The Confederacy selected Jefferson Davis as its provisional President on February 9, 1861.