When the country was founded all 13 colonies had slavery. The northern states got rid of it when they didn’t need it anymore. It’s called the Industrial Revolution. That’s what drove their economy. The South depended on cotton and tobacco to fuel their economy. They couldn’t get rid of slavery as fast as the Northern states. But slavery was dying a slow death when Lincoln refused to let the Southern states leave a very VOLUNTARY UNION. With the evention of cotton gin slavery would be effectively over in a few years. Cotton and tobacco was taxed to death and it was going up higher and with the election of Lincoln the cotton states wanted the hell out of the VOLUNTARY union, Lincoln would not let them leave and invaded the Southern states. NC, Tenn, Ark and Virginia left the union because they refused to take up arms against their neighboring states. Slavery was not the reason they left.
War Department April (15th)
Call made on you by tonight’s mail for two (2) Regiments of Military for immediate Service.
Simon Cameron
Secretary of War”
“Hon. Simon Cameron
Secretary of War
Your dispatch is recd. and if genuine which its extraordinary character leads me to doubt I have to say in reply that I regard the levy of troops made by the Administration for the purpose of subjugating the States of the South, as in violation of the Constitution and a gross usurpation of power. I can be no party to this wicked violation of the laws of the country, and to this war upon the liberties of a free people. You can get no troops from North Carolina. I will reply more in detail when your call is received by mail.
John W. Ellis
Gov. of N.C.
“Whereas: By Proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, followed by a requisition of Simon Cameron, Secretary of War, I am informed that the said Abraham Lincoln has made a call for 75,000 men to be employed for the invasion of the peaceful homes of the South . . . . And, whereas, this high-handed act of tyrranical outrage is not only in violation of all constitutional law . . . [but] conceived in a spirit of aggression . . . . Now, therefore, I . . . do hereby issue this, my Proclamation, notifying and requesting the Senators and Members of the House of Commons of the General Assembly of North-Carolina, to meet in a Special Session at the Capitol, in the City of Raleigh, on Wednesday the first day of May next . . . . United action in defense of the sovereignty of North Carolina, and of the rights of the South, becomes now the duty of all.”
Once the Union was formed under the Constitution there was no such thing as voluntary withdrawal. The only means of being out of the Union was not to ratify to begin with like R.I. and North Carolina.
Arkansas, and the second ring of states were in the control of the Planters and aristocracy (like the rest of the South) just as were the original would-be Secessionists. Behind all the political maneuvering was the problem of slavery even when dressed up as a concern for state’s rights.