South Carolina Convention of 1860

South Carolina Convention of 1860
Name	South Carolina Convention of 1860
Caption	Delegates at Charleston, 1860
Date	December 17, 1860–December 20, 1860
Location	Charleston, South Carolina
Participants	Delegates from South Carolina
Result	Ordinance of Secession; formation of Confederate States of America steps

South Carolina Convention of 1860 The South Carolina Convention of 1860 was a state constitutional convention held in Charleston, South Carolina in December 1860 that produced an Ordinance of Secession and precipitated the formation of the Confederate States of America. The gathering followed the election of Abraham Lincoln and intersected with national crises involving the Republican Party, the Democratic Party (United States), and sectional tensions between Northern United States and Southern United States. Prominent figures including Robert Barnwell Rhett, James H. Hammond, Francis W. Pickens, and George McDuffie—alongside delegates from coastal counties and plantation districts—shaped the deliberations that led to withdrawal from the United States.

Background and Causes

By 1860 South Carolina politics had been influenced by longstanding disputes over slavery in the United States, the legacy of the Missouri Compromise, and reactions to the Compromise of 1850. The rise of the Republican Party after the Kansas–Nebraska Act intensified fears among Southern Whigs and Southern Democrats that federal policy would threaten slaveholding interests and the Three-Fifths Compromise balance. Incidents such as the Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, the Harper's Ferry raid, and the 1860 presidential campaign of Abraham Lincoln combined with state-level leaders like John C. Calhoun’s doctrines to produce a secessionist movement rooted in defense of plantation economy and states' rights rhetoric articulated by figures including St. George Tucker’s historical legal tradition and later proponents like William L. Yancey. South Carolina’s 1850s politics featured organizations such as the Palmetto Guard and newspapers like the Charleston Courier that promoted immediate secession as a remedy to perceived Northern aggression.

Convening and Delegates

Governor Francis W. Pickens called a special session of the South Carolina General Assembly after Lincoln’s election, leading to a formal convention convened in Charleston, South Carolina at the Statehouse (South Carolina) in December 1860. Delegates included former governors and congressmen such as James L. Petigru’s opponents, fire-eaters like Robert Barnwell Rhett, and moderates who had served in the United States Congress, including representatives aligned with the Southern Rights Party. County delegations came from Charleston County, South Carolina, Colleton County, South Carolina, Richland County, South Carolina, and coastal parishes tied to the Atlantic economy. Committees mirrored congressional structures with chairmen who had served in the United States Senate or South Carolina House of Representatives.

Proceedings and Debates

The convention’s debates addressed the legality of secession, the timing of withdrawal, and the proper language for the ordinance. Speakers cited precedents such as the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and legal opinions from jurists like James Kent to justify action. Opponents invoked constitutional interpretations influenced by Daniel Webster and contested assertions drawn from the private correspondence of former national figures like Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Procedural votes were taken on whether to hold a public referendum and whether to form a secessionist government immediately; advocates for immediate action, influenced by press organs like the Charleston Mercury, prevailed. Rhetorical exchanges referenced recent sectional crises including the Ostend Manifesto debates and invoked the memory of the Nullification Crisis involving John C. Calhoun.

Ordinance of Secession

On December 20, 1860 the convention adopted an Ordinance of Secession declaring that the compact between South Carolina and the United States was dissolved. The text cited alleged violations by Northern political parties and organizations, referencing events such as Lincoln’s election under the Republican Party banner and perceived assaults exemplified by the Fort Sumter (fort) controversy to come. The ordinance was signed by a majority of delegates and proclaimed sovereignty for South Carolina; it invoked legal sources like the Declaration of Independence and historical appeals to colonial charters. The ordinance paved the way for South Carolina to host diplomatic and organizational exchanges that contributed to the meeting of commissioners from other seceding states and to discussions that culminated in the provisional government convening in Montgomery, Alabama and the subsequent inauguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States of America.

Immediate Aftermath and Political Impact

Following adoption, South Carolina’s secession accelerated similar actions by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia (U.S. state), Louisiana, and Texas, shaping the chain of departures that resulted in the Confederate provisional government. Federal responses included orders by President James Buchanan and later actions by the Lincoln administration concerning Fort Sumter (fort) and United States Army installations in the state. The secession produced economic disruption in port cities like Charleston, South Carolina, shifts in trade patterns involving the Caribbean and Great Britain, and mobilization of militia units such as the Palmetto Regiment. Politically, the convention’s outcome cemented the influence of secessionist organizations, strengthened ties among Southern executive offices, and deepened divisions within parties including the Democratic Party (United States).

Legal and Constitutional Arguments

Delegates framed secession using precedent-oriented legal reasoning invoking the writings of John Locke, the decisions of state courts, and doctrines advanced by politicians like Edmund Ruffin and James H. Hammond. Proponents argued that the United States Constitution was a compact among sovereign states, citing the compact theory articulated in earlier controversies including the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions and the Nullification Crisis. Opponents relied on nationalist interpretations favored by legal thinkers such as Salmon P. Chase and referred to opinions emerging from the U.S. Supreme Court and notable jurists like Roger B. Taney while raising questions about interstate obligations under the Constitution of the United States. The convention’s resolution thus stands as a primary example of antebellum constitutionalism where political, economic, and legal texts—including speeches, state legislative acts, and newspaper editorials—were marshaled to support competing visions of sovereignty and union.

Category:Secessionist conventions Category:1860 in South Carolina Category:Charleston, South Carolina