Section #1 - Causal Factors
States’ Rights
The North’s call for a strong central government conflicts with the South’s belief in state sovereignty.
| Year | Event | Description | Read |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1789 | George Washington becomes first President. | While calling himself an Independent, Washington supports a strong central government in opposition to those like Jefferson who support greater state sovereignty. | Chapter 12 |
| 1814 | Hartford Convention. | Federalist Governors assemble to discuss protest strategies, including Constitutional Amendments to strengthen state control over commerce and militias. | Chapter 34 |
| 1819 | Tallmadge Amendments. | The House supports a sectional ban on slavery in Missouri, alarming Southerners who viewed it as a federal infringement on state entry conditions. | Chapter 42 |
| 1820 | Missouri Compromise. | Henry Clay resolves the crisis over whether the federal government or the settlers should determine a new state’s status as Slave or Free. | Chapter 42 |
| 1841 | President Tyler’s succession. | After Harrison’s death, John Tyler (“His Accidency”) uses his veto power to defend States’ Rights views and Southern agricultural priorities. | Chapter 99 |
| 1861 | Confederate Cabinet agrees to attack. | The order to fire on Ft. Sumter is given to assert the Confederacy’s sovereign control over territory they considered no longer subject to federal authority. | Chapter 289 |