Fire-Eaters facts for kids

In American history, the Fire-Eaters were a group of Democrats from the Southern states before the Civil War. They strongly supported slavery. These leaders wanted the Southern states to leave the United States and form their own country. This new nation became the Confederate States of America. Robert Rhett of South Carolina was a key leader of this group. Some even wanted to restart the Atlantic slave trade, which had been against the law since 1808.

Why They Were Important

The Fire-Eaters pushed for Southern states to secede, or leave the Union. This showed how much the North and South disagreed in the 1850s. Their actions played a big part in starting the American Civil War (1861–1865).

Early Calls for Secession

By 1850, a small but strong group of pro-slavery leaders in the South caused problems. They weakened the fragile unity of the nation. People in the North called this group "Fire-Eaters." Leaders included Edmund Ruffin, Robert Rhett, Louis T. Wigfall, and William Lowndes Yancey.

At a meeting in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1850, the Fire-Eaters urged the South to secede. They said the differences between the North and South were too great. They also used propaganda to stir up strong feelings against the North. However, the Compromise of 1850 and other moderate ideas calmed them down for a while.

Their Influence Grows

The Fire-Eaters became active again in the late 1850s. During the 1856 election, they threatened secession. They hoped this would make Northerners vote for James Buchanan. Many Northerners wanted to keep the country together more than they wanted to end slavery.

The Fire-Eaters used events like "Bleeding Kansas" and the caning of Charles Sumner as propaganda. They claimed the North was trying to end slavery right away. They also used strong propaganda against Abraham Lincoln, who was running for president in 1860. Lincoln was from the anti-slavery Republican Party. The Fire-Eaters convinced many Southerners that Lincoln would abolish slavery. However, Lincoln had promised not to end slavery in the Southern states. He only wanted to stop it from spreading into new Western territories.

Sparking the Civil War

The Fire-Eaters first focused on South Carolina. This state passed an Ordinance of Secession in December 1860. Wigfall, for example, strongly encouraged an attack on Fort Sumter. He hoped this would make Virginia and other upper Southern states also secede.

The Fire-Eaters helped start a chain reaction. This led directly to the formation of the Confederate States of America and the Civil War. Their influence quickly faded once the major fighting began.

Notable Fire-Eaters

See also

• Movement to reopen the transatlantic slave trade