Ordinance of Secession facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ordinance of Secession
Facsimile of the 1861 Ordinance of Secession signed by 293 delegates to the Georgia Secession Convention at the statehouse in Milledgeville, Georgia January 21, 1861
Created	c. January 20, 1861
Ratified	Ratified January 19, 1861 vote was 208 yeas 89 nays Signed January 21, 1861 by 293 delegates Enacted January 22, 1861
Location	Engrossed copy: University of Georgia Libraries, Hargrett Library
Authors	George W. Crawford et al. Engrosser: H. J. G. Williams
Signers	293 delegates to The Georgia Secession Convention of 1861
Purpose	To announce Georgia's formal intent to secede from the Union.

An Ordinance of Secession was a special document or rule. It was created by Southern states in 1860 and 1861. These documents formally declared that a state was leaving the United States. This happened at the start of the Civil War. Some states, like South Carolina and Georgia, also wrote separate papers. These papers explained why they wanted to leave the Union.

What Was Secession?

Secession means formally withdrawing from a group or organization. In this case, it meant a state leaving the United States. Thirteen states and one territory created an Ordinance of Secession. They usually did this through a special meeting called a convention. Sometimes, they used a public vote, or referendum.

States That Left the Union

Eleven states and one territory successfully left the Union. Their state governments and people supported this decision. They also had military forces ready to back it up. Two other states tried to secede but did not succeed. They remained part of the United States.

The first seven states to secede were in the Deep South. They were mainly motivated by two things. First, Abraham Lincoln was elected president in November 1860. He had no support from Southern voters. Second, they felt his election was a direct threat to slavery.

The next four states also left for these reasons. But a third big reason was the U.S. government's plan. This plan was to use military force to keep the Union together. They wanted to make the first seceding states rejoin.

States That Stayed or Were Divided

In some states, leaving the Union was difficult or failed. For example, in Maryland, the U.S. military stepped in. They arrested some lawmakers. This stopped the Maryland legislature from even discussing secession. Delaware's legislature quickly voted against leaving the Union.

The Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) did not officially secede. Its people were not all on the same side. However, most of them supported the Confederacy.

In some states, secession caused big problems. Parts of these states did not want to leave the Union. This was very true in Virginia. It led to the creation of West Virginia. West Virginia broke away from Virginia to stay with the Union. The same thing happened in parts of Tennessee. But it did not cause other states to split.

States and Their Secession Votes

The table below shows how different states voted on secession. It includes when they approved or rejected leaving the Union. Some states also held a public vote, or referendum.