Question

why did additional states secede after the battle of fort sumter?

they thought the union should have won the battle.
they thought lincoln had caused the battle.
they wanted to create a second confederacy.
they wanted to create new, larger states.

Explanation:

Analyze the historical context

Using the Battle of Fort Sumter and Upper South Secession knowledge points

• Following the Confederate bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 volunteers to suppress the rebellion.
• This call for federal troops forced the remaining uncommitted slave states of the Upper South (Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas) to choose sides.
• Many in these states believed Lincoln's mobilization of troops was an unconstitutional coercion of sovereign states and held him responsible for initiating the armed conflict.
• Consequently, they viewed Lincoln's actions as the direct cause of the outbreak of war, leading to their secession.

Evaluate the given options

• Option 1: "They thought the Union should have won the battle" — Incorrect. The seceding states supported the Southern cause, not a Union victory.
• Option 2: "They thought Lincoln had caused the battle" — Correct. They blamed Lincoln's attempt to resupply the fort and his subsequent call for troops as the actions that provoked and caused the war.
• Option 3: "They wanted to create a second Confederacy" — Incorrect. They joined the existing Confederate States of America.
• Option 4: "They wanted to create new, larger states" — Incorrect. Secession was about state sovereignty and preserving slavery, not redrawing state borders.

Answer:

• They thought the Union should have won the battle.
• They thought Lincoln had caused the battle. (Correct answer)
• They wanted to create a second Confederacy.
• They wanted to create new, larger states.