The arguments made in favor of secession included:
* The right to self-government: South Carolina argued that it had the inherent right to determine its own destiny and to secede from the Union if it felt that its best interests were not being served.
* The protection of slavery: South Carolina believed that the election of Lincoln, who was opposed to slavery, would lead to the abolition of slavery and the destruction of the Southern way of life.
* The economic impact of the Union: South Carolina argued that it was economically disadvantaged by its membership in the Union and that it could be better off as an independent nation.
These arguments were rejected by the federal government, which argued that the Union was a perpetual union and that no state had the right to secede. This led to the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865 and ended with the defeat of the Confederacy and the preservation of the Union.