- Strong state rights beliefs: South Carolina strongly believed in the rights of states to govern themselves and resist federal authority. They feared that Lincoln, a Republican from Illinois, would support policies that would infringe on their sovereignty and undermine their economic interests.
- Slavery: South Carolina was a slave state, and its economy heavily depended on the institution of slavery. Southerners feared that Lincoln, who opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories, would eventually seek to abolish it, threatening their way of life.
- Fear of Republican Policies: Southerners feared that policies supported by the Republican party would harm their economic interests and political clout. The Republican Party was committed to policies such as high tariffs, expansion of the federal government, and the eventual elimination of slavery, all of which were opposed by Southern interests.
- Secessionist movement: South Carolina had been a leader of the secessionist movement in the years leading up to the Civil War. The state had advocated for the right of states to secede from the Union and had already adopted a resolution declaring secession in 1852 in response to the admission of California as a free state.
South Carolina's secession marked the beginning of the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865 and resulted in the emancipation of slaves and the preservation of the Union.