- Northern states refused to return fugitive slaves to the South, despite the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850.
- The northern states imposed tariffs, and other economic policies, that harmed the Southern economy.
- The election of Abraham Lincoln, who was seen as an abolitionist and a threat to Southern slavery.
The declaration stated that these actions violated the “constitutional obligations” of the Northern states and “render impossible any further cooperation” between the North and the South, claiming that the only viable solution was secession from the Union.