Secession Declarations Explicitly Name Slavery as the Cause

The secession declarations of South Carolina (December 24, 1860), Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas all explicitly named the preservation of slavery as the primary cause of secession. Mississippi's declared: 'Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery, the greatest material interest of the world.' Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens's Cornerstone Speech (March 1861) stated slavery, based on the assumed racial inferiority of Black people, was the cornerstone of the Confederacy.