Abraham Lincoln— a spirit of virtue, upstanding moral fiber, and compassion once rather passively revealed, "Whenever I hear any one arguing for slavery I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally." The ethical dilemma of slavery in mid-19th century America was a clear-cut controversy, each force sternly opposed. In their efforts to dodge abolition, the southern states articulated carefully worded declarations of their secession to keep the trains of slavery rolling. The arguments Mississippi and South Carolina presented in their documents of secession were logical, yet immoral. Furthermore; President Lincoln’s “Address at Cooper Institute,” February 27, 1860, resolves the allegations made in South Carolina’s Declaration of Secession. …show more content…
The drafters begin with the assertion that they are not by any means exaggerating the potential dangers that abolition imposes upon their institution. They held claims that emancipation would, “prostrate [their] industrial pursuits and to destroy [their] social system.” Plainly spoken, Mississippi knew abolition would kick the chair out from under their society’s structure and punch a deep hole in the fabric of their economy. While the assertions are reasonable, they are morally wrong. Morally considering the ideas of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” set forth in the constitution. Moreover, this secessionist document charges that emancipation advocates “...negro equality, socially and politically…” When the drafters of the Declaration of Independence wrote of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” they did not specify race. The Declaration of Causes of Mississippi Secession when viewed objectively presents forthright and reason-based arguments; but fails all moral