South Carolina sent commissioners to Wash ington to negotiate with the President concern ing the delivery of Fort Sumter and other property of the United States within the bounds of the seceded State. President Buchanan declined to receive them, but indi cated a strong desire to avert hostilities. South Carolina demanded the surrender of the forts she claimed as her own. Meanwhile the State of Virginia had procured the assembly of a Peace Convention with the aim of bring ing about a compromise. This failed to get consideration in Congress which had met in regular session. Then Senator Crittenden of Kentucky proposed his scheme of pacifi cation; this failed to satisfy either the ex treme Republicans or the determined secession ists, and events were left to shape themselves until the incoming President should be installed.
A convention of Southern delegates met at Montgomery on 4 Feb. 1861 to draw up a provisional constitution. This work was done in a few days and Jefferson Davis of Mis sissippi, recently a distinguished senator in Con gress, was elected President, with Alexander Stephens of Georgia, for Vice-President. The new Constitution was in most points quite like that of the old Union, the changes, with a few exceptions, being improvements on the old. This government went into operation at once, the United States forts and arsenals within the bounds of the confederation being promptly seized and strengthened for the benefit of the new Union of States. Secession was a fait accompli.
But from December to April 1861, the Northern people were anxiously debating the question whether there was a nation and whether this nation could coerce a seceded State or group of States. The firing on Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861 by the Confederate and South Carolina authorities decided these questions in the affirmative. President Lincoln called for troops to suppress what he called a revolt. This call forced Virginia, North Carolina, Ten nessee, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri to decide on which side they would cast their lots; the two last named States determined to remain neutral; Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas all before the middle of June joined the Confederacy. The capital was re
moved to Richmond; armies were rapidly en listed; diplomatic agents were sent abroad; a regular government succeeded the provisional without serious friction. But the people of the Northern States had decided that a breaking up of the Union was unthinkable, criminal, trea sonable and as such must be suppressed. The war began in earnest, and four years later all parties agreed to a peace which denied forever the right of secession, which yielded to the Union the constitutional right to lay such tar iffs as were deemed necessary by Congress and which abolished African slavery forever and destroyed the social system which had been erected upon it. (See also SECESSION IN THE UNITED STATES).
Bibliography.— Blaine, J. G., 'Twenty Years in Congress' (Norwich 1884-93); Bur gess, J. W., 'The Civil War and the Constitu tion' (New York 1901); Davis, J., 'Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government' (New York 1881); Greeley, H., 'The American Con flict' (Hartford 1864-66) ; Hosmer, J. K., 'The Appeal to Arms' (1861-63); 'Outcome of the Civil War' (1863-65, with bibliography; New York 1907) ; Logan, J. A., 'The Great Con spiracy' (New York 1886) ; McPherson, E., 'Political History of the Great Rebellion' (Washington 1864) ; Moore, F., 'Rebellion Record' (11 vols., New York 1861-71) ; Pol lard, E. A.,