Conclusion

In Conclusion, the secession crisis in North Carolina, illustrates the difficulty of the upper south in leaving the Union; their decision was not based solely on the threat to Slavery, but for reasons such as states’ rights. Those living in the state believed that Secession should have been the last resort and that a compromise could be reached between the Federal Government and the States.  Furthermore, North Carolina’s hesitation to secede from the Union illustrates the complex issues and reasons why each state left the Union.  It was not until the Federal government tried to suppress states’ rights that North Carolina finally voted to leave the Union.  Even after the vote to secede there was a strong Unionist presence in North Carolina throughout the war, especially in the western half of the state. As Historians, the North Carolina secession Crisis, shows that many factors played a role in secession of states in the Upper south. For many secession was used as a last resort, when the rights of the state were threatened by the Federal Government.  It is interesting to note that North Carolina seceded from the Union on the Anniversary of the Mecklenburg Resolutions, which declared independence form England on May 20, 1775, it seemed that the representatives viewed Lincolns actions as tyrannical and as cause for NC to leave the Union.