Correspondence from Southern Secessionist Senators

Collection

Identifier: MSS-4397

No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

A group of three papers pertaining to South Carolina Commissioner Isaac W. Hayne's efforts to negotiate a peaceful transition in the immediate aftermath of South Carolina's secession from the Union. The three correspondence letters are from Benjamin Fitzpatrick, Stephen R. Mallory, John Sidell, Isaac Hayne, Judah P. Benjamin, and others to President James Buchanan and other states in 1861.

Dates

Creation: 1961

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Due to the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to certain materials may require additional advance notice.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers are responsible for using the materials in conformance with United States copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any copyright claimants in collection materials. Copyright for official University records is held by The University of Alabama. The library claims only physical ownership of many manuscript collections. Anyone wishing to broadcast or publish this material must assume all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of literary property rights or copyrights. Please contact Special Collections (archives@ua.edu) with questions regarding specific manuscript collections.

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Biographical / Historical

Upon Lincoln's election, the governor and legislature of South Carolina called for a state convention. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina by a unanimous vote passed an ordinance disolving "the union now subsisting between South Carolina and Other States." The convention issued a "Declaration of Immediate Causes," expressing the states' rights view of the Confederacy and appointed commissioners to other Southern states and to Washington. South Carolina had assurances that other states would follow, and many thought that better terms might be made outside of the Union than in it.