Following South Carolina, Mississippi seceded from the Union on January 9, 1861. Nine other Southern states would soon follow. Southern economies were dependent on slave labor and Southern officials and slave owners refused to abolish the practice. Arguing that slavery fell under “states’ rights,” the South formed the Confederate States of America to keep their control over enslaved people.
Pictured: The official Ordinance of Secession. The document was printed on light colored paper that is now yellow around the edges. A thick black border surrounds the text. The beginning of the document reads “An Ordinance to dissolve the Union between the States of Mississippi, and other states, united with her, under the compact, entitled the Constitution of the United States.” Four reasons are listed, followed by faded signatures of the legislators who approved secession.
Credit: Mississippi Department of Archives and History
