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The Union is Dissolved!
Home of John C. Calhoun -- slavery's arch-defender and architect of his state's doctrine for secession -- South Carolina stood at the forefront, after Lincoln's election, in calling for southern separation from the Union. A week after the presidential polls closed, one of the state's residents likened its fevered political climate to that of the French Revolution. As the days passed, this spirit of rebellion only escalated. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina declared its independence from the North and urged its more hesitant southern sisters to do likewise.
This famous handbill was published by the Charleston Mercury to announce the state's historic decision.
Facsimile of the original printed broadside, 1860.
This reproduced has replaced the original to protect it from further exposure to light. |