SOLUTION: When South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860, it’s leaders claimed legal and constitutional grounds for their decision. What evidence could they point to from the late eighteenth century to 1860 to support their view? Lincoln argued that the Union could not be broken. What did he base his position on?

When South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860, it’s leaders claimed legal and constitutional grounds for their decision. What evidence could they point to from the late eighteenth century to 1860 to support their view? Lincoln argued that the Union could not be broken. What did he base his position on?