Secession, Part 1 | Palmetto Heritage

The story begins in 1858 in South Carolina. William Taylor's cousin Allen is visiting from Connecticut. Secession "fever" is rapidly engulfing the state. The scene shifts to West Point where the cousins have been accepted as cadets. William finds the "politics of the day" there to be "slavery and sectionalism." Politics continue to be the topic of the summer of 1860, and the story is again picked up when Allen and William attend a reception where a number of prominent South Carolina politicos are gathered discussing how secession should occur. Returning to West Point in the fall of 1860, Allen realizes the situation in South Carolina is rapidly moving toward secession and knows that he will soon be forced to make a decision concerning his position at West Point.

Standards

• 3-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of life in the antebellum period, the causes and effects of the Civil War, and the impact of Reconstruction in South Carolina.
  • South Carolina played a key role in events that occurred before, during, and after the Civil War; and those events, in turn, greatly affected the state. To understand South Carolina’s experiences during this tumultuous time, the student will uti...
    • 3-4.3 Explain the reasons for South Carolina’s secession from the Union, including the abolitionist movement and the concept of states’ rights.
• 4-6 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the causes, the course, and the effects of the American Civil War.
  • Regional economic interests led to social and political differences that seemed insurmountable by 1860. To understand why the United States was forced to settle sectional differences through civil war, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills...
    • 4-6.3 Explain the specific events and issues that led to the Civil War, including sectionalism, slavery in the territories, states’ rights, the presidential election of 1860, and secession.
• 8-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the multiple events that led to the Civil War.
  • The outbreak of the Civil War was the culminating event in a decades-long series of regional issues that threatened American unity and South Carolina’s identity as one of the United States. To understand how South Carolina came to be at the cent...
    • 8-4.4 Evaluate the arguments of unionists, cooperationists, and secessionists on the issues of states’ rights and slavery and the ways that these arguments contributed to South Carolina’s secession.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the significant causes of World War I and the factors leading to U.S. involvement. This indicator was also developed to promote inquiry into the effects of the war, to include its impact on the homefront, migration patterns, and continued foreign policy debates.
  • This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into how new state and federal Progressive legislation affected individuals and businesses in South Carolina and the U.S. The indicator was also designed to promote inquiry into the new perspectives tha

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