--- title: Map of the United States at the Outbreak of Civil War, 1861: Slavery, Secession, and the 1860 Presidential Election author: Simeon Netchev source: https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20390/map-of-the-united-states-at-the-outbreak-of-civil/ format: machine-readable-alternate license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0) updated: 2026-07-25 --- # Map of the United States at the Outbreak of Civil War, 1861: Slavery, Secession, and the 1860 Presidential Election _Authored by [Simeon Netchev](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/simeonnetchev/)_ ## Image File [![Map of the United States at the Outbreak of Civil War, 1861: Slavery, Secession, and the 1860 Presidential Election](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20390.png)](https://www.worldhistory.org/uploads/images/20390.png) ## Image Caption In early 1861, the United States faced an unprecedented constitutional crisis rooted in the expansion and protection of slavery. [Abraham](https://www.worldhistory.org/Abraham,_the_Patriarch/) Lincoln’s election (president, 1861–1865) intensified Southern fears that Republican control threatened slavery’s future in the federal territories and, ultimately, within the slave states. Beginning with South Carolina (20 December 1860), seven states seceded before Lincoln’s inauguration and formed the Confederate States of America (February 1861), creating rival claims to sovereignty, constitutional legitimacy, and control of federal property. This rupture emerged from decades of sectional conflict over slavery, territorial expansion, political representation, and federal authority. Measures such as the *[Missouri Compromise](https://www.worldhistory.org/Missouri_Compromise/)* (1820) and *Kansas–Nebraska Act* (1854) attempted to manage the status of slavery in western territories but instead deepened competing interpretations of states’ rights and congressional power. Before the attack on Fort Sumter (12 April 1861), compromise remained possible but increasingly unlikely as secession transformed political disagreement into a struggle over whether the Union could be dissolved and slavery preserved within an independent Confederacy. #### Editorial Review This human-authored image has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/). ## About the Author Simeon is a freelance visual designer and history educator, passionate about the human stories that shape the past. - [Linkedin Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/in/simeon-netchev/) ## Cite This Work ### APA Netchev, S. (2026, July 25). Map of the United States at the Outbreak of Civil War, 1861: Slavery, Secession, and the 1860 Presidential Election. *World History Encyclopedia*. ### Chicago Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the United States at the Outbreak of Civil War, 1861: Slavery, Secession, and the 1860 Presidential Election." *World History Encyclopedia*, July 25, 2026. . ### MLA Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the United States at the Outbreak of Civil War, 1861: Slavery, Secession, and the 1860 Presidential Election." *World History Encyclopedia*, 25 Jul 2026, . ## License & Copyright Submitted by [Simeon Netchev](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/simeonnetchev/ "User Page: Simeon Netchev"), published on 25 July 2026. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0deed.en). This licence only allows others to download this content and share it with others as long as the author is credited, but they can't change the content in any way or use it commercially. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.