ABSTRACT
Ultimately, the Secession Winter illuminates two fundamental features of American society in the Civil War era. As the Secession Winter progressed, communities – not just individuals – made the fateful decisions to fight or defend disunion. In essence, Americans who had previously relied on the political system to solve the problem of slavery, turned toward their friends and neighbors to help guide them through the sectional crisis. For most American communities in November 1860, the possibility of dissolving the Union was agonizingly difficult. The Democratic rupture created a crowded presidential field that also included the Republican Lincoln and Constitutional Unionist John Bell of Tennessee. By early December, federal politicians had already begun to address the problem of dis-union head on. The political system also played a crucial role in separating white communities in the Upper and Lower South.
