Tensions between the North and the South had grown steadily since the antislavery movement in 1830. Several compromises had been passed between the North and the South regarding slavery, such as Nebraska -Kansas and Missouri Act; but this did nothing to relieve the tension. The election of President Lincoln in 1861 proved to be the boiling point for the South, which was followed by secession. This eventually sparked civil war; viewed differently by the North and the South. The North's goal was to keep the Union intact while the South's goal was to secede from the Union. Southern leaders provided compelling arguments to justify secession. Exploring South Carolina's Ordinance of Secession documents and a Georgia assembly speech will explain how Southern leaders justified secession from the United States. South Carolina's ordinance of secession rationalizes secession based on covenant law. To begin with, a compact is defined as "an agreement between two or more individuals or entities" ("compact"), South Carolina claimed that the compact was not honored by the United States and therefore South Carolina had the right legal to leave the Union. Breaking this down further, SC provides a clear understanding of what the law of covenant means to them “mutual obligation, failure to perform material party frees from obligation, if an arbitrator fails to provide each party uses their own judgment to determine the fact or failure, with all the consequences" (Michael Permanent). South Carolina believed that the contract no longer provided justice, domestic tranquility, promotion of the general welfare, or guarantee of the prosperity of the South as promised in the opening declaration of the Constitution. In the... center of the paper... do not protect the interests of the southern states. Along with hostilities, the South's lack of votes for Lincoln and contempt for the constitutional protection of slavery are justifiable reasons for Southern leaders to secede from the Union. Ultimately, Southern leaders were able to use the Constitution and Declaration as justification for seceding from the Union. Southern leaders claimed that the North had broken the law of the compact, was hostile to the South, and that the Southern states lacked the protection and equality provided by the Constitution. Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Ed. Frank C. Mish. vol. Eleven. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, 2007.Perman Michael, Amy Murrell Taylor. Main problems of the civil war and reconstruction. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011.