Which state's secession document tied its decision to the institution of slavery?

• A. Mississippi Declaration of Secession
• B. Texas Pro-Union Manifesto
• C. New York Pro-Confederacy Statement
• D. California Secession Resolution

Answer: (A)

The fundamental idea being tested is that many Southern states framed secession as a defense of slavery, arguing that the institution of slavery was essential to their economy, society, and political rights. In the Mississippi document, the state explicitly ties its decision to secession to the preservation of slavery, presenting slaveholding as a central interest that the federal government threatened. It argues that the federal government had violated the rights of slaveholding states and that leaving the Union was necessary to protect slavery and the Southern way of life. Because of that direct linkage, Mississippi’s secession statement is the one that ties the act of secession to the institution of slavery.

The other options don’t fit because they are not historically recognized secession statements that center on slavery. They either don’t exist as actual secession documents, or they would not frame secession as primarily about slavery.