East Tennessee Convention of 1861 - Background

Background

Disunity between Tennessee's three Grand Divisions— East, Middle, and West— had grown steadily since the state's creation. In the 1830s, Whig sentiment in East Tennessee solidified around opposition to President Andrew Jackson, especially after Jackson's snub of Knoxvillian Hugh Lawson White in the 1836 presidential election. In the early 1840s, then-state senator Andrew Johnson introduced legislation in the Tennessee state senate calling for East Tennessee to separate and form a separate state, though the initiative eventually failed in spite of strong support from East Tennessee Whigs. The Whig Party disintegrated in the 1850s, but opposition to Southern Democrats remained strong in East Tennessee, especially in Knox County and its surrounding counties, throughout the Civil War. In the 1860 presidential election, East Tennesseans supported Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, helping Bell win the state's electoral votes.

After Lincoln's election victory (thanks to a split in the Democratic Party), several deep South states promptly made plans to leave the United States and form the Confederate States of America. Unionist leaders in Knoxville began an anti-secession campaign, and spent much of the latter part of 1860 holding meetings and speaking at rallies. In February 1861, the state government called for a referendum on whether to hold a convention to sever ties with the Union. On February 25, Tennessee voters rejected the convention by about a 69,000 to 58,000 margin. In East Tennessee, the margin against the secession convention had been 33,000 to 7,000. Majorities in every East Tennessee county opposed the convention, with the exception of Sullivan and (by a slight majority) Meigs.

In the weeks following the initial defeat of secessionism, both secessionists and Unionists launched an intensive public speaking campaign. The threat of violence underscored many of rallies, and both sides were warned not to enter areas where their opponents held a strong majority. After the Battle of Fort Sumter in April 1861, when South Carolina had opened fire on the Federal fort to force its surrender, feelings intensified. Governor Harris called for a second referendum, this time to approve an "Ordinance of Secession" and skip the step of holding a convention. On June 8, 1861, Tennessee voted in favor of this ordinance, effectively giving the state government power to break its ties with the United States and join the new Confederate States. East Tennessee voters had opposed the ordinance by a 32,000 to 14,000, although Sullivan, Meigs, and four other counties— Monroe, Rhea, Sequatchie, and Polk— voted in favor of secession. The percent voting against secession was most heavy in the counties where Whigs had been traditionally strong, including Sevier (96% against), Carter (94% against), Campbell (94% against), and Anderson (93% against). The five counties that voted for secession were all traditionally Democratic. Dramatic shifts had occurred in Rhea (88% against secession in February, 64% for secession in June), Washington (94% against secession in February, but only 52% against in June), Knox (89% against in February, only 72% against in June), and Roane (96% against in February, only 77% against in June).