(A) the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860
(B) the secession of South Carolina in 1860
(C) ** the Battle of Fort Sumter in 1861
(D) the election of Jefferson Davis in 1861
EXPLANATIONS BELOW
Concept note-1: -At 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861, Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. Less than 34 hours later, Union forces surrendered. Traditionally, this event has been used to mark the beginning of the Civil War.
Concept note-2: -When President Abraham Lincoln announced plans to resupply the fort, Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard bombarded Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, kicking off the Battle of Fort Sumter.
Concept note-3: -Charleston Harbor, SC | Apr 12-14, 1861. The attack on Fort Sumter marked the official beginning of the American Civil War-a war that lasted four years, cost the lives of more than 620, 000 Americans, and freed 3.9 million enslaved people from bondage.
Concept note-4: -Why did firing on Fort Sumter spark the beginning of the Civil War? It was an American attack on a Confederate military base. It completed the process of secession.