Which statement correctly contrasts Lincoln and Davis on secession?

• A. Lincoln believed secession was necessary; Davis believed the union must be preserved.
• B. Davis believed secession was necessary; Lincoln believed the union must be preserved.
• C. Both believed the union must be preserved.
• D. Both believed secession was necessary.

Answer: (C)

The key idea is what each leader believed about the purpose of secession. Lincoln argued that secession would break the United States apart and vowed to keep the nation intact, aiming to preserve the Union. Jefferson Davis, leading the Confederacy, argued that secession was necessary to form a separate nation and to protect the Southern way of life and economic system, including slavery. So the contrast that best describes their views is that Davis believed secession was necessary, while Lincoln believed the union must be preserved. The notion that both wanted to preserve the Union would not fit Davis’s goal of creating a separate Confederacy.