which state seceded from the union first?
South Carolina The only state that declared their secession in 1860 was South Carolina on 20 December 1860. Six other states declared secession between then and Lincoln's inauguration on 4 March 1861. When the Civil War began at Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861 four additional states opted to secede. South Carolina, was the first state to secede from the Union, on December 20, 1860.