Simplify the following text for a Grade 11 native English-speaking person.
Original: After Lincoln 's election , seven States ( South Carolina , Mississippi , Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Texas and Louisiana ) formed the Confederate States of America , which led to the American Civil War .
Simplified: On December 20 , 1860 , South Carolina took the lead ; by February 1 , 1861 , Florida , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia , Louisiana , and Texas followed . The seven states soon declared themselves to be a sovereign nation , the Confederate States of America .