<P> Alfred P. Aldrich , a South Carolinian politician from Barnwell , stated that declaring secession would be necessary if a Republican candidate were to win the 1860 U.S. presidential election , stating that it was the only way for the state to preserve slavery and diminish the influence of the anti-slavery Republican Party , which , were its goals of abolition realized , would result in the `` destruction of the South '' : </P>
what was one reason south carolina gave for its decision to secede from the union
to preserve slavery diminish the influence of the anti-slavery Republican Party