President Lincoln stood forcefully against secession because: A. He did not want to lose his chance to fulfill his promise to ban slavery in the
nation once he became president
B. He knew the North could not survive economically without southern cotton
C. He believed strongly in the "compact theory" of Union, which held that the
nation was a sacred compact and could not be broken
D. He believed that the idea of democratic government would die if losing sides in
elections could take up arms and break from the government