| Florida Convention of the People, Ordinance of Secession,
1861 (Series S972)
This is a one-page handwritten copy of the Ordinance
of Secession passed on January 10, 1861 by the members of the Florida Convention of the People (commonly
referred to as the Secession Convention). Pursuant to an Act of the Legislature approved November 30, 1860, Governor
Madison S. Perry issued a proclamation calling an election on Saturday, December 22, 1860, for delegates to a
Convention to address the issue of whether Florida had a right to withdraw from the Union. The Secession Convention
met on January 3, 1861 in Tallahassee, and passed the Ordinance of Secession on January 10, declaring
Florida to be "a sovereign and independent nation." The Convention ratified the Constitution adopted
by the Confederate States of America on April 13 and adjourned April 27, 1861. |
