Many men hoped that even now secession might be stopped by some compromise. 许多人希望到了这个地步还可以通过妥协来阻止退出联邦的行为。

President Buchanan suggested an amendment to the Constitution, securing slavery in the states and territories. 总统布坎南提议修正《宪法》，在一些州和地方保留奴隶制，

It was unlikely that the Republicans would agree to this suggestion. 共和党不可能接受这个建议，

The most hopeful plan was brought forward in Congress by Senator Crittenden of Kentucky. 来自肯塔基州的参议员科里滕登在国会中提出了一个最有希望的计划，

He proposed that amendments to the Constitution should be adopted: 他提出，应该通过对《宪法》做如下修正：

(1) to carry out the principle of the Missouri Compromise; （1）执行《密苏里折中》的条款，

(2) to provide that states should be free or slave as their people should determine; （2）规定各个州根据其人民的意愿来确定为自由州还是蓄奴州，

and (3) to pay the slave owners the value of runaway slaves. （3）赔偿奴隶拥有者因为奴隶逃跑而带来的损失。

This plan was carefully considered by Congress, and was finally rejected only two days before Lincoln's inauguration. 国会认真考虑了这个计划，但最终在林肯宣誓就职的前两天拒绝了这个计划。

376. Secession of Seven States, 1860~61. 376．7个州退出联邦（1860~1861年）

The South Carolina convention met in Secession Hall, Charleston, on December 17, 1860. 1860年12月17日，南卡罗莱纳州大会在查理斯顿的会议大厦召开。

Three days later it adopted a declaration "that the union now subsisting between South Carolina and other states, under the name of the United States of America, is hereby dissolved." 三天后他们通过一个声明--"维系南卡罗来纳和其他各州的联盟--美利坚合众国，从此解散。"

Six other states soon joined South Carolina.These were Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. 另外6个州迅速加入南卡罗来纳，它们是密西西比、佛罗里达、阿拉巴马、佐治亚、路易斯安那和得克萨斯。