The Confederdate States had an economy largely based around cotton, which was driven by mostly slave labor. The South felt threatened by the North because every Southern state could vote against the abololition of slavery and the Northern states could still pass the laws to get rid of it. So, between their wanting to preserve their economy and avoid a collapse, and the loss of power in Congress, they had some pretty good reasons to secede. (The benefits of just recently doing a 15 page paper on this very topic.) [Edited on 12.05.2012 6:16 PM PST]