Why did some Southerners want to break away from the US or to?

Some Southerners sought to break away from the United States primarily due to issues surrounding states' rights and the preservation of slavery, which they viewed as integral to their economic and social systems. The election of Abraham Lincoln, perceived as hostile to slavery, heightened fears that the federal government would abolish the institution. Additionally, many Southerners believed that secession was necessary to protect their way of life and assert their autonomy against what they saw as overreach by the Northern states and the federal government. This culminated in the formation of the Confederacy and the onset of the Civil War.