What did the South believe after Lincoln was elected president?

And some info on the slavery and what happened when Lincoln was elected president in the 1860's. Thank you in advance!|||They believed he supported abolitionists. Although Lincoln said he would would not abolish slavery in order to preserve the Union, they really didn't believe him. They were convinced that this northern (Illinois) President would work to abolish slavery, thus putting the southerners out of the cotton business. So they seceded from the Union in order to preserve their labor (slaves), their economy (cotton), and their way of life.