Our present political position has been achieved in a manner unprecedented in the history of nations. It illustrates the American idea that governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to alter or abolish them at will whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established.

— Jefferson Davis

Why does Davis believe Southern states had the right to secede?

A. Government does not rest on the consent of the governed.

B. The government had become destructive to the South.

C. The government has the right to abolish the government if states choose to secede.