Why did South Carolina want to take
control of Fort Sumter?
They felt threatened by the U.S.
presence in their state.
They knew that it would start the
Civil War.
They did not like Major Anderson.
They wanted Fort Sumter to defend against the U.S. Army.

South Carolina felt a profound sense of threat from the U.S. military presence in Fort Sumter, viewing it as an infringement on their sovereignty following their secession from the Union in December 1860. They believed that having a federal fort in their midst was both a provocation and a potential threat to their newly claimed independence, making them keen to assert control over it before any hostilities erupted.

Furthermore, the situation was complicated by their fear that the federal government might reinforce the fort with more troops and supplies, thus solidifying U.S. control in a state that had just declared itself a separate entity. Capturing Fort Sumter was seen as a crucial step to both assert their independence and prevent potential federal retribution.