I was wondering, why did the South seceded?

I mean, why on 1861?? what, in the view of confederate politicians, precipitated the declaration of independence for the South?? They were unprepared to confront the Union, so why did the hurry up so much??? Of course there is the issue of slavery, but Lincoln didn't abolish it until 1863 (Emancipation Proclamation). There were also different views on what the US should be, a Union, or a Federation of soveriegn states, there was an economic clash between the industrial north and the agrarian South, and the issue of expanding slavery to new states, but none of those matters should have prompted the South to engage in a war so steadily. I mean, the northerners want to abolish black slavery just to have cheap labour force for their industries, they were not thinking of equality or civil rights, or as Lincoln himself said: "I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races" So, why the South couldnt just wait?