I have been the most persevering and determined public man in my State to preserve the Union—the last to abandon the hope, that the good sense of the Nation would prevent a collision between the extremes.

–Jonathan Worth,
Letter to Springs, Oak and Co.,
May 13, 1861

What does Worth mean when he says that he was the last to abandon hope?

He was the last to think the South should fight for states’ rights.
He was the last to believe that the North would fight against the South.
He was the last to think that war was the only option left.
He was the last to believe that the nation could avoid a civil war.