[SecAmndmt]

“No. He was a big government Liberal who initiated the first massive expansion of Washington DC power over the rest of us.”

Not sure he was any kind of liberal. Corporatist, anti-constitutionist, racist, centralist...and hero of commies?

To anyone who would ask my view, I would say that both sides in the Civil War were morally wrong. And Lincoln did not give a rip about the Constitution. Slavery was wholly evil, but Lincoln could perhaps have purchased their freedom instead of fighting a divisive bloodbath and ripping up the founding document?

[VanDeKoik]

“but Lincoln could perhaps have purchased their freedom instead of fighting a divisive bloodbath and ripping up the founding document?”

Some yahoos in S. Carolina could have not fired on a federal fort too instead of actually talking-out their made-up fear that Abe was going to “unconstitutionally” make it not ok to hold people in bondage.

If only Abe had not been so evil.

[DiogenesLamp]

To anyone who would ask my view, I would say that both sides in the Civil War were morally wrong. And Lincoln did not give a rip about the Constitution. Slavery was wholly evil, but Lincoln could perhaps have purchased their freedom instead of fighting a divisive bloodbath and ripping up the founding document?

I dunno. He was in a tough spot, and i've said in the past that were I in his shoes, I probably would have done the same thing.

I've learned a lot more about the Civil War in the last three years than I ever knew for most of my life, and the main thing i've learned about it is that the common wisdom narrative isn't accurate and there was a whole lot of ugly stuff going on that people don't know about.

[John S Mosby]

Said financial solution has been described to me by senior history loving Masons in the North and the South. That this could have been agreed to, and the entire war avoided.

Calculating the capital value— they said the amount would exceed a billon dollars—— back in 1860’s.

[rockrr]

Slavery was wholly evil, but Lincoln could perhaps have purchased their freedom instead of fighting a divisive bloodbath and ripping up the founding document?

Beyond the foolishness of "ripping documents" Lincoln did try for compensated emancipation. He was responsible for the Compensated Emancipation Act of 1862. He proposed a plan in 1861 to the state of Delaware for compensated emancipation - failed for lack of interest. He tried again the following year with a plan pitched to border states. Only a quarter of the representatives showed any interest.

Not for the lack of trying.

You can read more here: http://www.mrlincolnandfreedom.org/civil-war/congressional-action-inaction/compensated-emancipation/

[jmacusa]

Holy Smokes. Where did you learn history, ‘’Ripley’s believe It Or Not’’? The South chose a path of violent secession to preserve an economic system based on the use of slave labor. In the event of war or insurrection the Constitution gives the president the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus.