Progressive Thought led to the Failure of the elected Representatives to uphold the Constitution.
“Driven from every other corner of the earth, freedom of thought and the right of private judgment in matters of conscience direct their course to this happy country as their last resort." Samuel Adams
The eighteenth century ended with the American Revolution bringing about the creation of the first classical liberal government. It was a government founded upon a blueprint in a written constitution, which allowed very few powers in the central government and protected individual liberties even from the vote of the majority. It provided for the ownership and protection of private property, free speech, freedom of religion, and basically a free-market economy with no direct taxes. All political factions had united behind the administration of President Washington to proclaim a domestic and foreign policy based upon non-interventionism and neutrality in the affairs of others. This remained the dominant political idea of American policy for over fifty years. However, the carefully constructed Constitution of the republic underwent a complete revision, leading away from the intent of the founders.
“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations.” —James Madison
Using war, Abraham Lincoln was the principal instigator of America's change from its heritage. It was not a foreign foe, but it was a war, even a “victorious” war, that ended the Founders’ dreams in America. Very little would be revealed to the American people on the real cause and effect of the American Civil War, and instead it was proclaimed to be a “noble war” to free the slaves, and therefore, worth all of its costs.
In fact, it was a war to repudiate the ideas of a limited central government and it moved America towards limiting the rights of the individual. The victory led to a massive consolidation of power into the central government which was the basic idea the Constitution attempted to avoid. The Northern states and Republican Party’s victory was the beginning of the growth of empire at home, the loss of freedom to Americans and the destruction of the original ideas of our Founders.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis would say:
“We feel that our cause is just and holy; we protest solemnly in the face of mankind that we desire peace at any sacrifice save that of honour and independence; we ask no conquest, no aggrandizement, no concession of any kind from the States with which we were lately confederated; all we ask is to be let alone; that those who never held power over us shall not now attempt our subjugation by arms.”
“In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself.” —James Madison, Federalist No. 51
(excerpts from Denson, A Century of War)
Of course every word of that was rubbish & nonsense, as Davis well knew, because by April 29, 1861 pro-Confederates had already:
Within a few weeks after April 29,1861 Confederates would:
Those were not the actions of a peaceful leader who only wants to be "let alone".
They are more like the actions of a burglar who wants to be "let alone" to do his dirty work.