Society certainly changes over time.
Having an illegitimate child, interracial marriage, homosexuality, etc. were all shunned by society when I was a child and are now accepted as the norm. Even a divorce back then would have people whispering about you. Cigarette smokers were normal then and they are shunned, now. So just in my lifetime society has changed as to what is and what is not “moral”.
Most do not understand how the entire economy of the south in the 1860’s was so intertwined with slavery. Plantation owners borrowed money, bought slaves, cleared land, planted fields, and hoped for a good harvest so they could pay off their loans and still make a profit. Most of the rest of society (shop keepers, share croppers, cart drivers, railroad operators, carpenters, blacksmiths, etc.) either lived well or starved depending on the success of the plantations.
The economy of the northern states had no such reliance on slavery and it was easy for them to take the arrogant moral high ground on the issue. It is certainly true that slavery was one of the main issues that led to secession, but even more-so it was about “who” had the power and authority (states vs. feds) to make decisions about slavery.
Every effort was made to resolve the issue in a peaceful fashion, but Lincoln would have none of that. If Beauregard hadn’t lobbed shells at Fort Sumter, there would have been some other flash point, Lincoln would have seen to that. The war was about secession, not slavery.
Exactly brother!
“Most do not understand how the entire economy of the south in the 1860’s was so intertwined with slavery. Plantation owners borrowed money, bought slaves, cleared land, planted fields, and hoped for a good harvest so they could pay off their loans and still make a profit.”
They must not had all that good of a business model if they could hardly make a profit while using Free Labor.
Perhaps, they should have tried their hand at some industry that could actually turn a profit without forcing people to work without pay.