These Civil War threads have grown old so I will say this and nothing else: There were numerous reasons for Southern secession, but the reason the war started was Lincoln’s invasion of Virginia. Lincoln started the war, and Lincoln republicans are all over the place today. We call them Rhinos.
The south started the war by firing on Fort Sumter. And the term is ‘RINO’.
That's like saying World War II started with the U.S. invasion of Iwo Jima. The Civil War started when the confederate government decided to attack Fort Sumter. Any other position is ridiculous.
Interesting theory. Kind of falls apart when you realize the state of VA had been committing egregious acts of war against the United States for well over a month before Union forces moved across the river from DC into VA, on May 27 if I remember aright.
Among other interesting facts, the governor of VA put state troops on the march against the US arsenal at Harper's Ferry and the navy base at Hampton Roads not only before VA had officially seceded, but even before the state convention voted for secession.
VA's secession wasn't final till it was ratified by the voters on May 23, but that didn't stop state officials from waging war on the USA for six weeks when they were still by any legal standard still part of the USA.