[ExCTCitizen]

Robert E Lee was a great American. The CSA was not about slavery, but state’s rights.

[morphing libertarian]

I agree with the first part. Lee was great and he would have been a great northern leader but he went with his home state VA. In those days people associated very strongly with their state. They told us at Appomattox Courthouse that when Lee came down the road to surrender at the house, the union soldiers lined the road and cheered him out of respect.

I strongly disagree with the “not about slavery” comments. Since the writing of the constitution the south was worried about slaves having full rights. Look at how they were only counted as a fraction from the beginning.

The south wailed and gnashed their teeth as new states were created to make sure slave and fee states were equal in number.

From the time of his election to the inauguration, 7 states seceded because Lincoln opposed slavery and was likely to support more free states coming in.

So you can piss and moan about states rights, but it was keeping people as property the state was interested financially and otherwise. That was the right they wanted to maintain.

[X Fretensis]

Exactly which “states rights” did the Buchanan Administration violate so badly that secession was the only answer?