Far from "enshrining" slavery, the Constitution recognized it could be controlled or outlawed by Federal Government (see Article 1 Section 9).
jeffersondem: "If anyone took up the bayonet to overthrow slavery, they were taking up arms to overthrow the US constitution.
There is a word for that."
"Rebellion" describes the Confederacy's war on the United States, so the United States in 1861 did not "take up the bayonet to overthrow slavery," but to preserve the Union against rebellion.
At the same time, however, "Contraband of war" was acknowledged & practiced by all.
For example, Confederate armies in Union states grabbed any freed-blacks they could as "contraband" for return & sale as slaves.
By contrast, Northern armies declared as "contraband" any fugitive slaves who fled into their lines, then hired them to serve the Union cause.
That was as much as the Union could constitutionally do before passing the 13th amendment in 1865.
By early 1865 everyone North & South understood that the price for Confederates losing the war would be abolition.
The only question at the Hampton Roads conference (February 1865) was whether slave-holders would be compensated or not.
Confederates chose "not".
” . . . so the United States in 1861 did not “take up the bayonet to overthrow slavery,” but to preserve the Union against rebellion.”
That is a fair argument Brother Joe. But an opposing argument was made just recently in Post 33 by someone your equal. He wrote:
“When you pro-Confederates pretend the Civil War “was not about slavery”, by that you mean neither side fought to defend or defeat slavery, right? This song puts the lie to your claims.”
The song he referenced included the militant line: “As He died to make men holy, let us die to make men free.”
Critic answers critic.