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To: icclearly; ConservativeMind; BroJoeK
I count 15 slave states and 18 free states in 1860. Four border states that went with the Union in the war were slave states and weren't going to vote for measures that threatened slaveholders' interests. Take away Minnesota and Oregon, which had only become states in 1858 and 1859, and you have 15 slave states and 16 free states. Some senators and representatives from the free states could be counted on voting with the slave states. That was less likely with slave state delegations.

9 of 15 presidents had been born in the south. Buchanan and Pierce were reliable allies. That leaves only Van Buren, a slave state ally who turned opponent after leaving the White House, and the Adamses. I don't have time to do all the counting and math, but it looks like the Speaker of the House was from the South more often than not, and Roger B. Taney, a fierce supporter of slavery, had been Chief Justice since 1836.

It's not at all far-fetched to argue that for the most part, Southerners had dominated in the government, or at least had more influence than their numbers might warrent.

581 posted on 08/05/2022 9:28:54 AM PDT by x
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To: x
I don't have time to do all the counting and math

Nor I. You went through some convuleted exceptions in your reply and I stand by my original numbers showing the south was much smaller in both states and population -- which translated into control.

It's not at all far-fetched to argue that for the most part, Southerners had dominated in the government, or at least had more influence than their numbers might warrant.

"Not far-fetched." Perhaps not far-fetched for you, but the facts don't bare that out.

Frankly, we are still fighting some of the same ideas to this day. Maybe not as divided by geography, but divided just the same. Our fight today is one side wants the other side to change their lifestyles and priorities, re-write and destroy our history and conform to their convoluted way of living. While the geographic distinction is not quite as great, it still exists -- think blue state/red state. And the population density still exists.

Nothing is new under the sun!

584 posted on 08/05/2022 11:40:39 AM PDT by icclearly
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