[DoodleDawg]

That’s funny, because to get a flavor of the cause of the Civil War from dispassionate and neutral sources, one can simply read the European accounts of the conflict, both contemporary and historical.

Shouldn't we rely more on the speeches and writings of the Southern and Northern leaders of the time rather than analysis from people who were not part of it?

[ought-six]

“Shouldn’t we rely more on the speeches and writings of the Southern and Northern leaders of the time rather than analysis from people who were not part of it?”

Yes, let’s. You will find that most said the war was NOT about slavery. Hell, go straight to the horse’s mouth: Lincoln himself never said he waged war over slavery. Many leading Union military officers said they never would have fought the war if it had been over slavery. They were almost unanimous in saying the war was fought to “preserve the Union.”