Well, for one thing taking up arms against the government is not neccessarily a bad thing. The colonies did it against the King. Second, it's not like they were trying to take over the government or rule the country as is typical in a civil war. They had no interest in ruling the northern states, they just wanted to be let alone. That being said I agree with the above comments that there is too much glorification of the South, even though I agree with their fundamental right to secede and admire some of their military leaders.
I can agree with that. But it's an "all or nothing" type of situation. Had we lost the Revolutionary War, the military and political leaders of the revolution would have been tried and, most likely, executed. You have to admit that the North was much kinder to the South than that.
. . . even though I agree with their fundamental right to secede and admire some of their military leaders.
The genius of the South's military leaders is what kept the South in the war as long as it was. Think about it, the Conferacy had no pre-existing government, no tax base, no economic prosperity, and a much smaller population than the North. What else could explain their relative successes, or at least the success in delaying the inevitable, than their military genius. Think about it this way, who is more revered in the South even today, Jefferson Davis or Robert E. Lee? One was a so-so political leader, the other was quite possibly the best military mind we ever had. Too bad he lived in a time where his expertise had to be used in the way it was.
Not sure I agree that they had the right to secede though.