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One of the first things that he did as President was to for a Peace Commission to try to resolve the differences with the union

He sure did. The Commission was to settle disputes between two countries, and the Union did not recognize that there were two countries. The Commission gave the Union an opportunity to surrender before fighting even started. Apparently he thought we were French.

He made no attempt whatever to negotiate return to the Union, with appropriate concessions to satisfy southern grievances, which would have been the only way to avoid war.

He made no attempt whatever to negotiate return to the Union, with appropriate concessions to satisfy southern grievances, which would have been the only way to avoid war.

Why should they want to return to the Union? Northern states were nullifying the Constitution with respect to the return of escaped slaves. Northern congress critters passed the Morrill Tariff that extracted money from the South to pay for Northern jobs and protect Northern industry. The Federal government was not adequately protecting Texas from indians or invasion from Mexico, constitutionally the job of the Federal government. Congress wouldn't fully reimburse Texas for expenditures to fight the invaders. Among other things, the people of Brownsville had to hire the Mexican army to protect them.

Despite a Supreme Court ruling to the contrary, the North wanted to reserve the territories to free white settlers (Lincoln's words as I remember), the constituents of Northern politicians. This in effect excluded slavery and Southern slave owners from the territories despite the fact that Southern blood and money had been used to obtain the territories.

It is easy to see the North's interest in retaining the South in the Union despite there being no Constitutional prohibition against secession. From de Tocqueville:

If it be supposed that among the states that are united by the federal tie there are some which exclusively enjoy the principal advantages of union, or whose prosperity entirely depends on the duration of that union, it is unquestionable that they will always be ready to support the central government in enforcing the obedience of the others.

He made no attempt whatever to negotiate return to the Union, with appropriate concessions to satisfy southern grievances, which would have been the only way to avoid war.

So, you believe that the only tool of negotiation is the rifle.

When you and your neighbors have a difference of opinion, do you just start popping caps at each other?

Lincoln needed a war. The South didn't. The South and Lincoln recognized that the South didn't have the industrial infrastructure to support such an endeavor. The South wanted to be able to govern themselves without northern interference..............and we still do.