I think the states that pulled out of the Union because they didnt like the way the election of 1860 turned out, and were afraid that they could no longer force the entirety of the union to continue to support their force servitude of human beings, shoulders the blame.
Not to mention that most of the secessionist conventions were wholly undemocratic and used intimidation to get the results they wanted, nor was Lincoln even pushing to end slavery!
Secession is a legitimate instrument that was wasted on the idiots of the CSA who couldn’t even string together a coherent reason to explain why they were supposedly being oppressed.
You will not convince me and I will not convince you.
Yours is an almost reasonable argument. You bring up a couple of valid points. If coercion was used at the secession conventions, then it may have thereby thwarted the actual will of the people.
The CSA did blunder and waste a legitimate opportunity for secession. They made several blunders in their efforts to break away.
But where I fault your argument is the thinking that they have to have good reasons or even coherent reasons for leaving. I believe people have a right...
to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.