You are correct. That was also recognized on the eve of the civil war. His timeline slightly errs, and I believe intentionally so to make the point in jest, with the Mayflower but the summary is essentially accurate:
"The mere expression of “the irrepressible conflict” was credited first to Mr. Lincoln, and then to Mr. Seward, and then to the Senator from Ohio; but this doctrine of perfectibility in the people of the free States is of New England origin. It began before your Revolution; long before that. It began when Charles lost his throne. I think it began before his time. Old John Knox started it and then it got down into England. They helped Cromwell to cut off their King's head. After that, better than even the Puritans, they were called Independents; then they were called fifth-monarchy men; and then Cromwell had to run them out of England; and then they went over to Holland, and the Dutch let them alone, but would not let them persecute anybody else; and then they got on that ill-fated ship called the Mayflower and landed on Plymouth Rock. And from that time to this, they have been kicking up a dust generally, and making a mess whenever they could put their fingers in the pie. They confederated with the other states to save themselves from the power of old King George III; and no sooner than they had gotten rid of him than they turned to persecuting their neighbors. Having got rid of the Indians, and witches, and Baptists, and Quakers in their country; after selling us our negroes for the love of gold, they began stealing them back for the love of God. That is the history as well as I understand it." - Senator Louis T. Wigfall, March 2, 1861