[MountainPete]

Actually, I believe he preserved The Union and destroyed The Republic.

He told the South, “Do what we tell you or we’ll come down there and kill you.” Which he then did.

Now, all power resides in Washington D.C. (And the courts, but that’s another story.) The War Of Northern Aggression was not about slavery, it was about the consolidation of power and you can see where that has gotten us.

[AuntB]

Actually, I believe he preserved The Union and destroyed The Republic. He told the South, “Do what we tell you or we’ll come down there and kill you.” Which he then did. Now, all power resides in Washington D.C. (And the courts, but that’s another story.) The War Of Northern Aggression was not about slavery, it was about the consolidation of power and you can see where that has gotten us.

For a short explanation, you've gotten pretty close to the matter, IMO.

[SampleMan]

Hogwash. See my #9.

By making slavery a “state right” and seceding, the South chose to damage the Republic.

[flowerplough]

preserved The Union, destroyed The Republic, and layed the foundation for Empire, eh?

[Melas]

The War Of Northern Aggression was not about slavery, it was about the consolidation of power and you can see where that has gotten us.

Exactly. Look where it's gotten us. We're the richest, most powerful nation on the planet. We enjoy liberty unparalleled on the planet. In short we're the greatest nation on Earth.

[Non-Sequitur]

The War Of Northern Aggression was not about slavery, it was about the consolidation of power and you can see where that has gotten us.

Actually the War of Southern Rebellion WAS about slavery. The Southern states seceded because of what they saw as a threat to their institution of slavery. They initiated the war by bombarding Sumter. And they lost. That's it in a nutshell, and I don't understand why so many Southerners have a problem grasping that.