[j. earl carter]

In the interest of brevity I was ignoring the nuances you point out. However, I will still disagree with you.

I look at it this way: The Republican party was formed as an abolitionist party. When a Republican got elected president, the southern states saw that the die had been cast and that things had changed, and they seceded. So, while the reason for the war was secession, it is also clear that the republican's desire to end slavery caused the secession to happen.

[wardaddy]

That argument is for another thread. and there are plenty here on that already.