The war started over taxes on cotton exports.
Whether Lincoln was an abolitionist or not, this statement is nonsense.
There were NEVER any taxes on exports of cotton, or indeed on exports of anything else.
Taxes were placed on imports, and a purchaser of the imported item in Iowa or New York paid exactly the same additional amount to cover the tariff as a buyer in South Carolina or Texas.
I have posted a multitude of documentation on FR in the past, including an actual pdf file of a NY Times article in Feb 1862, saying that you are wrong. You are a victim of revisionist history.
OK. Post one legitimate historical reference to the taxation of cotton exports from the US and I will admit you are right.
AFAIK, exports from the US have NEVER been taxed. Tariffs are placed on imports.
The southern argument of the time was that since (untaxed) southern exports of cotton were what primarily paid for the (taxed) imports of tariffed items, the South was “really” paying for the imports.
I’m not an economist, so I’m unclear to what extent this argument is legitimate. I do know that to the extent it’s legitimate, it’s about the balance of trade between nations, not about whether an individual exporter is paying taxes.
Prior to the War, northern business interests were concerned about the effect of stopping cotton exports on the balance of trade. As it turned out, they didn’t have to worry. Union exports of manufactured items and agricultural produce increased dramatically during the War. (And none of those exports were taxed.)
US Constitution, Article 1, Section 9 (limitations on Congress):
No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.
Can you please send me the pdf from the 1862 NYT about taxes on cotton starting the civil war?