FLT-bird: "That isn't what those who seceded in 1861 were seceding for.
Had that been their aim, they could have agreed to the North's "slavery forever" constitutional amendment.
They refused."
But they "refused" nothing because they were never asked.
And all Deep South "Reasons for Secession" documents clearly tell us slavery was their major concern, and for some their only concern.
Plus it was exactly fears that some Confederates might want to rejoin the Union that were behind Jefferson Davis' orders to start war at Fort Sumter.
For more explanation, see here and here.
FLT-bird: "Also, several political leaders and columnists in the South as well as several in the UK thought the parallels between 1861 and 1776 quite close."
Sure, there's no doubt that 1861 secessionists tried to wrap themselves in the mantle of 1776 Founders.
But it was totally bogus then, just as it is now.
FLT-bird: "There was no Republican Party in the 18th century or early 19th."
Here is the sequence:
- Federalists supported ratifying the Constitution and 2/3 of Federalists were Northerners.
- The old mostly Northern Federalist party fell apart in 1824.
Federalists were succeeded by the National Republican Party in 1825. - In 1833 National Republicans became Whigs still about 2/3 Northern.
- By 1854 Whigs were collapsing over slavery and their Northern wing became Republicans.
FLT-bird: "Then (ie mid 19th century) just as now, support for big government, higher taxes, centralized power and the crushing of state's rights was the majority sentiment in the North.
Support for limited government, low expenditures, balanced budgets, decentralized power and states' rights was the majority sentiment in the South."
Complete nonsense, a total lie.
The fact is that throughout the years from 1792 through 1860 Federal government consistently averaged about 2% of US GDP -- whether mostly Northern Federalists or mostly Southern Democrats were in charge, no difference except in wartime when spending rose to 3%+.
The only minor exceptions were during the mostly Northern Whig years when, did Federal spending rise?
No, it fell to 1.5% under Harrison & Tyler then 1.8% under Taylor & Fillmore, compared to 2.1% under Democrat Polk, and 1.9% under both Democrats Pierce & Buchanan.
Point is, there's no historical evidence to support your "excessive Northern spending" meme.
As for "centralized power... crushing states rights", that was all done by Southern Democrats before 1861, for examples, with their 1850 Compromise, 1857 SCOTUS Dred Scott ruling and support for the 1857 Lecompton Constitution.
Of course it is the nature of you Democrats to accuse Republicans of your own worst acts, and that's all we're seeing here.