Believe me, it’s not about white supremacy. It’s about states’ rights.
The South wanted to protect itself from Northern invasion, I believe. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Seriously, I would appreciate the input. Always stand to be corrected here; lots of smart people here. :)
This is one of the best booksI have read about the causes of the war. https://www.amazon.com/Disease-Public-Mind-Understanding-Fought-ebook/dp/B00B3M3W7M/ref=sr_1_1?crid=QMJ5203IQO70&dchild=1&keywords=a+disease+in+the+public+mind&qid=1591499630&sprefix=A+disease%2Caps%2C184&sr=8-1
It’s called the war of northern aggression for a reason.
When you use a state's right to promote evil slavery, you will lose that right.
Imagine the socialist Democrats create a civil war on the left coast. The army and patriots crush them. Would you be OK with the left coast putting up flags and statues for socialists after they lost?
The South wanted to protect itself from Northern invasion, I believe. Please correct me if I’m wrong. Seriously, I would appreciate the input. Always stand to be corrected here; lots of smart people here. :)
The South seceded because they saw the writing on the wall for slavery with the Republican victory for the White House. The seceding states made clear in their secession declarations that they were leaving protect slavery and to found a government based on white supremacy.
Lincoln didn't invade the South to end slavery. He made clear in his inaugural address that he supported the Corwin amendment (13th amendment that would have federally protected slavery explicitly), and that he only sought to collect federal taxes (tariffs).
They couldn't allow the South to secede and enact the Republicans plan of high tariffs for 'internal improvements' (graft).
As the war drug on the abolition of slavery was raised as a Northern war aim to maintain support for the war.
“The South wanted to protect itself from Northern invasion”
The northern and southern States had been fighting over commerce and taxes for more than 50 years by 1860. Slavery was a significant part of the southern commerce. The northern States attacked slavery and that was seen as an attack on southern commerce. By 1860 there was so much bad blood that the southern States withdrew from the union. The southern States had taken one beating after another in the US Congress concerning taxes and regulations, and they felt further attacks on slavery by the northern States was an attempt to cripple their economy, even though the northern States needed the products from the southern States, of which the railroad was becoming more and more of an important component of that commerce.
Lincoln was injected into the presidential race by his railroad clients who needed the States to stay together for the sake of railroad commerce, especially as it railroads were heavily in debt as they invested in moving out west. Lincoln was by far one of the most prolific railroad attorneys at the time . He had also served in the congress and it was felt he could take the presidency and work to keep the union together. The railroads also had tracks laid north and south and needed commerce between the northern and southern States to pay for those tracks and help pay for the western expansion.
Lincoln was about six months too late. By the time he took office there was no turning back. Lincoln sent northern troops to Ft. Sumter, probably hoping a little force might convince the southern States to stay in the union long enough to effect smooth talking Lincoln’s plan to correct the problems that caused the southern States to want to leave the union.
Didn’t work. War broke out instead. Southerners, who hated slavery because they saw cheaper slaves as replacing them in the fields, were willing to fight the invaders from the north. I’m southern, from Georgia. Lots of stories from ancestors who felt slavery needed to end but it needed to end on southern terms and not through northern interference. It became our side versus their side. Slavery was a key component of southern commerce and one of the key arguments with the northern States, but it came down to States rights and the rights of the people to determine their own destiny. Read about the history of the US and there is plenty to see why the southern States felt beat upon by the northern States.
Another component of States rights and destiny going on at the time was Manifest Destiny, the belief that the US was moving out west and had the God given right and need to do so. It was all the rage and a highly emotional topic. However, the southern States were told by the northern States that slavery wasn’t welcome out west. It didn’t really matter since railroads were the big industries out west and they made the rules more than anyone, but it was seen as one more attempt by the northern States to relegate the southern States to their rule. Most in the south didn’t want slavery out west. The west was for the people to find their own destiny, but since this was a fight of wills, slavery got caught in the middle.
Similar today, we see populous States like California and New York rule our congress and try to force liberalism down the throats of the smaller States. In those States, the liberal cities rule against those outside the cities. California and New York are very conservative outside their cities, but they rule the legislatures through city populations. It has created antagonistic rivalries that we are seeing today.
If the same people who wrote about the Civil War could write today’s history 100 years from now, they could easily write the troubles today are blacks versus whites and how blacks were unfairly treated, which is far from the total story and not even accurate. Unfortunately, they told the story of the Civil War as a fight to abolish slavery, and that missed the point entirely.
There is a site, The Abbeville Institute that sheds light on all this..