Yet, as Fremont's non-election proves, merely having the potential for conflict doesn't yield a "go for the throat enthuiasm" for WAR!
Unbeknownst untill Richard Nixon was forced to 'come clean' about ALL U.S. Official Gold Holdings...in the wake of the collapse of Bretton Woods...the U.S. Banking System was the intended receipent of some 15 Tonnes of Secret, "off the books" Gold Bullion, which Bullion resided in 8,000+ feet of water of North Carolina in 1971.
The loss of that infusion caused EVERY Bank in the North to fail.
Farmers in the future Confederacy pledged every bale of Cotton, every pound of Tobacco and Indigo, to reliquify the Banking System. Thus, the normally Debtor South and Creditor North switched positions, and neither was happy.
But, it was the North's plan to bail itself out by passing The HIGHEST PROTECTIVE TARIFF in History, enraging the South...stirred in with widespread Celebrations of "John Brown's Body" in 1959-1860...that whipped the States of the future Confederacy to White Heat of Pure Hatred!
Take away the Worst Maritime Disaster in American Merchant Marine history ( the Titanic and Luisitania were foreign flagged ships), what would have ended Slavery???
Probably Time.
Brazil, the Nation which had the friendliest attitude toward the Institution of Slavery, abolished it in 1886 without a shot being fired!!
But History is far more interesting when the obvious is obscured by the 'Gorilla Dust' of Academics engaged in a "dustup"!!