That sounds like typical spin. What evidence do you have for it? Couldn't their motivation be mixed, rather than all one thing or the all the other? Thousands of New Englanders fought for many reasons, and on the whole, very few of them risked their lives because they thought they were better than other people.
People who are so quick to object that the Civil War "wasn't all about slavery" for Southerners are often quick to put the most derogatory spin on Northern motivations, and to deny any idealism or nobility to those who fought for the Union. It's the same sort of slighting and demeaning charge that they object to when it's directed against themselves. And it's the kind of thing that can be applied any time there's a moral question in dispute or people try to change things.
For better and for worse, a lot of America comes out of the Puritans. Much of what we're criticized for or attacked for goes back to Puritan idealism, practicality, and energy. It's not all bad and it's certainly not all leftist.
yeah, sounds like typical spin but it just makes sense. The attitudes and behavior of people around here are so horrible. I have lived here most of my life so I don't notice it as much anymore but there really is a strong bias against people from conservative areas. I'm originally from CA so I don't experience it (no accent) but the liberals really are savage. Remember this is Keneddy and Kerry land. In most states Dems gerrymander so that all of the republicans are in one district. In MA they gerrymandered the state so that we are split and they can have all 10 districts safe. I live much closer to Rhode Island than to Boston yet my district includes a slice of Boston.
I am not trying to claim that the Civil War had little to do with slavery. I have no sympathy for the slaveholders. I'm just saying that in MA there really has always been a leftist tilt, even when they voted Republican. They were the original RINOs.