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Excellent, thoughtful post.

"Debating" some of these Neo-Union trolls reminds me of debating Private Spivey from Dances With Wolves.

Spivey sez: "Might makes Right! Talk to Sarge here if'n yew don't like it!"

Yeah, good points there. Lincoln did a very good job playing "The Slave Card" (or their version of "The Race Card" back in the day) where it rallied the North. If Lincoln was a poker player, I'm sure Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton would envy him. Still, I cannot deny slavery was an issue but a side issue or just a part of the whole thing. Still I think the education system, the PC crowd and "the powers that be" did a great job hammering the slavery point to where even some Freepers believe it was the only issue of the war.

Slavery, well I think in the grand scheme of things is wrong, but it was the norm back then and for a long time before that. Even so, that status quo would not last long even if the South had won, I'm sure there would have been some sort of program to free the slaves plus technology was catching up and given a generation, would have changed the equation. Some say after a Southern victory, General Lee would have proposed a program to free slaves over time, if I may take a guess, the program would have most likely involved a resettlement of them back to Africa (Liberia maybe) or maybe an offer for a Confederate State out west to settle in. If they got into a fight with Spain over Cuba, I could even see Cuba as the place.

Might did prevail and I know it decides a lot of issues, although many times the right side doesn't win. I'm just making a general point here.

if I may take a guess, the program would have most likely involved a resettlement of them back to Africa (Liberia maybe)

The usual Lost Cause position on FR is that such a proposal is evidence of the worst kind of racism, but maybe that's only when Lincoln proposes it.

I'm sure there would have been some sort of program to free the slaves plus technology was catching up and given a generation, would have changed the equation.

If there wasn't such a program before the war why do you think there would have been one after the war?

Some say after a Southern victory, General Lee would have proposed a program to free slaves over time, if I may take a guess, the program would have most likely involved a resettlement of them back to Africa (Liberia maybe) or maybe an offer for a Confederate State out west to settle in.

Wouldn't the Confederate Constitution have forbidden such a scheme? There was a very clear clause forbidding Congress from passing any legislation impairing the right of property in slaves.