[DiogenesLamp]

Some time back I saw someone post an exceptionally good refutation for the "Declarations of secessions" that people keep trotting out to push the "slavery is the only reason they left" claim.

It said something along the lines of:

Few states issued them, most made no particular references to slavery, and so forth.

Does anyone know where that refutation is, or does anyone have the pertinent facts on this point?

[PeaRidge]

Our old friend GopCapitalist had many excellent posts on that topic.
I think Rustbucket may have some of them in his files.

[PeaRidge]

Maybe this is what you want. Let me know.

With regards to secession conventions, there were a total of 12 state legislatures or conventions, 1 rump state convention (Kentucky), 1 territorial convention (Arizona), and 2 Indian tribes that published one or more secession documents of some sort during the civil war. In total they published at least 21 documents declaring or otherwise affirming their secession. 12 were ordinances officiating the secession act itself adopted by the 12 state conventions, legislatures, or popular referendum. The conventions of 4 of those 12 states adopted an additional “Declaration of Causes” as a nonbinding legislative resolution. The convention of South Carolina also adopted a letter of causes addressed to all the other southern states outlining why they were seceding and urging others to join them (interestingly enough half that document is a list of grievances against the north for tax hikes and tariffs).

Out of the 21 total declarations, ordinances, and other secession documents only 6 mention slavery in any context beyond a geographical reference (and only 5 of them mention it at substantial length - the sixth is in a single brief clause). 14 of those documents specify other causes, either in addition to slavery (as in the 6) or without mentioning it at all. The remaining 7 do not list any causes.

204 posted on 12/30/2004 12:45:16 AM EST by GOPcapitalist

[BroJoeK]

DiogenesLamp: "Some time back I saw someone post an exceptionally good refutation for the 'Declarations of secessions' that people keep trotting out to push the 'slavery is the only reason they left' claim. "

But like all pro-Confederate propaganda, it was total rubbish, complete historical revisionism having no connection to actual historical facts.