[TwelveOfTwenty]

So why in 1860 was it suddenly worth 700,000 lives lost in order to abolish it?

Abolitionism had been a growing force for over a century. It is one of the reasons mentioned in many of the articles of secession.

It didn't just happen in 1860, but rather had built up to that point by 1860.

[FLT-bird]

Abolitionism had been a growing force for over a century. It is one of the reasons mentioned in many of the articles of secession. It didn't just happen in 1860, but rather had built up to that point by 1860.

Abolitionists were a tiny minority even in the North. They couldn't get any of their candidates elected. In fact, they struggled to get double digit percentages of the vote in any election.