The war was not about slavery. It was about maintaining economic control of the South's economy to prevent it from competing against the northern power brokers who would have lost massive amounts of money if the South engaged in free trade with Europe.
They were connected to Washington through the influence selling corruptocracy, and Lincoln was their primary puppet in the executive branch.
They pretended it was about slavery, but it was really about money which would be lost if the South became independent.
"Slavery" was the sales pitch, but money was the reality.
“The war was not about slavery.”
I know.. :-) It was a rhetorical question..
You and I are apparently among the few people on FR who understand that Northern aggression simply could not have been motivated by slavery.
After two centuries, why would the North suddenly wage a costly and tragic war over the issue of slavery at that particular time?
No, the issue of slavery was an after-the-fact justification for an unjustifiable war against the southern states.
It was a justification then and it is a justification now.