Quote Originally Posted by Strike For The South
The CSA was the last true act of patriotism in this country.
To me it speaks more about the power of demagoguery and misplaced nationalism than anything else.

The average Southern did not own slaves, and was probably economically competing indirectly against slaves.

Really, if it wasn't for the slavery issue, what couldn't have been resolved without the whole ordeal of secession and war?

Let us assume that Lincoln got his way and allowed slavery in perpetuity, BUT ONLY IN THOSE STATES WHICH ALREADY HAD THE INSTITUTION, and let's just throw in that he ALSO agreed to give the South the additional rights that the CSA constitution granted (notwithstanding how I think giving a party to a disagreement the power to impeach the judge/arbitrator of their case is an extremely stupid idea and just asking for deadlock). I say this would still have caused war.

Honestly, take away slavery. Then the conflict would be about relative power of the South vs. the North within the Union (which it kind of is, but slavery is integral to Southern power, which the South dearly wished to preserve and even promulgate). Is it then justified to fight a war (or even merely to secede) to preserve relative Southern (slaveholding) power in the United States of America? (Let me clarify that this is different from the issue of guaranteeing individual small states' a modicum of power as relates to the two senators per state idea. This issue concerns relative power of a GROUP of states acting as bloc.) I say no.

To me, Southern apologists are tiring as in they go too far and try to completely trivialize the issue of slavery and paint the South as some saintly, innocent victim.

Both sides were bigoted, folks. One side had it in their interest to support SLAVERY (not necessarily to oppress blacks, mind you) and the other had it in theirs to try to abolish or at least limit SLAVERY (not necessarily to support black rights).

They fought a war, with MANY causes, but the PRINCIPAL ROOT cause is basically SLAVERY (NOT BLACKS, NOT MORALITY, AND NOT GRANDMA'S APPLE PIE). But you cannot just IGNORE SLAVERY.

/end soapbox