Before y'all throw yourselves into Wikipedia, I'll say this.

The Civil War was about state's rights in the context of the United States. Before the Civil War, there are a view that the United States took precedence over state rights. When South Carolina tried to adjust her tariffs to enhance her economic position, the Pennsylvanians slapped it down because it threatened their industries.
Many U.S. soldiers soldiers were fighting to preserve the United States as an entity, rather than abolish slavery. CSA soldiers were fighting to prevent an expansion of federal power. The North won, and the party in control (Republicans) were anti-slavery or moderate anti-slavery, and thus the Reconstruction.

I think it reveals the double standard in America, but it also reveals a key part of the American mind-set. We've read about our presidents being shot, killed, kidnapped, drugged, harassed, abused, and brainwashed in fiction for years. Now, we simply could care less.