Originally posted by sweetcell:
Originally posted by RatBastard:
I only believe it because it is a fact. Granted one of the most visible and qute frankly highly offensive issues that fell under the states rights umbrella was the slavery issue, however that issue -> in and of itself <- was not the cause behind the conflict.
pass the pipe, 'cause i want some of that stuff... seriously, saying that the war was caused by a generalized, legalistic "state vs federal" dissagreement is simply wrong. was the North up in arms about education budgets? were Southern states going to war for the right to conduct foreign trade and affairs?
please argue against this: "if the North had not insisted on abolition, or if the South was willing to abandon slavery, the Civil War would never have happened." i double-dog dare you. [/b]
actually, the south had previously attempted to secede for that exact reason- tariffs. john c. calhoun, then vp to pres. andrew jackson, put forth the theory of nullification, that is, the constitution is nothing more than a pact between states, whereby a state can take or leave a law that they don't like. in this case, calhoun and the south were upset over the federal govts. tariff and foreign trade laws. the south viewed the laws as favorable to northern shipping interests and against southern farmed (cotton) interests, and threatened to secede and make their own laws. jackson would have none of that and sent the military to south carolina to quell the threat.
i think you need to read some bio's on lincoln. he by no means was an abolitionist, in fact, he was only opposed to the extension of slavery into new territories, but was content on letting slavery stay in current states, being of the belief that slavery was inefficient and on the way to disappearing. it was only DURING the war did lincoln begin to view the issue of slavery as being part of the war.
i leave you with this-
"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that." Letter to Horace Greeley" (August 22, 1862).
