Some of you posters need a brush up on your Civil War history. According to Lincoln, the Civil War was not based on slavery. It came about after the Confederacy succeeded from the Union which was legal according to the Constitution. Almost all Confederate soldiers and generals were fighting for their states and were actually pardoned following the war. This is because the Union knew the Confederate actions weren't treasonous.
The statues coming down are coming down for the wrong reasons based on opinions of people who haven't cracked a history book.
Here Here! +1Million, or whatever. Its not easy to detail concisely, without yet another 4000 word post (
unless one is a Civil War & US History Expert) but you're totally right. Very few people understand what "The Civil War was about" and what it was Less
About. I won't be claiming to understand it all myself, no way but I think Tariffs were a Large part of what led to it...The Southern states were prosperous & the North was....less so. I Believe that a
"Point of contention" was Northern Industry having to compete with Southern Industry when South had Slave Labor so "Unfair Advantage" so:
TARIFFS of IIRC 35% or maybe even more on Exported Southern Goods were sought, by The North....
Boiled Down another "Taxation Without Representation" type deal/
Power to Govern themselves situation for The South.....motivated the conflict.....
Similar to the exact motivations behind The Founding Father's Exodus out of England, The Revolutionary War....that Boston Tea Party.
There do seem to be similarities, between what led to both conflicts.
I believe that Lincoln's reason for (eventually) desiring Freedom for Southern Slaves was in an expectation that they would TURN on their Southern Masters and effectively become Proxy Fighters for The North but that did not happen.
If I am not mistaken Freedom for the Southern slaves was offered
PRIMARILY in hopes they'd fight against the North. And bring about the end of an absolutely horrific war, as soon as possible.
"I will say, then, that I am not, nor ever
have been, in favor of bringing about in
any way the social and political equality
of the white and black races;
that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor
of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor
of qualifying them to hold office, nor to
intermarry with white people; and I will say,
in addition to this, that there is a physical
difference between the white and black races
which I believe will forever forbid the two races
living together on terms of social and political
equality. And in as much as they cannot so live,
while they do remain together there must be
the position of superior and inferior, and I as
much as any other man am in favor of having
the superior position assigned to the white race."
-- Abraham Lincoln, Fourth Debate, Charleston, Sept 18, 1858
"I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution.
The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was."
If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them.
If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them.
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.
What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views."
-- Abraham Lincoln, Letter to Horace Greeley, Washington, August 22, 1862
On The South & Slavery: Its my understanding that Immigration had, by the time of the Civil War, created an atmosphere wherein Sharecropping would possibly present
a better alternative for a very LARGE percent of Southerners
for Cheap labor than Slave Owning bcuz Sharecroppers would only have to have been given part of the crop. Potentially a better route to take than employing slaves so some do make an argument that Slavery may have been "on its way out" to a large extent within The South anyways.
My Understanding ^^^^, for what thats worth that Yes, Slavery was far from "What The Civil War was mainly About", others will know more.
The Statues coming down are not about anything other than "Power", an attempt to assert that. Control. An attempt to gain this.
IMO anyways.