Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   Yankees are not.... Date:   6/25/2020 10:09:06 AM

My view is there is a lot to be proud of about the south.  Remember, history is written by the winners.  Most of those that fought in the Civil War for the south were poor and never owned a slave in their lives.  Many fought over states rights versus an imperial Federal govt.  There is a reason it is called the "United" States and our form of government is based on the concept of Federalism, we are a Republic and not a democracy where you can have the tyranny of the majority.  So many in the south fought out of loyalty to their state which they viewed as being forced to do something by the Federal gov't they did not want to do and that involved way more than just slavery. 

Lincoln wisely made the seminal issue of the Civil War about slavery as it would provide him with a moral imperative to preserve the union.  Had the fight just been about a state's right to set its own course and make its own decisions he would have never gotten broad support in the northern states who at the time felt the same way.  There was no dominant Federal govt at that time.  Most of the lawmaking and enforcement happened at the state level.  Some would argue that Lincoln was a terrible President because he crushed the idea of Federalism and opened the door to the kind of Federal govt we have today.  Big, bloated, bureaucratic and involved in every aspect of our lives...not what the Founders intended.  I often wonder if there could have been a different path to ending slavery that didn't involve war but that's not going to change anything....it happened and is a part of our history.