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The Civil War
- Thread starter Hasselhoss
- Start date
Depends on how you look at it. Yes, the Southern States seceded because the Federal government refused to uphold the Constitution and the SCOTUS ruling concerning slavery. But when people say the war is about slavery, it gives credence to the lie that Lincoln started the war to free the slaves. Yea know, the Feds aren't too big on States and the people wanting their Constitutional Rights.
If you have an attention span like mine, you've probably never read the Declaration of Causes of Secession, but every once in a while I can keep focus long enough to get through some Ole' English political ranting. Here are some short excerpts from some Southern state's declarations on why they chose to secede. These are verbatim (except for an lol here and there).
Georgia:
The people of Georgia having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America, present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation. For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery. They have endeavored to weaken our security, to disturb our domestic peace and tranquility, and persistently refused to comply with their express constitutional obligations to us in reference to that property, and by the use of their power in the Federal Government have striven to deprive us of an equal enjoyment of the common Territories of the Republic. This hostile policy of our confederates has been pursued with every circumstance of aggravation which could arouse the passions and excite the hatred of our people, and has placed the two sections of the Union for many years past in the condition of virtual civil war.
Mississippi:
Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun (lol). These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.
South Carolina:
We affirm that these ends for which this Government was instituted have been defeated, and the Government itself has been made destructive of them by the action of the non-slaveholding States. Those States have assume the right of deciding upon the propriety of our domestic institutions; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution; they have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery; they have permitted open establishment among them of societies, whose avowed object is to disturb the peace and to eloign the property of the citizens of other States. They have encouraged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their homes; and those who remain, have been incited by emissaries, books and pictures to servile insurrection.
Texas:
In all the non-slave-holding States, in violation of that good faith and comity which should exist between entirely distinct nations, the people have formed themselves into a great sectional party, now strong enough in numbers to control the affairs of each of those States,based upon an unnatural feeling of hostility to these Southern States and their beneficent and patriarchal system of African slavery, proclaiming the debasing doctrine of equality of all men, irrespective of race or color-- a doctrine at war with nature, in opposition to the experience of mankind, and in violation of the plainest revelations of Divine Law. They demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and negro races, and avow their determination to press on their crusade against us, so long as a negro slave remains in these States
Georgia:
The people of Georgia having dissolved their political connection with the Government of the United States of America, present to their confederates and the world the causes which have led to the separation. For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery. They have endeavored to weaken our security, to disturb our domestic peace and tranquility, and persistently refused to comply with their express constitutional obligations to us in reference to that property, and by the use of their power in the Federal Government have striven to deprive us of an equal enjoyment of the common Territories of the Republic. This hostile policy of our confederates has been pursued with every circumstance of aggravation which could arouse the passions and excite the hatred of our people, and has placed the two sections of the Union for many years past in the condition of virtual civil war.
Mississippi:
Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world. Its labor supplies the product which constitutes by far the largest and most important portions of commerce of the earth. These products are peculiar to the climate verging on the tropical regions, and by an imperious law of nature, none but the black race can bear exposure to the tropical sun (lol). These products have become necessities of the world, and a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. That blow has been long aimed at the institution, and was at the point of reaching its consummation. There was no choice left us but submission to the mandates of abolition, or a dissolution of the Union, whose principles had been subverted to work out our ruin.
South Carolina:
We affirm that these ends for which this Government was instituted have been defeated, and the Government itself has been made destructive of them by the action of the non-slaveholding States. Those States have assume the right of deciding upon the propriety of our domestic institutions; and have denied the rights of property established in fifteen of the States and recognized by the Constitution; they have denounced as sinful the institution of slavery; they have permitted open establishment among them of societies, whose avowed object is to disturb the peace and to eloign the property of the citizens of other States. They have encouraged and assisted thousands of our slaves to leave their homes; and those who remain, have been incited by emissaries, books and pictures to servile insurrection.
Texas:
In all the non-slave-holding States, in violation of that good faith and comity which should exist between entirely distinct nations, the people have formed themselves into a great sectional party, now strong enough in numbers to control the affairs of each of those States,based upon an unnatural feeling of hostility to these Southern States and their beneficent and patriarchal system of African slavery, proclaiming the debasing doctrine of equality of all men, irrespective of race or color-- a doctrine at war with nature, in opposition to the experience of mankind, and in violation of the plainest revelations of Divine Law. They demand the abolition of negro slavery throughout the confederacy, the recognition of political equality between the white and negro races, and avow their determination to press on their crusade against us, so long as a negro slave remains in these States
The declarations are a very interesting read. While they certainly contain just as much bias and political bickering as there is today, it is very insightful as to what was occurring back then. Essentially, the North (Republican party is called out specifically) was rejecting the constitutionally-established institution of slavery. Even though they had no constitutional right to do so. There were many laws written about slave property and the Northern states were largely ignoring them, even though the SCOTUS had ruled them valid. The Southern states claimed that this was intentional to garner political support and power, and build resentment for slave-holding states, so that the Feds could ultimately impose their will on the slave-holding states. Technically, the South had a legal case, but the Federal government wasn't having it. They wanted to preserve their power, err, The Union, at any cost.
It's worth noting that, in more than one state's declaration, it's mentioned that if the slave-property clauses weren't written into the Constitution, they wouldn't have entered into the Union to begin with, so the slave-holding states were basically trying to annul the "contract" with the Union by seceding. Slavery, and the build up of majority power due to the North's abolitionist movement, are the largely recurring themes in the declarations. The "state's rights" arguments made in the declarations largely surround slave property and related laws, or a lack of enforcement of said laws.
Only Texas mentions reasons other than slavery by mentioning the Fed's lack of assistance in fending off the "savages at our border". Which is ironic, because they still have the same complaint today. lol
It's worth noting that, in more than one state's declaration, it's mentioned that if the slave-property clauses weren't written into the Constitution, they wouldn't have entered into the Union to begin with, so the slave-holding states were basically trying to annul the "contract" with the Union by seceding. Slavery, and the build up of majority power due to the North's abolitionist movement, are the largely recurring themes in the declarations. The "state's rights" arguments made in the declarations largely surround slave property and related laws, or a lack of enforcement of said laws.
Only Texas mentions reasons other than slavery by mentioning the Fed's lack of assistance in fending off the "savages at our border". Which is ironic, because they still have the same complaint today. lol
