I've seen PhD historians pretty much give up in the face of explaining why we went to war. I gather that it's complicated.
As I understand it, early in the war the North was fighting to preserve the Union. As the war progressed, Lincoln, ever the shrewd politician, cast the war as a fight over slavery because that would better advance his cause.
I can certainly sympathize with the South's concern over being forced to comply with federal laws that they didn't like or agree with. As I see it, their main problem was that in resisting, they were supporting the vile and immoral institution of slavery. I wonder how their intellectual and political position would have unfolded if the issue had been gun control.
Before the war, we said "The United States are...". After it, "The United States is...".
Last edited by denton; 08/21/17.
