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Eventually, yes, because the southern states were insisting on going against the Federal gov't. We are seeing that now with states like California and Minnesota. They do what they want- regardless of Federal laws.
It's hard to say. Certainly slavery caused a great deal of division among the States. But the real motivation for the civil war was to return the country to a Confederacy, it's original form of government.
It's hard to say. Certainly slavery caused a great deal of division among the States. But the real motivation for the civil war was to return the country to a Confederacy, it's original form of government.
I bet the semantics didn't make much difference to those people who were enslaved and owned and denied their most basic human rights.
The civil war was largely driven by economics. Northern industrialists and workers wanted to maximize their profits and wages. They did so by discriminatory tariffs on both imported and exported goods. The Northern economy was largely industrial-the south's largely agrarian. The north wanted high import tariffs on manufactured items. This forced up the price of items foreign producers, which were largely purchased by the citizens of southern states. This in turn allowed northern producers to increase the prices of their products sold to southern states.
At the same time, the north, particularly the textile industry was dependant on cotton produced in the south. They wanted it at the lowest possible prices. So, to ensure that-they passed an EXPORT tariff on cotton. This artificially inflated the prices foreign purchasers would have to pay for the product, which in turn forced southern producers to lower their prices to remain competitive. Which, in turn, meant that northern producers could also buy these products at the new, artificially low prices (without of course paying the export tariff).
While northern states had far more voting residents (especially so since southern slaves were not allowed to vote under the US constitution), they had the power to pass such tariffs in the house. However, since the founding fathers allowed each state 2 senators and the number of states was approximately equal, such bills would not pass the senate. The influence of the admission of new states into the union would skew that balance one way or the other.
Slavery was a fundamental tool of the south's economic engine-agriculture. Want to destroy the south's political power? Weaken their economy. Lets face it-the north couldn't rally a lot of support for a civil war with a stated motive of "high tariffs". It would have been seen as simple greed. However, when you can rally people behind abolishing slavery and claim a moral high ground...it is much higher to recruit support. The northern media, then, like now, were highly influential in duping citizens to support violence and war...in the name of profits.
Toyman, I congradulate you on a well written, polished post.
I regret to inform you that it is completely incorrect.
You claim that the "north" passed an EXPORT tariff on cotton, with the result that southerners were forced to sell cotton at lower prices.
United States Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 5 - "No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State".
There was no "EXPORT tariff" on cotton passed by "the north" because any export tariff is unconstitutional.
Now, to address import tariffs, which you claim as the other side of the economic reasons that the South seceded, there are two facts of which you are either completely unaware or are completely ignoring.
In 1860, the import tariffs were so low that the federal government nearly had to default on it's debts. The North had been hit with the Panic of 1857. The resultant economic downturn severely suppressed imports, resulting in crashing federal tax revenue. The South, being an agrarian-based economy, barely felt the economic fall-out.
In 1860, federal tax revenue was almost completely collected via import tariffs. The amount collected in 1860 is a matter of public record. It's also a matter of public record that two thirds of all import taxes were collected in the Port of New York City. Additionally, the major ports in the United States were nearly all in the North in 1860, only New Orleans, LA and Charleston, SC could be considered major ports - and they lagged behind Boston and Philadelphia, and far, far behind New York. Notice here, the import taxes, which you claimed "were largely purchased by the citizens of southern states" were actually paid mostly by northern consumers.
Import and Export Taxes simply aren't a valid reason for Southern secession in 1860. That concept seems to have been invented by confederate apologists sometime after the Civil War had ended; that myth has persisted ever since, and seems immune to established and verifiable fact.
If slavery had never existed, would there have been a Civil War?
Here you go. this is from a conservative organization that puts out brilliant videos on all kinds of topics.
This one is about the cause of the Civil War. The cause was slavery. period. there is no question. that is not a revisionist position. Every single Session Document stated clearly the individual states succeeded over slavery. period.
If slavery had never existed, would there have been a Civil War?
That doesn't mean it was about slavery. The secession of various states had a lot to do with slavery, but the Union's decision to start a war did not. Lincoln had no interest in ending slavery; he just wanted to preserve the Union.
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