Civil War History

[Texas_Bryan]

With out political meddling the slavery issue would have died a quite death within another 25-50 years.
Industrialization was already making it economically impractical in the South where the feared black masses were being replaced by machinery, while the Northern needs for labor were not being met even with the huge influx of immagration from Ireland and other parts of Europe.
The true blame for the war though lie's with the Founding Father's for not having the moral or political courage to follow their grand idea's to their logical conclusion, and instead, caving in to the special interests of the Southern moneyed class.

Indeed, but slavery is far too convenient an answer to the cause of the war.  I've done quite a bit of research and see it all boil down to economics, and power.  Some where worried they would loose one and then the other, and when they struck out on their own, the other did loose them both and sought to reclaim them.

[tombogan03884]

The actual reason Lincoln called up the Volunteers was to "Put down the Rebellion".
The Confederacy however, was well with in Jefferson's interpretation of the Constitution when they seceded based on what they viewed as Federal usurpation of Right's reserved solely to the states.  In fact, Jefferson wrote an act named Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions,(political statements drafted in 1798 and 1799, in which the Kentucky and Virginia legislatures resolved to not abide by Alien and Sedition Acts. They argued that the Acts were unconstitutional and therefore void, and in doing so, they argued for states' rights and strict constructionism of the Constitution. They were written secretly by Vice President Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, respectively.

The principles behind the resolutions became known as the "Principles of '98". Adherents argue that the individual states can judge the constitutionality of central government laws and decrees, and can refuse to enforce laws deemed unconstitutional. Such refusal was called nullification in the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798, while the Virginia Resolutions of 1798 refer to "interposition" to express the idea of the states’ right to "interpose" between the federal government and the people of the state.

The Resolutions have been controversial since their passage, first eliciting disapproval from seven state legislatures. In the years leading up the to the Nullification Crisis, the resolutions divided Jefferson democrats, with states' rights proponents such as John C. Calhoun supporting the Principles of '98 and President Andrew Jackson opposing them. Years later, the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 led anti-slavery activists to quote the Resolutions to support their calls on Northern states to nullify what they considered unconstitutional enforcement of the law.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_and_Virginia_Resolutions

In 1862 or 3 Congress held hearings to decide on a simple explanations to explain what they were fighting about, since they could not say "We are fighting to twist the meaning of the Constitution" they decided to go with the excuse of "Freeing the slaves". However, morality aside the Emancipation Proclamation was an egregious violation of the Constitutions protection of "Life, Liberty, and property in that it deprived individuals in rebel states of legally acquired property with out compensation. It is interesting to note that slavery was not outlawed in non Rebel states until the passage of the 14th amendment in 1868.

[Texas_Bryan]

Indeed, Emancipation was nothing more to Unioners than a tool to fight the war with and give themselves some type of self serving moral superiority.  The Union couldn't have given a toss about blacks during the war, they only sought to undermine the Confederacy.  And to those that wish to put the Union on moral high need only look at reconstruction, when the government abandon any image of caring for newly freed slaves.

[Hazcat]

Indeed, Emancipation was nothing more to Unioners than a tool to fight the war with and give themselves some type of self serving moral superiority.  The Union couldn't have given a toss about blacks during the war, they only sought to undermine the Confederacy.  And to those that wish to put the Union on moral high need only look at reconstruction, when the government abandon any image of caring for newly freed slaves.

As well as segregated military units.

[tombogan03884]

Had the Union not defeated the South North America would now be nothing but another "Post Colonial" backwater.

[Sponsor]

[Texas_Bryan]

Had the Union not defeated the South North America would now be nothing but another "Post Colonial" backwater.

Saying that, does 'North America' refer to the continent or the Northern States?

[tombogan03884]

Saying that, does 'North America' refer to the continent or the Northern States?

The Continental grouping that renounced English rule.
Canada never really amounted to anything anyway  eh.  

The Southern states did not have the industrial base to become any kind of world power, while the Northern states did have the industry their energy would have been sapped by constant friction, and competition with the South, almost certianly including further wars.
The enduring animosity would have led to alliances with opposing European factions that would have brought Europes wars to this continent just as it did Africa and the Middle East/Arabia.
Such a situation could very well have altered the outcomes of both World Wars and the Cold War.

[Texas_Bryan]

The Continental grouping that renounced English rule.
Canada never really amounted to anything anyway  eh.  

The Southern states did not have the industrial base to become any kind of world power, while the Northern states did have the industry their energy would have been sapped by constant friction, and competition with the South, almost certianly including further wars.
The enduring animosity would have led to alliances with opposing European factions that would have brought Europes wars to this continent just as it did Africa and the Middle East/Arabia.
Such a situation could very well have altered the outcomes of both World Wars and the Cold War.

Guess what?  You hit the nail right on the head, you've just told me, for the most part, what I've already written for my project.

[tombogan03884]

Guess what?  You hit the nail right on the head, you've just told me, for the most part, what I've already written for my project.

Harry Turtledove did a whole series of Alternate history stories along that theory.   

[Texas_Bryan]

Harry Turtledove did a whole series of Alternate history stories along that theory.   

I'll look him up, thanks.