re: Obscure/Interesting/Quirky "American" Facts 1865-1880

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I'm not claiming slavery was 100% the cause of the war, but it was certainly a driving factor

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Where did I suggest slavery wasn't a catalyst? I said a significant plurality of northerners, particularly those remote from the "border" were idealistic abolitionists. I also said it was a catalyst from the southern perspective, but not the catalyst.

Going back to my Robert E. Lee example - as the most prominent military leader of the south, perhaps the war (with all due deference to U.S. Grant) and there is NO QUESTION he would have led the Union Army if Virginia had not seceded.

Would he have been fighting to end slavery? No. Of course not. If Virginia hadn't seceded, the war would have been over in 18 months and the Emancipation Proclamation wouldn't have been issued and XIII, XIV and XV Amendments would never have been ratified.

Going back to Lincoln - the de facto leader of the abolition movement - he was quoted frequently that he was willing to accept the continuation of slavery in order to preserve the Union. So, was he lying? Honest Abe Lincoln? Or was he conceding that preservation of the Union was more important - at least at that moment in history - than rapid abolition?

Now, was the secession movement driven by the fear of the abolition agenda on the part of Southerners? Certainly.

Again - as I said - far more complicated than people want to suggest. Thomas Jefferson - a Virginia slaveholder until the day he died - wanted to skewer slavery in the DOI.

It's a shame that calmer heads did not prevail. If there had been a calm, orderly transition to Emancipation, without all the bloodshed, perhaps we wouldn't be dealing with many of the negative after effects today.

[sarcasm] But, yeah - it was all about slavery. That's easy, simple bumper sticker language. [/sarcasm]