"I've spent a lot of time in gun-country, God-fearing America."
I live in gun-country, God-fearing America, I am one of those critters.
Over the years I've traveled in every US state (except Alaska), lived or worked in a dozen, north, south, east & west.
My Dad was Pennsylvanian, my Mom North Carolinian and they are buried side by side a few miles from my home.
I served in the US Army, worked in industry and am now semi-retired.
Yes, I did go to school, but don't hold that against me, I studied history and business so know the difference between facts & myth, something that makes sense vs. somebody hoping to pull the wool over our eyes.
Lost Causer mythology is just that: mythological stories invented to turn otherwise indefensible actions into something greater than stupid and morally bankrupt.
The myths begin by demonizing "Ape" Lincoln and his "Black Republicans", ignoring all Confederate acts & declaration of war and magnifying any Union misbehavior.
It pretends the only "crimes" Fire Eater secessionists committed were their secession declarations and new Confederacy, when in fact there is long list of provocations and acts of war, threatening the existence & boundaries of the United States.
But here's the most important point to remember: all those "Fire Eater" secessionist Confederates were Democrats, erstwhile Southern allies to the same Northern Democrats who, then as now, ruled over Big City immigrant populations and the nation's financial centers.
In 1861, Southern Democrats did not lose their Northern Democrat allies over secession or Confederacy.
No, the break came, finally, only after the Confederacy repudiated its debts to their Northern Democrat allies.
That hit their friends where it hurt the worst, and so Northern Democrats turned on their Southern Democrat allies, in defending against the Confederacy's declared war on the United States.
But, as pro-Confederates often point out, the average Southerner in 1860 was not a slave-holder, indeed, they were not necessarily even Democrats.
As recently as 1848 the majority of Southerners voted for the Whig candidate, Zachary Taylor -- think of Whigs as Southern Republicans.
When Whigs split apart, Southern Whigs became the America First party (aka "Know Nothings").
So, where did we recently hear that slogan, "America First"??
Note how 1848 Whig (brown-yellow) counties voted Republican (red) in 2016:
2016 presidential election, shaded by percentages:
