They always say hind sight is 20-20...
We use to have many fine arguments around the shop when I was a working man.... I miss it a lot...
After reading the newspapers about all the rotten things going on in our country one of the things we would discuss was "If the civil war was fought today, which side would you fight for?" It was amazing to see the contortions that folks would go through in order to justify their reasoning....
I know in my heart and my mind that NO man should be another mans property.... "IF" that was what the war was all about.. I think slavery would have died on its own in our country simply because, we are a Christian nation and slavery is inherently evil.. That being said.... Knowing what you know now, which side would YOU have fought for..??
Personally, I think Lincoln got it wrong....
MHO......
In my reading of history slavery didn’t become a factor or was made a selling point of the war until much later. It all was about states rights at first and the Confederacy wanted to go their own way. The debate about the “War of Secession” got pretty heated here over the years. :)