States rights, self reliance and the 10th amendment. I know silly concepts by todays benchmark.
So, what offenses exactly did President Buchanan commit against "States rights, self reliance and the 10th amendment" to justify secession? (Surely you know that secession and the Confederacy happened long before Lincoln became President.)
The people of the South wanted Independence it wasn't for anyone else but them to decide its merits. The people voted on it. It wasn't forced on to them. The Federal Govt was pressuring the South with Tariffs and ending slavery in territories because they were to remain "lilly" white. 90% of the whites in the South held no slaves, this wasn't about slavery. Actually competing with plantations factories was no bargain for the average southern farmer.
Mostly the slavery issue gave the average Southerner an excuse to kill the overbearing arrogant Yankees legally, with free ammunition. A feeling I find hard not to relate too.