Manifested in what way? In other words state's right to do what?
The fact was the writing was on the wall about slavery before the first shot was fired at Ft Sumnter. But by that point, the politicians rhetoric had reached a fevered pitched we’ve only seen once since, and that was the day after Pearl Harbor
It's easy to look back after 140 years and see that slavery was a doomed institution. But I'm not aware of any Southern leader of the time who thought slavery was destined for an early end. They all believed that they would be handing it down to their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Its revealing to note the number of fist fights and ‘canings’ that took place in the five years before the outbreak of war in the House and Senate. Not to mention the number of duels, responded to or not, offered up.
Well I'm aware of one. I'm not familiar with any others.
Everybody thought it would be one big battle, and over.
Still a lot of that going around, isn't there?
‘It’s easy to look back after 140 years and see that slavery was a doomed institution. But I’m not aware of any Southern leader of the time who thought slavery was destined for an early end.’
Jefferson Davis wrote as much, and Lee stated numerous times his view was much the same, except he qualified it with the realization concerning ‘their current state of development’ which I took to mean education.
In the last ten months of the war, the South seriously discussed arming slaves with the promise they’d be free men after hostilities ended. They never did it, but the fact it was discussed repeatedly in their Congress is recorded fact.