I usually lurk here and don’t often have a question that has not been asked by others. But your comment begs the question: Are you upset that your ancestors did not get compensated? And what is your opinion of slavery in the United States?
FWIW, I live in Illinois and get agitated whenever I end up behind a pickup with the glass tinted with a confederate flag. Our state motto is land of Lincoln. I just read a wonderful 9 volume account of the civil war. The details from that period were new to me, as my prior education merely scratched the surface on the issues of that day. But I do recall that Lincoln wanted to compensate slave holders for their loss of property. IIRC that was the gist of his solution while he was running for president. His election in November 1860 was the deciding factor in the south forming the confederacy. Between the time he was elected and took office, the Confederate States of America was formed. The south rejected the idea of compensation before hostilities broke out. It can be argued that they turned their back on the rule of law.
Zachy, you have it right about Lincoln and the beginning of the war. BTW, I too live in Illinois, but don’t see many bumper stickers like the ones you do. Do you live in the southern part of the state?
Keep in mind that no one believed the war would last long. Those in the North believed that the Confederacy would be slim pickin’s. The South believed the North would acquiesce and allow them to form. Both, obviously, were wrong.
I think Lincoln did the right thing, and certainly am happy that slavery was ended when it was. But it’s something I think about when there is talk of reparations.
No. It can be said that they were sick of Northern Sh*t, and got the hell out. Lincoln was a good reason to leave.