This time, there is no morally-reprehensible widespread conduct in the South that the North could use to form a moral crusade against it. “Confiscate the guns” doesn’t quite have the ring of “Free The Slaves”, on top of which, minorities have greater opportunity here in the South (as a whole) than anywhere else anyway.
The liberals should be *happy* to see us go. They don’t want us anyway.
What you say is true. Oddly, had Virginia wished to retain the “right’ to own humans as property, all they had to do was lay down their arms and rejoin the Union. There was no objection to slavery in the North except for some Quakers and others. Certainly Lincoln had not stated any objection to the vile institution until the war was well into it’s second year. It was a political move for him more so than any moral conviction.
Motivations to fight for the North in the majority of cases, were to preserve the Union, not end slavery. That came later. In the South, at least 80% of the men fighting, had no slaves nor had any interest in it.
Virginia, for example, had outlawed the import of any more slaves to the colony immediately after declaring its independence from England, several days before even joining the other colonies in their revolt.
Virginians, especially slave owners, had long been in favor of freeing the slaves. The lack of any realistic plan on how to do that and protect the citizens and communities from the after effects.
I don’t have data at hand on the population of slaves in 1860 Virginia, but it has to have been greater than 100,000 souls. Were they to given freedom all of a sudden, where would they go? What would they do? A certain number would gain employment from their former masters to be sure, but not all.
Though I don’t condone it, I can understand their concern given the era they were living in, and contemporary thinking at the time.
I believe you are correct though, the outcome of such a horrible contest might turn out much different this time around. God please help us avoid such a disaster, but give us strength to prevail should there be no alternative.
As for liberal glee at our departure, who would pay all of their taxes? Who would they have to “rule” if not for us? Themselves? I just can’t see that happening, not nearly as satisfying.