[rockrr]

I correct myself in that regard, to wit, slavery was not the “only” cause of the Civil War. It was the single greatest irritation and the Civil War would not have been fought without it.

Correct. And every other "cause" resolves itself back to the practice of the "Peculiar Institution".

Sine qua non...

[DiogenesLamp]

Correct. And every other "cause" resolves itself back to the practice of the "Peculiar Institution".

Funny way of putting the usage of the government to screw other people out of money. That same peculiar institution is just business as usual in Washington DC nowadays.