[jeffersondem]

“. . . Lincoln was thought an ardent abolitionist by Confederates and was feared by them as someone who would impose it on them, if possible. And indeed, turns out their fears were 100% justified.”

Comes now Brother x: “Realistically, Southerners didn’t have much to fear, but in those days the country (and slaveowners in particular) cultivated wild and unrealistic fears.”

And so, critic answers critic.

[x]

It turned out that Southern fears were justified because in the war they started Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation and helped put the 13th Amendment in the Constitution. That does not mean that if they did nothing that he would have or could have forced Emancipation on them.

But you quoted me out of context. My point was that if Southerners had stayed in Congress, they could have limited the increase in the tariff through tactics like the filibuster, if they had really wanted to. But they didn't care as much about the tariff as later mythmakers want to believe they did.

[BroJoeK]

jeffersondem: "And so, critic answers critic."

Fire Eater claims in 1860 were not justified by actual Republican intentions of that time.
But by 1865 after four years of war those fears were more than realized.

You could easily understand that, if you wanted to.