quote:
I don't think the civil war had very much to do with slavery, I think it was used for PR purposes before, during, and after the war and I think there's a blindness to industrial slavery in the north and overall racism from the entire union.

I think it had a lot to do with slavery, but not in the sense of some kind of ethical awakening. It was more of a chip in economic and political (and eventually military) posturing.

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Posted by Sleeping Tiger

Member since Sep 2013

8488 posts

Posted on 1/16/17 at 1:42 pm to Crowknowsbest

Yes.

But at that point the definition of the question changes -- to me.

The question 'was it about slavery' doesn't mean what most mean when they say it.

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Posted by The Spleen

Member since Dec 2010

38865 posts

Posted on 1/16/17 at 1:47 pm to Crowknowsbest

The Civil War was 100% about slavery, but it wasn't about the North's desire to rid slavery because it was immoral. Abolitionism was growing, and many opposed it on moral grounds, but as with almost every other war, money talks. The North was losing global influence because of the lower tariffs in the Southern ports. The South's economy was 100% driven by slavery, so they saw their opportunity to cripple their economy by abolishing slavery. Once the Southern states started seceded(which was 100% so they could maintain slavery), it escalated the situation.

Lee was like a lot of men at that time. He recognized slavery was immoral, yet still felt blacks were an inferior race. There were things to respect about him, but I'll stop short on calling him a great man of character. Despite his feelings on slavery being immoral, he still chose to fight to preserve the institution.

This post was edited on 1/16/17 at 1:49 pm

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