Thanks to Lauren Canario:
In response to my discourse on the so called “Civil War”, AnnAmazedReader wrote this in the comments:
Debates regarding the circumstances under which the secession of a town, city, county, state or region from a larger “entity” are potentially interesting, although I would imagine that any enemy of the FSP would welcome the project’s members waxing verbose about the North’s engagement with the South in our Civil War being essentially evil. Arguing on behalf of a region’s supposedly inalienable right to treat human beings as chattel (while making the childish analogy between said chattel and American citizens in our time) on the basis of the sanctity of property rights is probably not a winner, folks. Unless you are actually 1) trying to undermine the movement, or 2) fundamentally non-serious and more inclined towards attention-getting stunts and rhetoric. Sorry.
Well-meaning Americans like Ann have been seriously misinformed. It wasn’t necessary to fight wars to abolish slavery in other parts of the world. There’s no excuse for violence. Hundreds of thousands died, but it didn’t have to be that way. Slavery was wrong, but it would have ended peacefully had Lincoln not been a power-hungry maniac. Of course, it’s the presidency, and he was a politican, so no one should really be surprised.
I thought that a couple of comments from other readers were great responses to Ann’s twisted words, and I wanted to highlight them.
First, from Anarchojesse:
I think you’re misinterpreting the defense of the Confederacy here; most times, libertarians will take a Spoonerite position on that period of time, which is to say, we’re pro-abolition but just as much pro-secession. History has some pretty interesting things to tell us beyond the text book regurgitation of nationalistic ideals being defended by a man who suspended the writ of habeus corpus, instituted a draft, and didn’t actually take the time to free the slaves still in the Union.
Then, Zeus:
Many people erroneously think the Civil War was fought over one issue: slavery. This is just modern fantasy taught by government indoctrination centers (public schools).
The War Between the States began because the South demanded States’ rights and weren’t getting them. The Congress at that time heavily favored the industrialized northern states to the point of demanding that the South sell its cotton and other raw
materials only to the factories in the north, rather than to other countries.The Congress also taxed the finished materials that the northern industries produced heavily, making finished products that the South wanted, unaffordable.
Eventually, these problems boiled over because they weren’t being addressed and southern states began announcing their intentions to sever ties with the Union. After all, what’s the point in staying if the promises aren’t being kept? Abe Lincoln decided that wasn’t going to happen on his watch. He was going to force those states to remain in the Union even if he had to kill thousands of his own countrymen to do it. So he starting raising an army… which pissed off even more southern states and caused them to announce secession. Conflict ensued and people died.
Slavery wasn’t a real factor until the Battle of Antietam in September of 1862 (2 years into the war) when Lincoln decided to free the slaves in the Confederate States in order to punish those states for continuing the war effort.
Lincoln’s decision that the only way to leave the Union was in a body bag resulted in the deaths of 620,000 Americans from both sides of the conflict and increased the power of the Federal government. Rather than actually freeing the slaves, it simply helped to make slavery more equal for all Americans.
No one is defending nor excusing slavery. Far from it. We want it to end completely for everyone across the board. We are the new Abolitionists and our goal is to end slavery in all its forms.
When the Men From Washington not only do nothing to help you make ends meet but actively work against you and then reach their hands into your wallet for a “fair share”, that is still slavery. When the Men From Washington can tell you what you may or may not do with your body as you see fit or they will kill you, that is still slavery. It’s just less visible and more insidious these days.
