Another reason, the Ft Sumpter issue could have been pushed is; The City Council of New York City voted to secede from the Union and stay in league with the Southerners. The only thing to change their thinking was the firing on Ft Sumpter by the South. What kind of War could Mr. Lincoln have waged without the extra money provided by the New York banks? Money gained through the import and sale of slaves.

Smithstonian Magazine, May 2007 issue