How can anyone possibly think that Southerners took up arms against an invading force of Northern soldiers to perpetuate the institution of slavery? More than 90% of Southerners owned no slaves and lived in relative poverty or at most a meager existence. The fought because they were attacked.

Tarriffs on goods from Europe arriving in Southern ports were about 40%.

Check into revenues paid to the Federal Government by the population of the South as compared to the population of the North on a per capita basis. Not only did the South feed and cloth America they paid for the development of the country's infrastructure.

That "agenda" I mentioned has blossomed in the recent years. It's kind of like the police telling the citizenry not to fight back and protect themselves. Why? Because if they did there would be no need for police. Our government doesn't want to lend any credibility to a cause in the South for fear that the population may rise up again and seperate itself from this grand Union.

Secession was not uniquely Southern. Massachusetts discussed secession in 1830. The 1800's in this country saw the greatest increase in government control, government spending, and government growth in it's short history. We have become the same evil that we fought against in 1776.