Just my opinion if you are gonna free slaves free them all, not just in the CSA. I see your war measure point. However I think Lincoln had plans all alone to free the slaves, the war was just an excuse. I still have a problem with rebellion, seems to me the North made the first agressive move, the South was simply defending their homes from an invading army.

Well in his first inaugural he says he had no intention of, to Greeley he says he is preserving the Union. He then comes out with the EP, which he had no authority to do. Either he was lying from the time he went into office or he was lying to the people of the North by this letter.

Ah, yes you are going to stick to that Ok that is fine with me. Lincoln provoked a war that destroyed a peaceful nation and took more American lives than any other war in history. His administration set up what we now know as a strong central government. States rights come second. I can live with those assessments.

Fact still remains slavery was not a cause at the start of the war. Agreed?

I chose to believe Davis's point because of the several points both you and I have made.

Oh hold on now. We just agreed that Lincoln was not going to interfere. He said so in his first inaugural speech. A second time he tell Greeley it is to save the Union. Now you are saying that "slavery played a very large role in the American Civil War." Then the South was right in all of their fears about Lincoln? Sir you cannot play both sides of the net. We cannot take Stephens and Lincoln to their word only when it fits our argument.

Now for the Causes of secession-- Secession has not been proved illegal.

We have no idea under what instructions these men where called together under. At least I have never read these instructions. These are articles of secession, not war. I have read quite a bit of them. Let’s take Mississippi my home state. If you read the each article them you will see that there are just about as many articles one way as there is another. Note there is one that says "No provision is provided for the care and maintenance of freed slaves."

Looking over the Declaration of War for the Northern States, I fail to see any state saying in any sort of manner we are fighting to free the slaves.

GP