Stan, if everybody agreed on everything, there would be little need for study and discussion. We will never agree because we do not have all the factual information that we need. The purpose of discussion is to challenge others, not just those involved in presenting their points of view, to reason among the arguements.
The study of the "Late Unpleasentness" is like trying to put together a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle without the benefit of seeing the picture. Sure you may be able to figure out some of the bigger elements of the picture such as maybe the border outline because of the edges and maybe a house or simular object within the picture. But a lot of the pieces you will question as to whether or not they even belong in the picture.
Many of the pieces, in this puzzle we study, didn't just happen on December 20th, 1860. Some of the pieces started 250 YEARS before that day. If we don't try to find all the pieces and how they fit together, all you will ever have is an incomplete puzzle to wonder about. And just like putting that mystery puzzle together you have to use your imagination to try to visualize what that next piece may look like.
Now tell me honestly before this thread, have you ever thought to question why a slavery cause was even included in our Constitution? Or did you just blindly accept that it was a totally southern thing?
Most people today, maybe not on this board, but I am not sure of even that exception, don't even know that there ever was a slavery clause in our Constitution and that it had to be repealed by a 13th Amendment to finally abolish slavery altogether.