New England might not be your best choice of examples for the North's high moral standing. Sure, they opposed slavery - AFTER the African slave trade was made illegal, and they were no longer making millions on it. When there was money to be made, Mr & Mrs. Massachusetts didn't seem to have a whole lot of problem with it. Nor did their textile mills turn down the cotton that was grown with slave labor. (And then there's the whole Chappaquidick thing, but we won't go there.) Point is, when it comes to a showdown between dollar bills and civil rights, the dollar's going to win every time - North or South. And that's why the South wanted to leave, and why the North didn't want them to.
As for my ESP, I'm not too big on sports so I don't watch that channel much.