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Re: More on my "Red Herring" theory

As for territories I think those issues would not have been so controversial had it not been for the pop sov issue of slave or free. We might have annexed huge chunks of Mexico if not for the issue of whether the new territoy was slave or free, neither side wanting to allow the other to get the upperhand politically.

It was a dilemma that was unsolvable. The slaveholders had the right of it legally through the Constitution. The abolitionists had the right of it morally, as I believe no one today will not say slavery is evil.

All the above is conjecture, or pure opinion. But I have posted enough quotes to show what was typical common sentiment among the CSA political leadership and press, and it was their opinion that settled the matter for everyone else, that they felt they had gone to war to protect their interests in the "institution" that going to war only to surrender the "institution" made the war pointless.

My opinion carries no weight on the outcome of the war, theirs carried the entire weight of the CSA Cause since it was in their hands the decisions of
policy rested.

Here's the crux, made simple:
To them slavery was an accepted practice, they even thought of it as God-sanctioned. But the idea that a black man was equal to a white, was extremely contoversial, and they did whatever it took to downplay anything that upset their moral world view. Armed black slaves fighting as men making theirnown free will choices tilted that world view, and the CSA leadership then in power made no bones about saying so openly in the press. It was not something to be proud of, but to pretend it wasn't really happening. Slavery however was open and legal, slaves acting as the equal to whites, as soldiers, was something that they found abhorrent, or not ideal at the best. These CSA politicians didn't find that black soldiers was something they felt was to boast of openly.

Today it is the exact opposite. We find the concept of slavery morally abhorrent, and black equality beyond question is something ordained by our mutual Creator. Therefore today we downplay the role of slavery and emphasize the role of equality. Armed slaves proves to our eyes that slaves openly made choices of loyalty, hence they improve the image of the CSA in our modern eyes. Black soldiers is something to be proud of for this generation, slavery not so much.

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More on my "Red Herring" theory
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Agreed *NM*
Re: More on my "Red Herring" theory
Alexander Stephens
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WTH ? *NM*
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