Kevin, if you want to talk to me, do it by email these people don't want to listen to your rantings and you being wrong. In the 30 years between the Nullification Action of S.C. and the 1860 the things had changed. In the 1830's the South still held some power in Congress and the south had always agreed to a 30% tax rate. They understood that Northern business needed protection from European business that had lower overhead cost and could ship stuff in cheaper. But by the late 1840's Congress' power was becoming a Northern Lake and the big fish in that lake were not the reps. from the Southern states.

By 1850's the Congress was fully in the pocket of the Northern section. ( pop in North in 1860 was 22 million to about 11 million in the South, so the House was in Northern control before 1850, and after California entered the Union as "Free Soil" and voted with the North, at is 16 states vs. 15 states) so there is 10 years that your tax dollar went to pad someone's pocket up North. You would like that I suppose. And now they are talking about putting the tax to 80%. In fact the Lincoln platform of 1860 called for that very thing. So, since the South didn't make a large amount of goods they imported them. If you bought something for $100.00, and the North had their way you would pay an extra $80.00. Would you really like to have to do that? I don't know anyone in their right mind that would think that would be wonderful and great.

AND, in 1863...the tax was raised by Congress to 80 cents on the dollar on many goods delivered to the ports of the U.S. So don't tell me what you believe, because if you are a small farmer trying to keep your head above water that you would welcome such and not be upset. Darn right you would be and enough would be enough added to the fact that you don't own slaves and your being called bad names just because you live in the South. Those people up there don't like us. They haven't since the 1650's. They go as far as calling a large number of their Infantry companies "Roundheads" and guess what we called our cavalry, hint: it is the school mascot of the University of Virginia. And if you know anything about History of Europe you know what I'm talking about.

Something else you need to be aware of. I don't have proof of it yet, but I would do this if I was in business and wanted to make the most money I could. Say you live in the South and need a plow. One from England cost $95.00, and one from (me) up North cost $103.00. Which one would you buy? The cheaper plow at 95, of course. So I go to congress and says we need a tax on plows, the English are killing me with their cheap prices. So they pass a tax of $25.00 on all plows shipped into the country. Now the English plow cost $120.00 and the plow made up North, nope not $103 any more, I can charge $115.00 and still be cheaper then the English plow. A tariff is a monopoly on a good for the country's manufacture of that good. Don't ever forget that. So the Southern got his pocket picked and it isn't know weather he knew it or not. And I am only being a good businessman to take advantage of such a condition and if I don't, I shouldn't be in business. Have a good day now, ya'll hear, and when you come again bring money.

Now if you want a real education, my email address is rhile1@austin.rr.com Anyone wanting social history of the U.S. take my adult course in Dripping Springs in April. It is 6 classes for $40.00 and it is about the War. Only the last two classes are about the military. And we will discuss Gettysburg and what went on there in some detail. The other 4 classes are the social structure of what was really going on in the country. This war is no ones' fault and yet everyone's fault. Slavery, Kevin was just one of the problems.