Nikki Haley-What was the cause of the Civil War

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(12-28-2023, 12:20 PM)hollodero Wrote: Oh just to clarify, of course slavery and all the issues around it was a quite important reason. I do not put that in question. It's just, when you say that question requires a one word answer, I can not really feel on board with that. Imho, that feels like oversimplifying the issue for moral conveniency. I'd argue a historian would not be quite satified with said one word answer.

You're right that it is more complicated than just a one word reason.

Lincoln's Inaugural Address
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/01264_0.pdf
"I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so."


The Emancipation Proclamation wasn't enacted until almost 2 years after the start of the war had passed when it became clear that it was going to take awhile and the Union needed more soldiers (hence why there were specific mentions of escaped slaves from the South being recognized as free to join the Army and Navy) with an estimated 10% of the Union Army being African Americans by the end of the war. 

It also was only affecting territories that had seceded against the Union. Slavery still continued in the Union states of Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, Missouri, and Tennessee (almost 1/3rd of the total slave states both Union and Confederate at the time), and any part of the South that was under Union control. For example Missouri was a slave state in the Union and they didn't outlaw slavery until 2 years AFTER the Emancipation Proclamation with the 13th Amendment. Kentucky was almost 3 years after, and months after the Civil War had already ended.

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I say this as a person who had no slave owners in my family history and they fought extensively (though not quite exclusively, but overwhelming majority) for the Union, had a handful die fighting for the Union, and I am perfectly fine saying slavery is bad. Just to cut off any of those potential replies.

Slavery was obviously a part of the equation, but there was certainly more going on there and it wasn't the initial key focus as they would have chosen a whole US over a fractured warring US and no slavery, as evidenced by the fact that they allowed 5 slave states to continue operating as business as usual for years after the South formed the Confederacy.

Nothing is ever as simple as one word, let alone something that lasted 4 years and killed over half and less than one million people.