Scholarly history of Civil War vs. popular "history" of Civil War

[Elok]

It's "not about slavery" in the same sense that, if I refuse to pay my rent, and then shank my landlord when he comes to collect, the cops won't be coming to arrest me because of the rent. Technically true, but the root cause of the problem remains my disagreement with the landlord over money.

[DaShi]

A short summary of my views:
The casus belli was the secession of the southern states.
The reason for the secession were the doom-spelling election results (Republican majority and a Republican potus), which were the pivotal point in the struggle of northern politicians to outlaw slavery.
The main driving point behind that struggle was not the humanistic desire to emancipate the slaves, although it was actively used in propaganda.
The main driving point was the desire to curb the economic and political power of the southern states.
If the economic and political power of the southern states had been allowed to grow unchecked, the northern elite would've lost their power, the USA would've remained a primarily agrarian country and would've lagged behind the UK and Germany in the industrial race.

In my opinion, calling slavery the reason for your civil war is a simplistic approach that's good for primary school ("And then, children, good president Lincoln told the Southern states he had enough of their evil ways and made them free their poor downtrodden black slaves. When they refused, he had to wage war on them, but in the end, white and black people held hands and were happy. Yes, Milly, you had a question? Why did it take another hundred years for black people to become full-fledged citizens? Um... Uh, because Mr. Lincoln was shot and no one else knew what to do!")

The economic power of the southern states lagged behind the northern ones.

[Imran Siddiqui]

The main driving point was the desire to curb the economic and political power of the southern states.
If the economic and political power of the southern states had been allowed to grow unchecked, the northern elite would've lost their power, the USA would've remained a primarily agrarian country and would've lagged behind the UK and Germany in the industrial race.

What in the heck? Who in the world are you reading? Yes, the Northern and Southern states had different economic interests, but the reason the South left was because they were afraid that Lincoln would ban slavery. After all, his party, the Republicans came into existance after the Whigs split on North & South lines because of.... get this... slavery! And not just because of cynical interests, but because of honest-to-goodness moral concerns.

[Hauldren Collider]

I don't know about you but I still get a little hard when I think about Sherman's March

That's a disgusting point of view. Even though slavery was evil, this is like gloating about the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They may have been necessary and/or justified, but it's still tasteless to speak of them as anything better than a necessary evil.

[giblets]

That's a disgusting point of view. Even though slavery was evil, this is like gloating about the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They may have been necessary and/or justified, but it's still tasteless to speak of them as anything better than a necessary evil.

You're not comparing property destruction to dropping bombs on civilians, are you?

[Asher]

Houses are people too.

[Hauldren Collider]

You're not comparing property destruction to dropping bombs on civilians, are you?

Maybe I have my facts wrong, but weren't a lot of civilians killed too?

And even so, it was devastating to the south, and while I don't think for a second that Sherman's March was wrong or a mistake, treating it glibly the way Alby did is tasteless. This isn't sympathy to slaveowners.

[giblets]

Yes, Alby is often in poor taste. As for Sherman's March, I've never heard of widespread killings of civilians during the march, but it certainly made the civilians poorer.

[Hauldren Collider]

The point is that saying "I get a stiffy from people's homes burning down!" is disgusting. And not just because it might possibly create the mental image of Alby getting a stiffy.

[Elok]

What in the heck? Who in the world are you reading? Yes, the Northern and Southern states had different economic interests, but the reason the South left was because they were afraid that Lincoln would ban slavery. After all, his party, the Republicans came into existance after the Whigs split on North & South lines because of.... get this... slavery! And not just because of cynical interests, but because of honest-to-goodness moral concerns.

? I could've sworn I read that Republican opposition to slavery was based, at least in part, on the idea that slave labor was unfair competition for the honest, free white laborer.

[SlowwHand]

A short summary of my views:
The casus belli was the secession of the southern states.
The reason for the secession were the doom-spelling election results (Republican majority and a Republican potus), which were the pivotal point in the struggle of northern politicians to outlaw slavery.
The main driving point behind that struggle was not the humanistic desire to emancipate the slaves, although it was actively used in propaganda.
The main driving point was the desire to curb the economic and political power of the southern states.
If the economic and political power of the southern states had been allowed to grow unchecked, the northern elite would've lost their power, the USA would've remained a primarily agrarian country and would've lagged behind the UK and Germany in the industrial race.

In my opinion, calling slavery the reason for your civil war is a simplistic approach that's good for primary school ("And then, children, good president Lincoln told the Southern states he had enough of their evil ways and made them free their poor downtrodden black slaves. When they refused, he had to wage war on them, but in the end, white and black people held hands and were happy. Yes, Milly, you had a question? Why did it take another hundred years for black people to become full-fledged citizens? Um... Uh, because Mr. Lincoln was shot and no one else knew what to do!")

You're better informed than the Yankees here. Very good.

[DaShi]

He's almost as wrong as you.

[Kuciwalker]

Dad gummit, I don't believe this hooey! Y'all mean that folks don't like like it when you tell them that their government, which they feel loyal to, used to be evil and then they make excuses? Well golly, I never woulda guessed that.

Okay, my horrible southerner caricature aside, I find it unsurprising that people make excuses for their home state. It doesn't mean they think the south should have won or that slavery was good or that they are racist. It just means they're intellectually dishonest, which is not a terribly serious crime even if it is politically insensitive.

We should apply the same principle to German Holocaust deniers. Oh, wait, that would be ****ing stupid.

[Kuciwalker]

You're just joking, right?

There is no such debates among historians, yes, but in general society, it is still alive and well.

Tough. People still "debate" evolution. A lot of shouting idiots is not a debate.

[Kuciwalker]

In my opinion, calling slavery the reason for your civil war is a simplistic approach that's good for primary school

In my opinion, you are ridiculous. There would not have been a civil war, or there would have been an unrecognizably different one, if not for slavery - and preservation of slavery was the primary motivation of one of the belligerents.