It doesn't really matter...

[cash]

Originally Posted by Beowulf

Frank Conner: THE SOUTH UNDER SIEGE 1830-2000

"Slavery was not the primary focus of the war for President Lincoln or President Davis.

From Jefferson Davis' first message to the confederate congress, 29 Apr 1861:

"In the meantime, under the mild and genial climate of the Southern States and the increasing care and attention for the well-being and comfort of the laboring class, dictated alike by interest and humanity, the African slaves had augmented in number from about 600,000, at the date of the adoption of the constitutional compact, to upward of 4,000,000. In moral and social condition they had been elevated from brutal savages into docile, intelligent, and civilized agricultural laborers, and supplied not only with bodily comforts but with careful religious instruction. Under the supervision of a superior race their labor had been so directed as not only to allow a gradual and marked amelioration of their own condition, but to convert hundreds of thousands of square miles of wilderness into cultivated lands covered with a prosperous people; towns and cities had sprung into existence, and had rapidly increased in wealth and population under the social system of the South; the white population of the Southern slaveholding States had augmented form about 1,250,000 at the date of the adoption of the Constitution to more than 8,500,000 in 1860; and the productions of the South in cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco, for the full development and continuance of which the labor of African slaves was and is indispensable, had swollen to an amount which formed nearly three-fourths of the exports of the whole United States and had become absolutely necessary to the wants of civilized man. With interests of such overwhelming magnitude imperiled, the people of the Southern States were driven by the conduct of the North to the adoption of some course of action to avert the danger with which they were openly menaced. With this view the Legislatures of the several States invited the people to select delegates to conventions to be held for the purpose of determining for themselves what measures were best adapted to meet so alarming a crisis in their history."

Anyone who believes Conner doesn't know their history.

Originally Posted by Beowulf

But that being the case, why then did the US Congress write constitutional amendments to free the slaves at the end of the war, and later, make them citizens and give them the vote?"

"For the answers, we'll refer to the following references:

Ludwell H. Johnson's NORTH AGAINST SOUTH

C. Vann Woodward's THE BURDEN OF SOUTHERN HISTORY

J.G. Randall's THE CIVIL WAR AND RECONSTRUCTION

T.Harry Williams' LINCOLN AND THE RADICALS

E. Merton Coulter's THE SOUTH DURING RECONSTRUCTION"

"One of the main points of this book is that the North engineered and fought the war to drag the Confederate states back into the U.S. so as to safeguard the short-term and long-term financial interests of the Northern capitalists
- who wish to use the U.S. federal government to enforce their program of national industrialization upon the U.S.
and make the South pay for it.

The South, in turn, fought to defend its nation, its homes, and its families against the invading armies from the North".

End Quote

Beowulf

So according to Conner, slavery was abolished to destroy the southern economy? Amazing that anyone actually believes that rubbish.

Regards,
Cash

[OpnDownfall]

If one would only read Lincoln's Cooper Union Hall Speech and at least, his First Inaugrial Address, one would know 'exactly' his thoughts and attitudes towards slavery.
It is an interesting Historical Fact, that as the war progressed both Presidents' realized the centrality of slavery to accomplish their goals. Lincoln's realization that peace was not possible as long as the source of the war remained in place and Davis that if he were really only concerned with Independence then he would have to sacrifice slavery.
Lincoln, had the support of the majority of the Northern people and ,perhaps more importantly, the Northern Armies. Whereas, Davis, while himself willing to sacrifice slavery for southern independence, could not bring his gov't, the states or his people to accept such a sacdrifice.
One has only to read Davis' reply to Gen. Cleburne's proposal, for the south to free its slaves and recruit them into southern armies, to know his feelings concerning slavery. (and this was in 1864).

[ole]

So according to Conner, slavery was abolished to destroy the southern economy? Amazing that anyone actually believes that rubbish.

But there are those that do, Cash. Really. It was all for economic domination, don't ya know. Like I have to corral my customers and smack them around some to keep them in line. Otherwise they might eliminate tariffs and buy their stuff from England. And then, without their money, I'd go broke. So I guess we'd be better off if we went to war and forced them to buy from me. Strange.


ole