Civil War

For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery. They have endeavored to weaken our security, to disturb our domestic peace and tranquility, and persistently refused to comply with their express constitutional obligations to us in reference to that property, and by the use of their power in the Federal Government have striven to deprive us of an equal enjoyment of the common Territories of the Republic. This hostile policy of our confederates has been pursued with every circumstance of aggravation which could arouse the passions and excite the hatred of our people, and has placed the two sections of the Union for many years past in the condition of virtual civil war. (Georgia)

[…] a blow at slavery is a blow at commerce and civilization. (Mississippi)

[…] gathers together in one place hypertext links to the most useful identified electronic files about the American Civil War (1861-1865). The page opens a gateway to the Internet's multi-formatted resources about what is arguably the seminal event in American history. Not only was the War the occasion for the abolition of slavery, but by conflict's end the re-United States had emerged as a modern, industrialized power.

Here's how I feel about the cause(s) of the war (remember, my opinion only): Try to imagine the war as being an old wagon wheel. At the center is a "hub." For the sake of discussion, I will call the hub, "States Rights." If all we have is a hub, there is no wheel (war). Now extending from the hub are spokes. For the sake of discussion, I will call the spokes "injustices" (tariffs, unjust laws, etc.) either real or perceived by the South. With only a hub and spokes there is still no wheel (war). Now around the outside of every wagon wheel there is a rim, the rim is what binds the spokes and the hub together to make it a wheel. The rim, for the sake of discussion, I will call slavery. Now if you take the hub, and the spokes, then bind them together with the rim, you now have a wheel. In other words, I believe that States rights were at the center, injustices were the support, and that slavery was the catalyst.

First of all, I feel the need to point out that there never was a civil war in the USA. By definition, a civil war is where 2 or more factions are fighting for control of the same government. The War For States' Rights was not about control of the US government, but about our desire to govern ourselves as an independent nation. That desire still remains strong with us.

We the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity-invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God-do ordain and establish this Constitution for the Confederate States of America.

Today, there is much misinformation, lack of knowledge as well as intentional deception by various sources concerning the War Between The States.

This is the episode Buster Keaton used for his movie The General. It is interesting that he actually changed very few details of the historical facts (alternate URL).

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Last modified 2004-02-01