On Causes of the Civil War

And furor over flags

These are some simple facts regarding the Civil War which lead to my larger point.
Do your own research regarding anything stated herein. All of this is public record.
The Civil War almost happened in 1832. Prior to the Revenue Act of 1861, there
was no federal income tax in the US and 90% of federal revenue was derived from
import tariffs. These tariffs varied by goods but averaged 15 to 20%. In turn, the
European countries that were importing US goods charged a similar tariff rate. Nation
to nation this may seem like an equitable arrangement, but domestically it was very
unbalanced.
The bulk of industrial goods, produced in the north, were being consumed within
the US. On the other hand, 80% of the agricultural goods produced in the south were
being exported. In short, the tariff was forcing the south to charge higher prices for the
goods that it sold, while at the same time forcing them to pay more for the industrial
goods that they had to purchase. In the early to mid 1800's, the southern states only
comprised about 30% of the US population, but contributed 80% of the federal
government's revenue.
The issue came to a head in 1832, as Congress had enacted two new tariffs,
effectively raising the tariff rate to almost 50%. South Carolina responded with a state
convention and articles of nullification. This nearly led to secession and armed conflict,
and is known as the "Nullification Crisis". Fortunately, a compromise was reached in
1833 and the tariff rate was reduced to an average of 20%.
In the late 1850's, the US was experiencing a recession. The recession had the
most effect on the industrial north. Using the recession as an excuse, in May of 1860,
the Congress passed the Morrill Tariff, effectively raising rate to 50%. This was a highly
partisan act. Only one southern congressman voted in favor of this tariff.
South Carolina responded in December by seceding from the union. They were
quickly followed, in January of 1861, by five more southern states. By June of 1861,
the eleven primary southern states had all seceded from the union.
This was a major concern to the northern controlled federal government, which
relied upon the south for federal revenue. The general populace in the north didn't see
the significance of the departure of the southern states. Most people recognized that
the union was designed for mutual benefit and felt that each state had a right to
secede.
 The southern states considered the matter closed and set upon the task of forming
a confederacy and putting together a government. They had no desire for war and
certainly no intention of invading the north. The only point of contention was the fact
that there were multiple union garrisons located in what was now a bordering country.
South Carolina demanded that the union forces vacate Fort Sumter.
Newly elected union President Abraham Lincoln, along with the northern federal
government saw the situation at Fort Sumter as an opportunity to force the south into
an aggressive act, and thereby gain popular support for military efforts to bring the
south back into the Union. The entire union government was of the opinion that the
north held an overwhelming advantage over the south, based on population and
industry, and that an armed conflict would be quickly resolved and that the south would
be soundly defeated.
President Lincoln informed South Carolina Governor Francis Pickens that not only
would the union not surrender Fort Sumter to South Carolina, but they intended instead
to resupply the fort. On April 12th, 1861, South Carolina batteries fired on the resupply
ships approaching Charleston Harbor, and also fired upon Fort Sumter itself. The
resulting battle lasted for one day and the fort was surrendered to South Carolina on
April 14th. No one was killed on either side, yet the north used this battle as an excuse
to start the bloodiest war in the History of the U.S., resulting in the deaths of over
500,000 combatants and countless civilians.
What Lincoln and the northern government did not count on was how quickly the
south would prepare for full scale war, nor how strong was the resolve of the southern
men to defend their lives, homes, and freedom.
The south either won or fought to a stalemate all of the early battles. Northern
sentiment for the war was quickly lost and northern men and women began to question
why they were sending their husbands, brothers, fathers, and sons to die in the name
of denying the southern states their right of self governance.
To regain and maintain support for the war, Lincoln turned to the issue of ending
slavery as a worthy cause to justify the loss of life and destruction of property
Winston Churchill famously (and accurately) said " History is written by the victors".
What we are taught is shaded not by historical scholarship or factual understanding of
our past, but by the power of political and cultural leaders on the “winning” side, who
shape our views through school textbooks, public iconography, television and film, and
other media.
And so it is that we are led to believe that this war was fought to end slavery. A
noble cause, indeed — were it true! It certainly casts a saintly glow on Abraham
Lincoln, the so-called "Great Emancipator" who was — as is documented in his own
writings and speech — a white supremacist.
During Lincolns 1861 inaugural address, he endorsed a constitutional amendment
to forever protect slavery, commonly referred to as the Corwin amendment, as an
inducement for the seceded states to rejoin the Union. Lincoln told the inaugural
audience: "I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable."
Lincoln was quite prepared to perpetuate slavery to save the Union, writing
abolitionist Horace Greeley: "If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I
would do it." In addressing a delegation of black ministers in 1862, Lincoln observed
that “not a single man of your race is made the equal of a single man of ours.”
During his famous debates with Senator Stephen Douglas, Lincoln explained to the
crowd: "I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social
and political equality of the white and black races ... I am not nor ever have been in
favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to
intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical
difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two
races from living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as
they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be a position of superior
and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior
position assigned to the white race.
Prior to the war not a single slave had been liberated and slavery was alive in well
in the north as well as the south. Slavery was not the driver that led to war. It was
simply the issue used to try to maintain popular support in the north for the war.
The Civil War officially started in April of 1861 when South Carolina rightly
reclaimed its sovereign ground. The Emancipation Proclamation was made in
September of 1862. So the war had been raging for almost a year and half before
there was any official freeing of slaves, and at any rate, the proclamation had no effect
on slaves held in the northern states. It only applied to southern states that continued
hostilities and remained in rebellion. Had the south laid down its arms and rejoined the
union, the proclamation would have been void and slavery would have remained legal.
The Civil War is constantly purported to be about slavery, yet slavery was legal in
the union for the entire duration of the war. Slavery did not end in the US until the 13th
Amendment was fully ratified in November of 1865.
Slavery began in the US in 1619 and ended in 1865. That means that the British
flag flew over legal slavery here for 157 years. The US flag flew over legal slavery here
for 89 years, including the full duration of the US Civil War. The Confederate battle flag
flew over slavery in the south for only 3 years and 7 months.
97% of the southern combatants in the US Civil War did not take up arms, take life,
give their own life, and at the same time watch their families be raped and murdered,
and their homeland destroyed, all so the other 3% could continue the institution of
slavery.
The federal government did not engage in this costly war for the noble cause of
defending their fellow man, only to turn around and commit genocide against the
Native Americans less than two years later. They murdered the Native Americans for
the same reason that they murdered their southern brothers — the almighty dollar.
The Confederate battle flag is often portrayed as being the representation of
slavery in the US, while the reality is that the stars and bars Confederate flag was very
similar to the stars and stripes of the union, resulting in much confusion on the
battlefield for both sides, so the Confederacy adopted the battle flag in October of
1861.
In the light of these facts, it should be clear that statues and flags did not symbolize
slavery or racism originally, but only carry those connotations through ignorance and
the false teaching of history. As for myself, I don't care for any of these symbols of
idolatry, including the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
So should we tear down these memorials on the National Mall as well?
If indeed, we are all created equal, and equally imperfect, then no man or woman
should be exalted above another, whether or not their likeness is carved in stone or
engraved on a bill or a stamp. Wisdom would dictate that these symbols not be taken
so seriously.