Causes of Southern Secession in the American Civil war

The second article in a series about the Civil War has been published in History Is Now Magazine. This article explores a topic that historians have largely ignored: the reasons for the secession of the Upper South. It's an excellent read for anyone interested in gaining insight and access to original sources to challenge the misconception that secession was about slavery.


The first dealt with Abraham Lincolns white supremacists views

In my book Defending Dixie's Land, I argue that the Southern states seceded for multiple reasons, with slavery being just one of them and not the primary cause. Slavery was a cause for the Cotton States (not the Upper South) but had more to do with state rights than the preservation of human bondage. My latest article addresses this subject.

Was the U.S. Civil War Fought for Slavery or States’ Rights? — History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books | Modern International and American history

My latest article in History Now Magazine briefly examines the Confederate Constitution's divergence from the original U.S. Constitution, which leaned towards more libertarian, decentralized, and conservative principles.

In my book Defending Dixie's Land, I argue that the Southern states seceded for multiple reasons, with slavery being just one of them and not the primary cause. Slavery was a cause for the Cotton States (not the Upper South) but had more to do with state rights than the preservation of human bondage. My latest article addresses this subject.

Was the U.S. Civil War Fought for Slavery or States’ Rights? — History is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books | Modern International and American history

jas3 said:

Excellent article. It's a shame that most people today uncritically accept what is little more than propaganda; the documents of the time clearly show that the Union prior to the Civil War was seen as a voluntary association of states, and secession was understood to be an option for any state. That was part of the motivation for institutions like the electoral college and the Senate; if things were run on a pure popular vote and the small states' interests were trampled by the large states, the small states could in theory just leave or refuse to join in the first place.

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Right, democracy was despised by North and the South, until mid to late 1850's. We are a Republic! Article 4 section 4, or we were before the Civil war.

My latest article in History Now Magazine briefly examines the Confederate Constitution's divergence from the original U.S. Constitution, which leaned towards more libertarian, decentralized, and conservative principles.