What do you know about the causes for the Civil War?

LTC Ed Ross — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:31:23 -0400

What do you know about the causes for the Civil War beside the fact that it was about slavery? Before we go ripping up every confederate monument and statue and ban everything and anything about the Confederacy from our vocabulary, let's make sure we have all the facts.

http://townhall.com/columnists/walterewilliams/2015/07/15/historical-ignorance-n2024814

Walter E. Williams - Historical Ignorance

The victors of war write its history in order to cast themselves in the most favorable light. That explains the considerable historical ignorance about our war of 1861 and panic over the Confederate flag.

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Jul 15 at 2015 12:32 PM

MSG Brad Sand — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:32:05 -0400

A lot. While an interesting article, it is factually deficient. I would expect more from the writer but calling our Civil War, the War of 1861, kind of sets the tone for everything after.

IF no one in the North, thought it worth going to war, the War of 1861 would never have happened.

IF slavery was not an issue, the Southern states would never have left the Union.

Yes, the winners write the history, but revisionist then get to rewrite is centuries later to try to support their points of view.

Response by SCPO David Lockwood made Jul 15 at 2015 12:33 PM

SCPO David Lockwood — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:33:40 -0400

If I remember it was because the south wanted to succeed from the north. Slavery and other reasons added to the main reason of the succession. I think that what it was.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 15 at 2015 12:38 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:38:25 -0400

The main reason(s) was that the South constantly felt that the Federal Government was constantly trying to infringe on the States rights and ability to govern. Slavery and other aspects were just many small reasons wrapped in the bigger reason. That is to my knowledge, anyway. If I am to be wrong, then I will stand corrected.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jul 15 at 2015 12:46 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:46:20 -0400

Just let it go. The war's over. Fly a flag and live happily.

Response by CMSgt Mark Schubert made Jul 15 at 2015 12:47 PM

CMSgt Mark Schubert — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 12:47:01 -0400

I thought this was a good explanation!
http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/causes-of-the-civil-war/

Causes Of The Civil War | History Detectives | PBS

Video: Causes of the Civil War The causes of the Civil War and its cost to a young nation.

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made Jul 15 at 2015 1:17 PM

MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 13:17:26 -0400

The Civil War was mainly about states' rights. Owning slaves happened to be one of the rights states wanted to keep at the state level as opposed to a federal law prohibiting slave ownership outright. The southern economy needed slaves to keep the cost of cotton down - not that this was right, but it's what their economy was based on. If this sounds vaguely familiar like why companies are shipping jobs overseas in and bringing in Visa workers so they can pay them less, then its no coincidence. This is the primary reason why southern states started to secede from the union despite an attempt to pass laws against it. As the great Robert E. Lee proclaimed, he could not turn his hand against his home state of Virginia despite the fact he felt slavery was inherently wrong.

Response by SGT David T. made Jul 15 at 2015 2:00 PM

SGT David T. — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 14:00:12 -0400

This article is clearly biased. Technically the war began because Beauregard fired on Fort Sumter in response to the Union attempting to reinforce the garrison. Secession wasn't the cause of the war in itself, it was the Confederates firing on a Union garrison that caused the war. Now the causes of secession were a complex series of events starting at the nation's founding that snowballed out of control when both sides stopped trying to work things out. I've said this in other posts. We need to be careful because when we stop talking and stop compromising the results are devastating.

Response by LCDR Jeffery Dixon made Jul 15 at 2015 2:06 PM

LCDR Jeffery Dixon — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 14:06:17 -0400

Economic and social differences, federal v state rights, polarization of slave v non-slave proponents and electing Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

Response by MSgt Robert Pellam made Jul 15 at 2015 3:46 PM

MSgt Robert Pellam — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 15:46:17 -0400

I am not going to comment on the article, its biased and has been called out on several other posts. What I am going to say and I think LTC Ed Ross is talking about is knowing our History. We have agencies who are determined to try and erase Historical landmarks from our own soil. I understand their reasoning but it is a flawed logic. They believe if they get rid of monuments they get rid of racism. History is one of those things that is always there. You can ignore it, but it doesn't go away. We need to educate our children with the facts of it. Make sure they don't forget and make sure we remember. In the Civil War more Americans died i than any other War in Americas history. We the people need to remember that. Every monument to the Civil War needs remembered. For Good or Bad, if we do not learn from our past, we are doomed to repeat it.

Response by SPC Clifton Reed made Jul 16 at 2015 3:29 PM

SPC Clifton Reed — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:29:28 -0400

The cause of the Civil War was slavery and the preservation white supremacy. If, as the Southern traitors maintained, the States had a right to maintain slavery and white supremacy, then you could invoke that old, tired, and consistent "lost cause narrative" of "States Rights".

It's best to go to the source. The following quote is from Alexander Stephens, Vice President to Jefferson Davis of the Confederate States of America, explaining the cause of the Civil War during the Cornerstone Speech delivered in 1861:

"Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition." ~A. Stephens.