(response to elgnidelgnid927's comment) Hoorah for Civil War reenactors!! Thank God for people who want to preserve our history. I am a Civil War reenactor myself for the CSA.

Amen. Long live southern heritage, may we never be offended by ignorant people who don't truly know what the American Civil war was all about.

What the fuck is this shit?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What gave you the delusion that you are even remotely talented and funny! THis is a giant piece of bull shit!

uggh way to go u tried too hard to be funny and just ended up being another contributor to that gigantic mound of shit thats covering our media and is consuming what rare talent there is beneath your noxious fumes thanks alot assholes :)

Claiming that these poor Southerners were fighting for the right of the wealthy aristocrats to own slaves is like saying they were fighting for their right to stay poor. It just doesn't make any sense. The real issue of the Civil War was federalism versus anti-federalism. Federalism won. Slavery was dying anyway. Within 10 years, technology would have rendered the giant slave plantations obsolete. The Emancipation Proclamation was nothing more than a propaganda ploy.

The fact remains however that the Civil War was not about the issue of slavery. Of the men who fought in the Confederate rank and file, fewer than 10 percent were slave owners. For the majority of white Southerners, slaves owned by wealthy planters were a threat to their welfare. Poor Southern farmers (the majority of the population) couldn't produce large enough crops to effectively compete with slave owners in the marketplace. Most Southern farmers were sustenance farmers.

I agree it was not a moral crusade to free slaves. Not for most - for hundreds of thousands of abolitionists, however, it was. Furthermore, slavery was still an underlying issue in South Carolina's secession, both because it created the social structure and economy that led to sectionalist conflicts over tariffs and infratructure. And though the 1860 Republican platform didn't mention abolitionism, it's like the 2008 Democrats not mentioning income redistribution. You know it's going to happen

I argue that slavery was indeed the underlying factor for secession, which then led to the Civil War. However, as a history teacher and scholar, I question what you mean by "every credible site on the internet" if your example is wikipedia, a site that many school systems firewall because of its lack of credibility. Civil War scholars, not internet hacks with axes to grind or memorabilia to sell, continue to debates the real role of slavery. Casting insults makes you look ignorant, not them.

The underlying basis for the Southern social ladder was slavery. The disdain for tariffs stemmed from Clay's (or Madison's) American System, which designated cash crops grown with slave labor as the main Southern industry. I could go on. You would at least concede that secession was the Southern attempt to preserve a way of life based on slavery, wouldn't you? Every state that seceded knew that doing so COULD lead to war, this is why most had armies ready before they voted to secede or not.

whooo yall opened a big o can this time! ;D Helives!

well not that i remember, mexico freed itself without the US, and it pretty much was the US that needed hepled after the civil war.... omg you have literal accents and I don't I am ashamed of myself, btw remember 5 de mayo that's when mexico finished with those frenchies even though some of them stayied in mexico, please tell me if i am wrong.... But was't the US the one that needed the supplies to and everything i am sorry i seriously don't remember that good....

Slavbery wasnt the reason for the civil war. The Emansip-ation proclamation wanst stated till 1863. Lincon is even stated that he didnt want to go into the slavery issue at the statrt of tyhe Civil war. ANd remember, CONFEDERATES were AMERICANS too. Trust me, i am a Civil War reenactor. I know what i am talking about.

Wikipedia is your research tool? I guess you bought your Doctorate of History from Sears too.

The question I have for you is this...if slavery was the reason for the American Civil War, then why didn't the U.S. just free the slaves? Slavery was still legal in Washington D.C. as late as 1863, it wasn't even banned in the entire U.S. until December 1865, a full 8 months after the war was essentially over. Makes no sense to let millions of men die over four years for a cause that is leagal in all the states involved.

So who freed the slaves?

this is despicable

You're a disgrace. My anestors died fighting in he Civil War. And do some research before you open your big mouth.

British troops were in Canada because Canada was a British colony at the time. British AND French troops were in México because they, partially France, was taking advantage of the U.S.A.s inability to enforce the Monroe doctrine. France was trying to conquer Mexico(make it a colony), Brittan only wanted its money Mexico owned them in unpaid depts. Mexico was getting its ass kicked until the end of the U.S. Civil war when we were able to start supplying them aid and arms again.

European interests wanted a split USA because afraid of USA democratic attitudes challenging monarchies of Europe with economic success. British troops waiting in Canada during Civil War. French troops in Mexico waiting during Civil War. Lincoln hired Russian navy to threaten Europeans to stop these invasions with threat that war theater would be in Europe. That's why USA bought Russian Alaska afterwards, because Lincoln 'hired' Czar's Navy without legal authorization. Buy Alaska = Czar payment.

Civil War was fought because USA (i.e., the North) afraid legal secession (yes, legal secession) would destroy banking and industrial rising fortunes of Northern cities that depended upon southern raw materials and feared it would destroy the tax base. Invaded to keep northern imperialism moving. Read 'The Real Lincoln.' War winners write lies. Read more than winner's arguments for fuller picture. Slavery? NOTHING to do with it. Racist Lincoln supported slavery & black resettlement out of US.

TheChoada - "I have researched this issue from several different sources and ALL of them list slavery as the main cause, " Yes and no.... Lots of peeps proclaim "States Rights." Meaning the States have the option to ban slavery if they wanted too. Yes it was about slavery but also the States right issue. It happened for 50 different small reasons along with 2 or 3 big reasons but should never have happened. In the end it was really over Political power and Money.

is that tay zonday doing the voice over at the end?

I am not going to argue this point anymore. If you people want to believe that slavery was not the MAIN cause of the American Civil War then thats your problem. I have researched this issue from several different sources and ALL of them list slavery as the main cause, though there were other lesser factors. I think you might want to question why you want to believe what you do. And those who comment without researching are just ignorant. I will not reply to any more posts on this video.

Go to "Google Advanced Books" if you seek the truth.

Yes everyone, please do not believe everything you read on "Wikipedia" that is horrible. The numbers are off, just bottom line 11th grade history.