Independence Was The Cause Of War

Independence, not slavery, cause of War

Confederate Generals Lee and Jackson are considered the epitome of Southern Christian Gentlemen and Military geniuses whose battle strategies are studied worldwide. The War for Southern Independence (Civil War) of 1861-65 had many parallels to the Revolutionary War of 1775-1783. After a long series of abuses by the industrial North, the Southern states constitutionally, legally and honorably seceded from the Union to form a new nation, the Confederate States of America. What followed was an epic struggle in which the Confederacy, outnumbered three to one and with most manufacturing located in the North, fought heroically for the cause of independence.

The North offered the South the Corwin Amendment to the U.S. Constitution on March 2, 1861 that would have made slavery permanently legal in America, and if that was all the South wanted, it could have achieved it without war. But the goal was independence. The South would have been required to rejoin the Union and agree to pay the upcoming 40 percent Morrill Tariff Tax. Eight-five percent of the money to operate the federal government was derived from Southern states through an unfair sectional tariff tax. When asked why not let the South go, Lincoln replied, “What will happen to my tariff?” All wars are fought over money, resources, land and power. To receive my article “The 10 Causes of Southern Secession,” contact me at jkingantiquearms@bellsouth.net.

JAMES W. KING
Albany