Mark, there is plenty of documentation that the South cesseded for one reason and one reason only. In the their own Words, “ Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery — the greatest material interest of the world.” That’s directly from A Declaration of the Immediate Causes which Induce and Justify the Secession of the State of Mississippi from the Federal Union. Mississippi gave no other reason than Slavery. Georgia takes several pages to blather on about slavery and how the Northerners don’t respect slave holding states.
Texas writes an unapologetic love letter to slavery. “ She was received as a commonwealth holding, maintaining and protecting the institution known as negro slavery — the servitude of the African to the white race within her limits — a relation that had existed from the first settlement of her wilderness by the white race, and which her people intended should exist in all future time.” It continues with Vile Bigotry and whining about Non Slave Holding States being mean to them. They, like the other states, make no reference to anything else.
Actually I take that back. South Carolina in a document that they updated every few years in their multiple attempts to leave the Union, rambled disjointedly on does refer to a States Rights Case. They are opposed to States Rights… most particularly Pennsylvania exercising States Rights and the Court deciding against South Carolina. One of the more consistent complaints is that the Federal Gov doesn’t uphold Federal Law acquiescing to the Northerners Claiming States Right trump Federal Law.
In fact if you read the Confederate Constitution, they literally reordered the US Constitution (mostly word for word) and added a whole lot of “Slavery now. Slavery tomorrow. Slavery for all TIME!” They also added a bit about Indentured Servitude. Once you look at actual documents and cases it becomes clear. Unlike the colonies Declaration of Independence which maintained several grievances that were later included in the US Constitution (and the Articles of Confederation)… the only issue addressed is Slavery and those things that made it hard to be a slave holder.
The Tariff and taxation thing is also a revisionist argument. In 1858 the Southern Democratics started working on a huge rewrite of the Tariffs and Taxation (low Tariffs and low Taxes) to set them just the way they wanted them. In 1860 they passed easily.
Lee himself was famous for saying that Slaves were lucky to have them because without their white masters they wouldn’t be able to survive by themselves. He was also reported to be a cruel master.
