LogFAQs > #923105015

I feel like a lot of people are intentionally ignorant about why the Civil War was fought. They say it was about slavery, or about states' rights. Both are actually right, but it doesn't tell you why. The Civil War was fought in order to maintain the economic status quo in the South, which was largely rooted in agriculture. They wanted to keep slaves because it cut down hugely on labor costs, akin to what we see today with manufacturers outsourcing to third world countries. However, the Nullification Crisis, one of the first examples of states threatening to secede, was over some tariffs that benefitted the Northern economy but hurt the South.

The Civil War is way more complicated than just the South wanted to keep slaves just for the lulz. It was the messiest war in American history for a reason. The North did reprehensible things, too, like enacting total warfare against civilians in Sherman's March to Georgia.

As for Robert E. Lee, he joined the South because his home state had seceded. If they hadn't seceded, he would've fought for the North. He joined the South out of loyalty to his state. Loyalty to your homeland is a forgotten concept these days, it seems.
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