The Civil War

[Suvorov]

I'd love to know how you managed to watch a twelve hour documentary in less than two hours.
The documentary does not explicitly state that.

I didn't, in the first episode it talks about how the South had growing worries over the abolishment of slavery and losing their "property."

[Leifr]

Do you not see the problem therein?
You've read the first four pages of a two hundred page book and assumed how it all ends already.

[Rithal]

Honestly, just to develop a basic understanding of the ACW, I would just check out and skim through the Wikipedia page first. XD

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

[A. P. Hill]

Do you not see the problem therein?
You've read the first four pages of a two hundred page book and assumed how it all ends already.

Sadly many approach this topic with preconceived notions and ideas. They're looking for some magic gem of information that will change those preconceptions. It sadly is a mental thing the individual must make.

And of course the failure to realize that not every white family in the south had slaves. For the record, there were also some wealthier black families who had slaves as well. Lets not forget that slavery started and existed in the home land of these "poor oppressed" people. Whites were not the sole perpetrators of black indenturement.

[Patrick Kurtz]

I believe that the south seceded because of the issue over slavery, however, I don't believe the war started for the reason, as said previously barely any of the families in the South owned slaves, and it was very hard economically on the families who didn't, the main reason for most of the South fighting was to protect their state and home.

[FanaticDK]

I believe that the south seceded because of the issue over slavery, however, I don't believe the war started for the reason, as said previously barely any of the families in the South owned slaves, and it was very hard economically on the families who didn't, the main reason for most of the South fighting was to protect their state and home.

Really hot topic to talk about, but yes I agree, it was truely the war of the northern aggression.

The Union imperialism knew no bounds at the time, they weren't content with their territory and wanted it all.

Freeing slaves as a goal was a nice way to gather the common man though.

[FruitofDoom]

Ken Burns: The Civil War is in my opinion the best place to start with a basic understanding of the Civil War, if you listen to everything they say, I know it word for word, (may need subtitles) you can really learn a whole lot of important details and get a general grasp of the winding sequence of events, having watched it literally hundreds of times, I can comfortably say it is the greatest of Civil War television series'. Civil War Journal is also a personal favorite, you can find many episodes on youtube (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...sPwWW9YdjaJw7m). For those who seek the ultimate Civil War read I must refer you to Shelby Foote's Civil War: a narrative, in my opinion the greatest volume of books ever written on the war. There is a very good C-span interview done in 1994 with Mr. Foote found here (http://www.c-span.org/video/?60099-1...-stars-courses) where he talks about another book he had written at the time, but includes much interesting talk about the narrative, his own input on the war, and his own interest in the subject.

[A. P. Hill]

IF, you want an indepth read on the eastern theater confederate command structure over the course of the war then you need Douglas Southal Freeman's "Lee's Lieutenants".

[Suvorov]

Do you not see the problem therein?
You've read the first four pages of a two hundred page book and assumed how it all ends already.

Clearly not, all I asked was what did the south fight for as I was TAUGHT that they fought for the right to own slaves, then you come in here throwing around your own assumptions putting words in my mouth I never said.

[thomas aagaard]

Really hot topic to talk about, but yes I agree, it was truely the war of the northern aggression.

The Union imperialism knew no bounds at the time, they weren't content with their territory and wanted it all.

Freeing slaves as a goal was a nice way to gather the common man though.

You really need to do some reading.
More or less everything you just wrote don't have anything to do with historical fact.

Aggresion
The lower south Seceded unilaterally... something that was in no way legal.
(It is possible to leave the union, but that would be done true congress... just like when admitting new states. Or alternatively by an amendment to the Constitution)
The action of secession it self might not be illegal... but the moment you use force or do a lot of other actions you are doing illegal actions.

They then took over federal property (mail officers, mints, armories and forts) by force.
Took US soldiers was prisoners of war (in Texas)
Fired at US ships.

All of it before Lincoln even took officer. All of it was Southern aggression against the union.

Their (CSA) congress than authorized an army of 100.000 men and started to make it.

They then opened fire on a US fort... And just so we are clear. The location of Fort Sumter was sold by South Carolina to the Federal government back in the 1830 ties...
Even if we accept that SC left the union that fort was still US soil. And if we accept the existence of the CSA then that was a direct attack on another country...
Otherwise it was a rebellion/an insurrection...

Only then did Lincoln used his authority under the militia act of 1792 to raise an army of state militia.

Slavery:
also your comment about the slaves show a clear lack of understanding about the war. In the early part of the war, slaves that ran away was returned to their owners.
Not until half way true the war did the destruction of slavery become a wargoal. Until then Lincoln and the union was very clear about the goal. The preservation of the union.

The south lost a democratic election and then as an reaction decided to leave to preserve slavery.
This is made very clear in the deceleration of causes
http://www.civilwar.org/education/hi...nofcauses.html

And we can go on the Imperialism.
It was the south who pushed for the war against mexico so they could expand slavery.
It was a southern president who pushed for it.
The south wanted the US to buy Cuba from spain... and when the Spanish said no.. they wanted a war with Spain so they could take it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostend_Manifesto