If the federal government in the 1860s had allowed the Southern states

[raccoon]

To peacefully secede, then what would stop other states later on from also seceding?

It would have set a precedent. Strangely that never occurred to me before. I'm sure it's occurred to many other people (especially historians LOL) but I just never thought about before.

[ClarendonDem]

2. No

It would not have been.

[NutmegYankee]

5. That whole handing the state government back to those who murdered US soldiers just 11 years prior..

sure worked out swell, if you were white. If not, well it was a century of terror.

[malchickiwick]

4. Just to be clear: You are advocating for war crimes?

I believe members of CSA leadership should have been tried and executed if found guilty. But extrajudicial slaughter of rank-and-file soldiers? -- to send a message?? -- um, that would have been a nice legacy...

[NutmegYankee]

6. No, I was advocating trial and punishment.

[malchickiwick]

8. For the entire army (that's how your post makes it sound)? Or for leaders like Lee, Stuart, Davis?

And hanging them along a boulevard to send a message? C'mon.

[NutmegYankee]

18. It wasn't a well thought out post.

Just frustration. Frustration about my arguments with right wing neoconfederates who never notice racial disparities. Frustration about civil rights in general, about the moron, about the trumper humpers who get to cheer on the rise of a new white nationalism.

It gets to you.

[sarisataka]

7. Nothing shows how Just

Your cause is than the cold blooded murder of a million men.

[NutmegYankee]

10. What cold blooded murder?

It was treason - defined right in Article III, section 3. We should have tried people. We didn't, and they created the Lost cause myth and set civil rights back a century.

[sarisataka]

13. We could have also executed

The entire German army after WW2, but that would have removed the need for Nurmberg

[NutmegYankee]

15. Point taken.

[sarisataka]

9. I understand now

Last edited Wed Oct 11, 2017, 10:06 PM - Edit history (1)

you spoke from frustration of current ills.

I will not hold a statement made in anger against you as, for me, you have clarified you you spoke from rage and do not truly believe in what you suggested.

Peace

[NutmegYankee]

12. OK. I own it.

I was being sarcastic, though I truely believe leadership should have been tried. The failure to do so set up the current lost cause problem.

[malchickiwick]

11. LOL. Your post pre-edit shows your lack of any "sense" of humor, that's for certain.

sigh

[NutmegYankee]

16. I'm in a pissed off mood. I'm sorry.

I spent part of my day defending a colleague who commented about the unequal results of the Utah nurse cops firing with those of minorities who get no such justice from new-confederate assholes who accused him of racism for bringing it up. I'm angry and vented about the confederacy BS. Wrong place to blow off steam.

[marybourg]

3. I'm sure it occurred to Abe Lincoln. nt.

[TreasonousBastard]

14. That was certainly on his mind...

https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/secessiontableofcontents.htm

The secessionists claimed that according to the Constitution every state had the right to leave the Union. Lincoln claimed that they did not have that right. He opposed secession for these reasons:

1. Physically the states cannot separate.

2. Secession is unlawful.

3. A government that allows secession will disintegrate into anarchy.

4. That Americans are not enemies, but friends.

5. Secession would destroy the world's only existing democracy, and prove for all time, to future Americans and to the world, that a government of the people cannot survive.

[roamer65]

17. Many of the northern states simply would have joined the Canadian confederation.

With its formation in 1867, it would have seen many new provinces join...such as New York, New England, Michigan, etc, etc.

Democracy would not have died, it would have just followed a different path.

It is also likely that Mexico would have declared war on the weakened CSA to regain its old territory.

[left-of-center2012]

19. There's a genre of fiction called 'alternative history'

I suspect books have been written on this subject.

Though not exactly your question,
here's one kindle book:

ReUNION: What if the Civil War had never happened?

"Suppose the American Civil War had never happened.
Suppose Lincoln had decided a war to preserve the Union wasn’t worth the massive bloodshed and economic devastation and let the Southern states secede."