This is not a vent board or any other kind of therapy. Before you hit the POST button, ask yourself if your contribution will add to the level of discussion going on.

Important notes on articles:

• Please do not copy entire articles into your post; rather, provide links to them.. We are now links-only for ALL Internet publications. If only a small portion of the article pertains to your post, Fair Use allows you to copy those one or two paragraphs, provided you cite the author's name and the publication for which he writes. Otherwise, put a link in the HTTP Link box.
• Even if you're copying a reference to an article, provide a link to the page from which the article came. We're trying to cut down on duplicate topics, and the posting process will check the link to your article to see if it's already being discussed on this board. At the very least, you'll save yourself some grief on the boards.
• If your first reaction after reading the article you're going to share is the author is uninformed / stupid / a jerk / all of the above, it's not worth sharing with anyone. Not every article needs to be discussed. The more the hair-pulling articles are discussed (e.g. ESPN Page 2), the more the authors will write hair-pulling articles.

Post being replied to

“ The Rise of American Civilization” makes the case that… by EricCartman

Economic factors made the war inevitable.

James G. Randall and Avery O. Craven argue that extremists from both sides inflamed popular passions, which lead to war.

Ultimately, there are two camps: fundamentalist and revisionist. The former built on the work of WEB DuBois (and more recently McPherson and Foner) and the latter on being influenced by Stampp and Potter. There are other sides, and each focuses on a different aspect of the pre-war period.

Haley is correct when she says that the issue is complex. Hell, there is a huge difference even within the south: upper south and Deep South were two different worlds.


The question is pointless unless the person answers “slavery” because any attempt at nuance will be labeled as racist or an attempt to be a southern apologist.