The Lies of Atun-Shei: Part Three

In his third video, Atun-Shei goes over the argument made by some “lost causers” that the Civil War was fought over tariffs and taxes. While tariffs did play into the reason the North invaded the South, I don’t believe that the war itself was caused by that issue. But, there are still some ridicules claims that need to be addressed here.

Firstly, Shei’s assertion that the war was fought over slavery. First, we get into the issue that Shei compounds the issues that led to secession with the causes of secession. The causes of secession were Constitutional violations. Refusal to return fugitives (not just slaves, I may add), refusal to provide military protection for Texas, Georgia cited economic corruption, Northern support of terrorism, people like John Brown, and for the upper South, illegal coercion. These were the issues mentioned by the various seceding States. Slavery itself was never an issue mentioned, only Constitutional issues surrounding it.

Alexander Stephens said in 1865: "Slavery was without doubt the occasion of secession; out of it rose the breach of compact, for instance, on the part of several Northern States in refusing to comply with Constitutional obligations as to rendition of fugitives from service.”

That quote perfectly explains why secession happened. Now, I’m personally not of the opinion secession was caused by tariffs, but it wasn’t caused by slavery either.