From PBS.ORG

On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States -- an event that outraged southern states. The Republican party had run on an anti-slavery platform, and many southerners felt that there was no longer a place for them in the Union. ...



In his inaugural address, delivered on March 4, 1861, Lincoln proclaimed that it was his duty to maintain the Union. He also declared that he had no intention of ending slavery where it existed, or of repealing the Fugitive Slave Law -- a position that horrified African Americans and their white allies. Lincoln's statement, however, did not satisfy the Confederacy, and on April 12 they attacked Fort Sumter, a federal stronghold in Charleston, South Carolina. Federal troops returned the fire. The Civil War had begun

It appears the secession may have been due to an anti slavery platform that was opposed. The WAR started because the confederacy did not believe Lincolns inauggaral promise not to mess with the slavery currently in progress and attacked Ft Sumter. Now I am sure there are many accounts and interpretations of this time in history, but I consider pbs to be one of the least slanted sources one can find.


Ronny, you are right about the anti slavery and the republicans although Lincoln apparently was playing both sides to keep the peace. But lately, the republicans seem all about keeping the status quo and protecting the haves while letting the have nots rot.

OP-you err in the reason for the founding of the Republicans. The factions that comprised the party were-

* Northern Whigs united in their opposition to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, but leaderless following the deaths of Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, both in 1852
* The Free-Soil Party, which had played a spoiler role in several presidential elections, but now was bereft of effective leadership
* The Know-Nothing movement, whose roots lay in the fear of immigrants in general and Roman Catholics in particular
* Northern Democrats who deserted their Southern cousins over the slavery issue.

Alabama;
McCain-61%
Obama-39%

Miss
McCain-56.4%
Obam-42%

Lousiana
McCain-58.6%
Obama-39/9%

SC
McCain-53.8%
Obama-44.(%

Arkansas
McCain-58.8%
Obama-38.8%

Georgia
McCain-52.2%
Obama-47%

Tenn
McCain-56.9%
Obama-41.8%

What's up with that?


He won Tex by 12%. They were a slave state but the population is heavy white with a lot of Mex thrown in.



Fla, VA and NC went to Obama. Fla, and NC barely, and VA by 6%

No, self sufficieny meaning they didnt need tax dollars.
self sufficient from the Federal Gov.

And no the civil war was not based on slavery.

If nothing the results of the 2008 election prove the south is now Republican leaning.

When Lincoln finally wrote the emancipation Proclamation it was for use as a weapon and only pertained to the slaves in southern states at first.
He hoped it would cause an uprising of slaves in the south to disrupt the confederate army at their rear.

It didnt work.

Slaves were not freed, even in the North until the war was over. 1865!

Seriously, does anyone really believe the uprising,, civil war, had nothing to do with the threat against slavery?

I'll also repeat. Most Southern States did not secede from the Union until Ft. Sumter was attacked.
To most the defining reason was States rights. They didn't appreciate the Fed Gov marching Armies across their land to attack their neighbors.

Yes The Republican party is a shell of it's former self and they once lived up to a portion of their platform and now rarely do any conservative thinking contrary to their promises! We can argue personal responability and social economics but harmony Republicans are not racists, poeple are racists! And democrats are not civil rights champions either! history shows that they are not. I know the civil rights bill of 1963 was monumental but in comparison to what the democrats did to black america prior to that is a far greater sin and peanuts! Not to mention if you look at the work it took of years of legislation to get to 1963. Not to mention the majority of the civil rights violation and crimes commited against african americans during the 1960's accured in the Democrat stronghold "the South" Democrat goveners and so on...... there hands are not clean!

Most southerners didnt even own slaves. Esp the poor ones who volunteered to fight.
Besides, slavery was still legal in the North.

are you stating that whites vote against blacks and vise versa? duh! what does that prove? your logic just makes no sense!

Wow,,, ok

and Ronny,,,this statement "Republicans are not racists, poeple are racists" is 100 percent correct. I believe that racism is not political but personal and can be found on both sides. I just think that most people are under the impressiont that social programs mostly benefit minority groups and therefore the taxpayers who do happen to be racists against these groups are more likely to align themselves with the republican party which generally opposes such programs.

okay the south is republican leaning because of those stats lol.... no it just shows the south is still racists, flip the color of skin and u flip the results! not to mention its one race!

it's quite a talent to read the mind of a dead man!

thats such a crock! You are doing exactly what you accuse others of! You say it's states rights, have you thought maybe the south used states rights as their excuse when it was really about slavery. damn from the free throw line flying threw the air jordan style...DUNK!

You haven't proven your point yet.

I am still waiting.

Democrats did not start the KKK.

You know after reading through the original post again.

The original Republicans would be ASHAMED of their descendents today, wouldn't they have????


So sad to see the degeneration of a good party like that.

That's BS.
The North was full of Democrats as well as well as Whigs.

The Republican Party was new and all weren't against slavery!
They were mostly Industrialist and opportunists.


They opposed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It would have created a Div like the one in Missouri and kept congress equal with votes remaining tied on bills they wished to turn in their favor.

Yeah and most slaves where sold by balck men in africa right? why do you justify the south's sin of killing and inslaving a race of people? The civil war was about two countries one beleived in slavery and one did not. White America did not want to go to war for it thats why Lincoln was such an unpopular president! But the reality was at least the north was moving away from slavery and the south resisted and it became a point where War had to come! the North would have withered away with a border country with free labor and the south would have conquered the north if given time. It was all about slavery!