And NOT to free the slaves. Thank you, you have made my argument for me.
No, I have not. We were not discussing the sublject of abolition/emancipation. This does not change the fact that the southern states seceeded over the issue of and in order to preserve the institution of slavery.
Perhaps you need to look into the treatment of blacks in the North,
Ah, the old Straw Horse of "Blacks In The North". Were Black folks treated like crap in the North? Of course they were. How does this mitigate their significantly shittier treatment under the slave system in the south? It is a difference in KIND, not degree.
Cooper's book is a generalalist overview for popular consumption, dating from 1990 or before. Do look up the free Blacks question in a more reliable source.As Cooper's book is 18+ years old (and Cooper is at Louisiana State University), try something current dealing specifically with the subject under discussion - authors Leon Litwack, Eric Foner, William Loren Katz, Eugene Genovese, et. al. Do look up the free Blacks question in a more reliable source.
Also, check Francis Fitzgerald's "History Revised" re: how textbooks like Cooper's are written & how reliable they are, David H. Fischer's "Historian's Fallacies" and any of James Loewen's books and/or articles.