they considered the states and not the federal government the ultimate authority

And, they were wrong.

Most people in the south did not own slaves only the large landowners.

True. But the SYSTEM of slavery supported the entire southern economy and thus impacted ALL of the southern people, and all had a stake in maintaining that system.

The "goods" Southerners were sold was that the Nigras were sub-human and had to be kept in subjugation as slaves for the good of the southern society & economy, and people fromn all economic strata bought into this.

The "History"[sic] Channel means well, but they're sort of the Readers Digest Condensed version of events, aimed at entertaining their audience rather than educating them. They routinely simplify the complex, overlook a lot, ans their "talking head" historians only get a limited chance at a few sound bites.

Do read the contemporay 1855-1861 sources if you get a chance, Dan. The Charleston Mercury and the Richmond Enquirer are two newspapers (of many) that are instructive, as well as the productions of the various State secession conventions as well as the productions of the Confederate government during the war. They may give you a new perspective.

Its akin to the "Tuth And Reconciliation Commission" in South Africa. Until the South accepts the truth about the war, there's no possibility of real reconciliation.