I think there was that pesky Tarriff of Abominations in the 1830s that didn't have anything to do with slavery. It had to do with Southern merchants being able to sell their goods to whomever they pleased (i.e., Europe).

It's a really funny thing - I have read a lot of diaries and letters and I have yet to come across ONE that mentions fighting for or against slavery. As a matter of fact, one woman wrote to her brother, a soldier in the UNION army, that he should bring her home a n****r to wait on her.

But whatever.