Kim C.--

The Tariff of Abominations is a great starting point for a Southern argument, but follow it thru. A minor nit-pick is that it in no way kept the South from selling wherever they wished--they could ALWAYS sell cotton abroad, except for the Embargo of about 1810 or so, and that applied to everybody.

What the T. of A. really did was make ANY US CONSUMER pay a tariff on a European import or else buy a slightly cheaper but less well made product from an American factory. Again, the T. of A. penalized ALL American consumers for the benefit of ALL American factory owners. The South complained more than the North because they had fewer factories. Also, you need to explain how the 1828 tariff situation caused a war to break out in 1861. If you look at subsequent tariff schedules, I think you will see that the South had a less valid gripe in 1861, because after Calhoun et al complained, changes were made.

Again: The acknowledged fact that many damnyankees thought they were fighting for the Union doesn't fully state the case. The North fought to preserve the Union from men who wished to dissolve it so that they could continue to enjoy the fruits of slave labor, whether they themselves owned those slaves or not.

[A parallel: In 1812, the US fought for "Freedom of the Seas." Did the Brits espouse "Oppression of the Seas?" No, they said they were enforcing the correct concept of citizenship.