Letter: On slavery, follow the money

A recent letter writer is losing sleep because she thinks the South fought the Civil War to keep slaves. In fact, President Lincoln wanted to keep slavery. So why would the South fight a war? I advise the writer to read Lincoln’s first inaugural address in which he states:

“I understand a proposed amendment to the Constitution ... has passed Congress, to the effect that the federal government shall never interfere with the domestic institutions of the states, including that of persons held to service (slaves) ... I have no objection to its being made express and irrevocable.”

Lincoln was referring to the Corwin Amendment. The proposed amendment to the Constitution was passed by the 36th Congress on March 2, 1861, and submitted to the state legislatures for ratification. Outgoing President James Buchanan endorsed the Corwin Amendment by taking the unprecedented step of signing it.

Lincoln wanted slavery to continue because he needed Southern money to build Northern infrastructure, particularly the Transcontinental Railroad. The Republican Party was formed in March 1854 to build Northern infrastructure … and that is the reason the railroad barons nominated Lincoln for president.

So when the writer wears a black arm band on July 10 as the Confederate flag is raised temporarily at the Statehouse in Columbia, I hope she will mourn for all the lives that were lost to prevent a corrupt government from redistributing Southern money. Sound familiar?

This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Letter: On slavery, follow the money."