historical question

[flea]

I've been reading about the Civil War lately, and yesterday was Confederate Memorial Day, on which the Confederate Constitution, the only copy of which my employer owns, is displayed.

One thing I haven't yet read about or figured out is why Lincoln was so intent on preserving the Union. Why not let the South secede? Was there debate about it at the time? So far all I have seen is that Lincoln considered secession to be rebellion, and the Confederacy started hostilites. Did Lincoln just not expect things to go on s long and so damagingly?

(Be gentle; remember, my historical period starts in 5000 BCE.)

Comments

[serrana.livejournal.com]

I think MD post-dates the war a bit, but yes, basically (like much of U.S. history) it boils down to capitalism and real estate.

Also, the Confederacy would have made a real grab for the West, and that was just Not On.

[veejane.livejournal.com]

Term first used in the 1840s by Jacksonian democrats. The painting with the lady with the telegraph under her arm isn't till 1872, but the concept was firmly in place by the time Kit Carson was getting lost guiding the US Army into California.