Their was nothing civil about the War

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The War Between the States was a multi facited war. Slavery is the emotional, easy to blame excuse. We forget it was also a war about economics and states rights.

Slavery was horrbile. It's wrong now (although it still goes on with not a lot of notice or concern) and it was wrong then.

This War was ugly. It pitted brother against brother, family against family. It had more casualties than any other war fought by Americans.
We seem to forget that the North had this lovely custom of indentured servitude - slavery with a better name. Surprisingly, history books gloss over this item. We are led to believe it was more like an apprenticeship than it was, slavery.

Let's remember too that men in the North were given the opportunity to pay a fee so they didn't have to serve. 

Let's also remember that many in the North didn't want blacks coming north and didn't want this war.

We also equate other forms of serviture with slavery, which we should. Let's not forget the "company store" for coal mines and other industries.... nothing but slavery by another name.

As long as slavery is the topic, why are we not asking Rome and Greece to apologise for their long record of slavery?

This War was ugly.  It pitted brother against brother, family against family. It had more casualties than any other war fought by Americans.

Why is there not more condemnation of the African slave traders, many who were black? We don't hear as much impassiond hand wringing about them as we do the Southern slave owners.

My family is from the South. Some fought for the Confederacy, some for the Union. We never owned slaves. I'm proud of my southern heritage.

I think it's time history paints a more even picture of the War. The reasons may Southerners fought was not about protecting slavery, it was about protecting their state and their land from the meddlings of a faraway  big government (sound familiar).

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