Hello,
I need some help in defending the libertarian position on the Civil War. I have read (briefly) Tom DiLorezo about Lincoln, but I need help in articulating the position that we hold.
1. Is there any concrete evidence that can be put forth that the North could have avoided war and the Civil War was not inevitable?
2. Are there any realistic and compelling explanations of how slavery could have been phased out without a civil war or some type of bloody conflict at some point? I ask because to me it seems like even if Lincoln tried to avoid war and the North did there best to pursue peaceful solutions, that the institution of slavery was so deeply imbeded in society that it would eventually require some type of serious conflict?
I don't know how to refute that claim.
Do you have any advice to put forward about how I can better defend the Rothbard / DiLorenzo view of the Civil War, Lincoln and slavery in the 19th century?
Thanks so much.
1. All the North had to do was withdraw its troops from the South and recognise the CSA. Why would the CSA invade them? The South only wanted independence, not control of the entire USA. Thus the term 'civil war' is itself incorrectly applied to that conflict.
Libertarians are generally divided on the Civil War. On the one hand, you have a tyrant who instigated the conflict and created the war, destroying the original ideal of America as the land of limited government in the process. On the other hand, you have a collection of states refusing to let go of an evil practice that was about as anti-libertarian as any practice goes.
For question 1, I would read John Denson's "A Century of War". The first half of that book is about how Lincoln tricked the South into firing the first shot. It is available for free on this website.
For question 2, I would argue that almost everywhere that slavery has existed, it has also been phased out by the people in the offending country without a conflict between states. I find it hard to believe that the South was the ONLY place that would not have also eventually phased it out. Furthermore, Lincoln could have taken many steps before resorting to war. For example, he could have promised freer markets or a stronger Southern influence in Congress in return for the freedom of most or all the slaves. 650,000 deaths for the freedom of 4 million people seems like a Pyrrhic victory to me, especially when you factor in the tremendous growth in government, the Greenbacks, and the "war powers" Presidential precedent that were all created by the war.
The north would out compete the south due to its mass industrialization and slavery would soon be phased out. Honest workers and a high amount of capital produces far better than people constantly struggling against each other as is in slavery.
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I can't remember where, but I read that, based upon the going rate to purchase a slave's freedom and the amount of money spent (debt incurred) by the North to fund the war, the North could have instead spared the death and destruction by simply purchasing all the slaves' freedom. These are, no doubt, based upon estimates, but it is one argument that can be made as to how war could have been avoided while bringing (nearly) the end of slavery peacefully.
The only one worth following is the one who leads... not the one who pulls; for it is not the direction that condemns the puller, it is the rope that he holds.
Hi.
Great Britain abolished slavery in all her territories in 1834. It was a carefully arranged "road map" which was completed in 1838, when the slaves in Jamaica became completely free. The process went surprisingly smoothly: granted, there were tensions and difficulties but no blood baths or widespread rioting. Jamaica experienced a small but bloody riot in 1865 which was put down quickly and brutally (memories of the Indian Mutiny were still fresh), but that had more to do with how justice was administered than with slavery itself.
It has often been argued if Lincoln had made the abolition of slavery the ultimate goal of his presidency he could have succeeded with little or no violence ensuing. A road map similar to that designed by the British could have been implemented with relatively little difficulty, especially if the Southern States were to be given something in return. We know very well Southern States used slave labor to grow agricultural commodities which were mostly sold on the European market, feeding the booming textile industry in Britain, France, Belgium etc. We also know Southern States usually prefered importing goods from Europe than buying them from the Northern States, for no other reason it was a most convenient agreement (ships arrived from Europe carrying industrial goods and left loaded with agricultural commodities). Lowering tariffs on imported European goods and stimulating agricultural exports would have probably be enough to "sell" the abolition of slavery to Southern legislators.
Contrary to popular opinion slaves weren't that cheap: ever since the import was forbidden prices had soared and slavers made larger profits between 1840 and 1860 than in previous decades because restricted supply meant they could ask as much money as they wanted. In 1860 emancipation was only a matter of time since plainly put slavery was becoming uneconomical. Granted, a slave received no salary and could be treated badly. On the other hand he/she needed to be fed, housed, guarded and, given the restricted supply, could not be worked as hard as in previous decades. Buying a new slave was expensive and prices were in an upward trend. Freed slaves or immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica etc could do the job just as cheaply if not more cheaply (all things considered) and there was almost no limit on supply. Again this argument could have easily convinced Southern legislators if properly presented and perhaps included in a "bundle" with other benefits.
But of course we know very well emancipation was a just a moral excuse Lincoln brilliantly concocted to sell the war. Yankee industrialists and ship owners didn't want the South to import large quantities of European goods and ship their cotton, sugar etc on French and British ships. Bureaucrats in Washington didn't like the idea of decreased revenues from tariffs and large powers to local governments. The military wanted to expand: many regular Army colonels and generals who had served in the Mexican War remembered how much they had to rely on State militia (Jefferson Davis had led a Mississippi regiment which was instrumental in winning the Battle of Buena Vista) and the governors' goodwill. Finally let's not forget ideology: the XIX century was when the modern, highly centralized nation-State was born. Robert E. Lee was offered the highest rank in the Union army but refused because it would have meant drawing his sword against Virginia, which he considered his own country, not the US. Many Southerners considered Mississippi, Texas, the Carolinas etc their homeland, not the US as a whole, and were ready to kill or be killed for it. This may sound incomprehensible to the modern American, who has been brought up in what is a XIX century Nation-State not very different from France (the Nation-State par excellence) and her offspring, Italy, but it meant a lot back then.
Great post Kakugo. Care to turn it into a VR article? It would be most welcome.
the confederate president supported and fought for the expansion of slavery,
the position that we hold
I'd just like to caution that just because some Austrian said it doesn't mean it's true. I'm not saying he's wrong (haven't read it), but don't trust him just because he's might agree with your biases.
Aristippus: Great post Kakugo. Care to turn it into a VR article? It would be most welcome. I will do it in due time. Together we go unsung... together we go down with our people | Post Points: 5
This is one of the best articles I've ever read on this subject: The Real Significance of the 'Civil War' by Tom Woods. Here is the money quote: