The South practiced slavery. No matter how you cut it, slavery is wrong, immoral and evil, isnt it?
First off, slavery was not solely a Southern institution. It was still being practiced in some Union states, though at a reduced level, and some Union generals owned slaves. To modern eyes (including ours), slavery is wrong, immoral and evil. However, the Southerners of 1860 didnt live in modern times. All historical events must be viewed in context and cannot fairly be judged by modern standards. We have 145 years of hindsight; the Southerners of 1860 did not. They were merely the heirs of a system that existed several generations before them and on which the Souths economy had grown dependent. For the most part, slaves were well treated, well fed and well clothed, and much love and trust often existed between master and slave. With the growth of democracy, slavery was falling into disrepute among the nations of the world and was being ended in many. For the South, however, immediate emancipation without compensation (as insisted upon by the Abolitionists) would have meant financial d
