Lincoln's War Money

"Secesh has to be cleared away by the hand of God like the Jews of old. Now I will have to burn this town."
--Col James Montgomery (Glory)

Prof Williams asks the question that few ask: If Abraham Lincoln was frequently on record as supporting slavery and state's rights to secede, then why did he lead the US into civil war?

The answer: Follow the money.

Tariffs amounted to 90% of federal revenue. And Southern ports paid about three quarters of all tariffs collected. The federal government could hardly let that revenue stream go.

Add to that Southern plans to build an economic system around free markets--a plan that promised to crush Northern manufacturing concerns as captive Southern customers found cheaper resources on the market.

The straightforward conclusion is that the Civil War was fought to preserve the American System for crony beneficiaries.