The Civil War Was About Slavery

I had a conversation recently with someone who claimed that the Confederate states seceded not because of slavery, but instead because they believed in states' rights.

Four states issued formal declarations of why they were leaving the Union. So, let's have a look at the Declarations of Causes of Secession for the traitor states:

Georgia

For the last ten years we have had numerous and serious causes of complaint against our non-slave-holding confederate States with reference to the subject of African slavery.

That was the second sentence. Sounds like Georgia seceded because of slavery.

Mississippi

Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery-- the greatest material interest of the world.

Also the second sentence of their Declaration. Sounds like it was a major reason indeed!

South Carolina

The people of the State of South Carolina, in Convention assembled, on the 26th day of April, A.D., 1852, declared that the frequent violations of the Constitution of the United States, by the Federal Government, and its encroachments upon the reserved rights of the States, fully justified this State in then withdrawing from the Federal Union; but in deference to the opinions and wishes of the other slaveholding States, she forbore at that time to exercise this right

 Yeah, they did manage to talk about states having rights and slaves.

Texas

The controlling majority of the Federal Government, under various pretences and disguises, has so administered the same as to exclude the citizens of the Southern States, unless under odious and unconstitutional restrictions, from all the immense territory owned in common by all the States on the Pacific Ocean, for the avowed purpose of acquiring sufficient power in the common government to use it as a means of destroying the institutions of Texas and her sister slaveholding States.

Texas had to brag first about being its own country for a while, so this ended up being the fourth paragraph. The third paragraph talks about how they like slaves, damnit!

Not enough evidence for you? Okay, How about this:

Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition. [Applause.] This, our new Government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.

This was spoken by Confederate States Vice President Alexander H. Stevens.

States' rights indeed.