People act as if we need to hold a seance to ponder the many-layered mysteries of secession. Rather, when reading their declarations, it's hard to find a reason that was NOT somehow related to slavery.

Hell, Mississippi lays it all out in the first sentence of their 2nd paragraph: "Our position is thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery"


http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/declarationofcauses.html

Why did it happen in 1861 as opposed to 1841 or 1821 or some other period.

Most of the average soldiers didn't own nor were fighting for slavery. They were drafted. They didn't agree with the purpose anymore than drafted Vietnam soldiers were bought into that war.

they'd do it to all of us if they could. They absolutely were fighting for the right to own slaves & they considered them property. And it's not like they rounded them up in the neighborhood. They specifically went across an OCEAN to capture them on another continent and enslave them because they knew they could get away with it. And they did for quite awhile.

Today's version is fancied up a bit. Instead of bringing them here (which ultimately didn't go so well), now the owners go to the other continents and pretend to "employ" people - which amounts to pennies on the dollar. Which companies are involved? Most of them probably - this story in 2011 notes Walmart, Target, Macy's, Kohl's and Hanes (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/21/american-brands-abuses-factories-jordan-labor-conditions_n_903995.html).

When republicans, and notable others, talk about "Free Trade" you should ask yourself what they are after. Latest version = TPP. Who supports TPP? People who want labor as cheap as possible. It would be free if they had their way.