There were any points at which civil war might have been averted?

Answer 1

Yes there were several points prior to the Civil War, where reason could have defeated anger and fear.

Lincoln was a man of his word. Southern politicians did not accept the fact that Lincoln had no intentions of abolishing slavery in the South. In fact, Lincoln did not think slavery could be abolished unless there was a change in the US Constitution or individual States abolished it on their own.

Southern politicians were looking both short term & too far ahead.

Here is a summary which points out how the worst event in US History could have been avoided.

1. The South forgot that the compromise they made with anti slavery States in the beginning stages of the "Republic" was, that after 1808 no more new slaves could be brought into the USA.

2. This compromise was enforced. This being the case there had to be room for more compromises, but not the "Missouri type compromises". One such compromise could have been to slowly dissolve slavery in the North, Washington DC, the South and in the Territories on a timed gradual basis. Example:

2A. Every 5 years 10% of a slave holders slaves would be freed and the slaveholder compensated for losing "his assets"

2B. Slave owners could "cash in " at once and retain the former slaves as market priced labor wages.

3. Washington lawmakers could compromise (before the election of Lincoln) and pass a law forbidding new States to allow slavery as a condition of being admitted to the Union. The law would also legalise slavery in the South.

It needs to be remembered that slavery was legal when the Constitution was passed.

4. The split in the Democrat Party for the 1860 Presidential elections certainly was a factor of allowing Lincoln to win less than 40% of the popular vote yet have enough electoral votes to win. A Democrat victory would have created a less fearful South. With less fear we have room for more "reason" rather than chaos.

5.The State of South Carolina should have never assaulted Fort Sumter. This gave the North a tangible reason to have a war the common people in the USA did not want.

6. So looking short term placed fear in the minds of the power brokers in the South. These people also thought they saw a dismal future unless the left the Union. Not a good forecast. If they had thought about the above mentioned ideas or could see that history was making slavery obsolete, reason could have prevailed.

Answer 2

Yes there were several points prior to the Civil War, where reason could have defeated anger and fear.

Lincoln was a man of his word. Southern politicians did not accept the fact that Lincoln had no intentions of abolishing slavery in the South. In fact, Lincoln did not think slavery could be abolished unless there was a change in the US Constitution or individual States abolished it on their own.

Southern politicians were looking both short term & too far ahead.

Here is a summary which points out how the worst event in US History could have been avoided.

1. The South forgot that the compromise they made with anti slavery States in the beginning stages of the "Republic" was, that after 1808 no more new slaves could be brought into the USA.

2. This compromise was enforced. This being the case there had to be room for more compromises, but not the "Missouri type compromises". One such compromise could have been to slowly dissolve slavery in the North, Washington DC, the South and in the Territories on a timed gradual basis. Example:

2A. Every 5 years 10% of a slave holders slaves would be freed and the slaveholder compensated for losing "his assets"

2B. Slave owners could "cash in " at once and retain the former slaves as market priced labor wages.

3. Washington lawmakers could compromise (before the election of Lincoln) and pass a law forbidding new States to allow slavery as a condition of being admitted to the Union. The law would also legalise slavery in the South.

It needs to be remembered that slavery was legal when the Constitution was passed.

4. The split in the Democrat Party for the 1860 Presidential elections certainly was a factor of allowing Lincoln to win less than 40% of the popular vote yet have enough electoral votes to win. A Democrat victory would have created a less fearful South. With less fear we have room for more "reason" rather than chaos.

5.The State of South Carolina should have never assaulted Fort Sumter. This gave the North a tangible reason to have a war the common people in the USA did not want.

6. So looking short term placed fear in the minds of the power brokers in the South. These people also thought they saw a dismal future unless the left the Union. Not a good forecast. If they had thought about the above mentioned ideas or could see that history was making slavery obsolete, reason could have prevailed.