Years ago I got a hold of a small magazine entitled, "The Un-Civil War" by Mike Scruggs. As I read through it, I could not believe how little history I really knew, and how I'd been taught half-truths, and lied to about the causes of what most call the Civil War. (It was anything but civil.)
Today we are all taught that SLAVERY was the main issue of the Civil War. But that's not entirely true. I even remember as a child in a public school being taught it had to do with STATE'S RIGHTS.
But I didn't know the whole truth. The war was more about "taxation" and "tariffs" than anything else.
You see, The United States of America declared itself independent from England in 1776. The excuse, I believe you'll remember from school, was, "No taxation without representation!" As a nation, they did not believe it was right to be taxed by others without the basic right to represent themselves.
But as I read through this pamphlet by Mike Scruggs, and studied more history, I found that the truth about the causes leading up to the "Civil War" had less to do with slavery and state's rights," and more to do with this same attitude against taxation without representation.
To the South, it was a war for Independence all over again! But this time instead of being against England and it's greedy, despotic rule, it was the South that sought independence from the North, and their heavy taxation of the South. (Ever heard of the Morrill tarriff? Why not? You should really study that out!)
This is why the war has been called "The War for Southern Independence" by some, as the South did not like the high taxation from the North on their goods. Nor did they like not being represented enough, as the Northern congressional leaders held the most power in Congress, and used that power to heavily tax the farmers and landowners of the South.
The Civil War was anything but civil. Neither was it about slavery or state's rights so much as it was about MONEY! Even Stevens, a Pennsylvannia iron manufacturer said, and I paraphrase, "...tariffs...enriches the northeastern states and impoverishes the southern and western states..."
The famous author Charles Dickens even commented all the way from Europe, "The Northern onslaught upon slavery is no more than a piece of specious humbug disguised to conceal its desire for economic control of the United States!"
It was a war that should never have been. But as greed so often makes others want to get what they don't deserve, or that they shouldn't have, we find the main reason for the war was the love of money (something the Bible warns against).
Aside from the physical reasons which lead to war, I also saw the spiritual aspects involved. That is the downfall of Christianity in the North, in which Universalists and Unitarians, who did not believe in the Bible, viewed themselves as the great "emancipators" of slaves, as they justified their war as a crusade, which killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people in what they saw as a noble cause to free others.
Southerners saw the North as compromisers, and viewed their denial of inspiration of the Bible, the virgin birth, and salvation through blood atonement as nothing short of apostasy, and they desired to separate themselves from those who claimed to be "Christians" but who did not hold true to the main tenants of Christianity. They wanted to be left alone to preach and practice not only what they believed, but what the Bible says. (And yes, the Bible even allows slavery! Did you know that? Why not?)
But Southerners were labelled too dogmatical for the liberal North. They chose as their hero a man named John Brown, who claimed to be a minister. Yet, even though he quoted scripture, he was not a true Christian, rather a butcher who massacred and slaughtered many people in his quest to free the slaves. I guess you could call him the first progressive socialists who preached social justice, and the first revolutionary who wasn't above shedding blood for what he believed in. The North praised this murderous instigator, while the South held him as a common criminal and butcher. (Ever heard about what John Brown and his croonies did in May of 1856 when they brutally hacked five men to death with swords near Pottawatomie Creek, Kansas in a sort of Charles Manson-like break in to their houses? You haven't? Why not?)
No matter what John Brown did, he was hailed a hero by the North, and deemed a martyr when he was hanged for his crimes. But was he a real Christian? I ask you. Would Jesus raise an army in his time to fight what he perceived as injustice and murder people in cold blood? I don't think so!
The feeling of mistrust grew between North and South, as war gloomed as a black cloud overhead in the late 1850's. The North wanted more tarriffs from the South, whom they looked at as those "evil slave owners." Southerns wanted more power to govern themselves, as they saw the yankees as "godless, apostate Northerners" who only cared about money and power.
With each one viewing the other as the bad guy, war was inevitable. However, it did not have to be, as the consititution, as well as West Point teaching books, and even Northern newspapers at the time condoned and allowed the practice of sucession or the leaving of a state from the Union. (Did you know that New England states threatened sucession on five different occasions?)
This seemed the South's only choice if they were keep from being taxed to death by the North, and so they chose to do so. And you know the rest of the story. It's all history as the old saying goes.
If you haven't gotten the book "The Un-Civil War" by Mike Scruggs, you are really missing out. It's full of important, and useful information about the history of America and that horrible war.
To obtain a copy of his work, go to:
You'll be glad you bought it, as it'll teach you the true history of the "Un-Civil War" that you've probably never heard about.
NOTE: The purpose of this blog is not to spread hatred, or to dredge up feelings of anger towards either the North or the South. It is to inform you of the true facts of history so you might be enlightened about what really happened.
