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Imperialism against people with abominable ethics is still imperialism. When the southern states used their democratic institutions to secede, and then the North invaded 'to preserve the union', that was imperialism. Waging an imperial war and then freeing the slaves of the conquered doesn't retroactively make your war a just, non-imperialist one. It just makes you an imperialist whose moral views on slavery are superior to those of the people whom you conquered. But you're still an imperialist. Now, if the Yanks had actually engaged in a moral crusade to free the slaves, that'd be one thing--but they didn't. If you think they did, then I'm guessing your understanding of the civil war comes from your education by said Union, or from movies. If this is the case, read a history book (Battle Cry of Freedom is a good start) and you'll find it impossible to believe that the Union fought the war to free the slaves. That the "moral crusade" nonsense is still peddled throughout the United States is a simple matter of the winners writing the history books (and nobody wanting to be seen sympathizing with slavers). And since I'm certain you'll follow up with that tired old canard about the South starting the war at Ft. Sumpter, I'll provide you with the relevant history in advance: 0) Abraham Lincoln wins the 1860 presidential election on November 8, 1860.
1) On November 10, the South Carolina General Assembly passed a resolution calling for the people of S.C. to elect a commission to determine whether the state should secede.
2) Convention delegates were democratically elected on December 6.
3) These duly elected delegates convened in Columbia on December 17th.
4) They voted unanimously for secession.
5) The South Carolina General Assembly declared their independence on December 24.
6) At this point, American troops occupy Fort Sumpter, which at this point is foreign soil.
6) On Jan 9, the US attempts to reinforce the fort. They are prevented from doing so when Confederate artillery fires on the resupply ship.
7) On Jan 31, 1861, Governor Pickens demands the surrender of Fort Sumpter.
8) Lincoln sends multiple ships, with hundreds of soldiers and sailors, to reinforce the fort.
9) On April 11, knowing Lincoln plans to reinforce the occupying force, the Rebs once again demand the surrender of the fort. The commanding officer refused (then tried to play for time by making up conditions, which were refused).
10) At this point, American troops have been occupying foreign soil for ~4 months, and are effectively signaling their intent to stay indefinitely.
11) On April 12, the Rebs start shelling the fort. They shell it for 34 hours, then the Americans surrender.
12) After their surrender, before the Americans took down their flag, the Confederates allowed them to honor the flag with a 100 gun salute. One of the Yanks' guns misfired, killing Edward Galloway--the only American soldier who died. You should feel free to say "well they were slavers, so fuck them". That's perfectly valid! But facts is facts, and the Civil War was imperialism. |
Neither the north nor the south can really be considered democratic institutions by modern standards - less than half of their population could vote at the time of the civil war (women's suffrage) - and far less than half in the south (millions of slaves). The country as a whole elected Lincoln, and the southern states (via their mostly-undemocratically-elected leaders) rejected that slightly-more-democratically-sourced outcome. The democratically-elected leader and his political party then brought more democracy to the entire country by emancipating the enslaved and subsequently gave them (the men, anyway) the right to vote. Whether or not that was their intention at the outset doesn't change the fact that the north brought more democracy, which the south hated, and continues to hate.
So much for those vaunted democratic institutions you claim to hold so dear.