[fastpat]

Originally posted by yellowline
The attack on Fort Sumter roughly coincided with Lincoln's election and inauguration. He had no choice. It would be like President Bush's decision to go to war-a summation of past events forced him to make the decision. We can't blame Lincoln for the war any more than we can blame Bush for Islamic fundamentalism. Both are problems that manifested over time, and one poor guy had to end up dealing with them. Difference is Lincoln could deliver a 5-minute speech that captured America in a nutshell.

The state of South Carolina left the compact of states known as the Union in December 20, 1860. Fort Sumter was new and as yet ungarrisoned. South Carolina sent delegates to negotiate the departure of the Union garrisons at Fort Moultrie and the other military installations around Charleston harbor. In the middle of the night on December 26th, the night after Christmas Day, Union troops went by small boats to Fort Sumter. That's an act of war by any known standard, particularly since President Buchannan had guaranteed that no Union troops would be moved to the fort. The South Carolina military commander, under orders from the governor, then allowed the illegal occupation force to have a continuous supply of food and needed medicines, but no military provisions. Lincoln ordered a flotilla south to supply additional troops and military hardware and supplies that attempted to land after South Carolina tolerated more than four months of the illegal occupation. This second act of war resulted in the sovereign state of South Carolina taking defensive action against the troop ship and then shelling the fort to dislodge the occupation force. No union troops were killed.

The past incidents that divided the country, visualized by such incidents as the caning of Charles Sumner in Congress, strained the country to the brink of war. Lincoln believed the secession was unconstitutional and took measures to restore the Union. Differences that linger today are a result of subculture...Southern life in the US is different than the Northern way.

Secession was legal then and remains legal today. The country was founded via the states seceding from Great Britain. One of the reasons that Jefferson Davis trial was canceled was that no one within the Union camp wanted their illegal war put on trial. See Jefferson Davis: Our Greatest Hero, ours meaning all southerners.

My pick for worst is actually Wilson. He was a smart, idealistic man, but too intellectual to be President of anything other than Princeton. The League of Nations was an embarassment for him, esp. when the Senate denied it. Carter, Clinton, and Johnson (with exception of the Civil and Voting Rights Acts) come in right behind. They were inept (Carter), authorized the sale of sensitive information to a foreign rival (Clinton), or expanded government to the point where it became too large (Johnson).