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I'm not sure that's fair. The reason there was a Civil War at all was in large part that the North didn't think secession from the union was legal. They wanted

I'm not sure that's fair. The reason there was a Civil War at all was in large part that the North didn't think secession from the union was legal. They wanted the South to be part of the USA from the beginning, and I don't think ever regarded them as or recognized them as another nation. And the way the South was treated during reconstruction doesn't suggest the South had any say on the matter in the end.

letitleak 10y ago
I'm not contesting any of those views, I am saying that the costs to the North were significant and the drain of resources caused by the poorer South continues to be significant. Using the civil war to justify another military action against a portion of the country that simply votes out would be an example of learning nothing from the past.