I've heard Southerners refer to the Civil War as "the War of Northern Aggression." That's not what it was. Until someone in authority said otherwise about the constitutionality of secession, President Lincoln's actions --- given his interpretation of the Constitution --- were entirely within his rights and power. His oath of office, indeed, required him to use force, if necessary, against any citizens who would arrogate to themselves the power to overthrow the system by which the Constitution arranged for disagreements of that sort to be resolved.
The Southern attitude -- "It must be our way, and we will fight rather than accede to a duly established authority that opposes us"-- shows a spirit of war. (It is also the same spirit that today's Republicans have shown when, through the elections of 2006 and 2008, the American people gave the Republicans' opponents the power and responsibility to govern.)
So Lincoln was not the aggressor in using force to counter the secession. Whether he made the right choice to do so, however, is not clear to me. This questioning of Lincoln's basic decision to use force to hold the Union together will be the subject of the next installment.
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