Wow, I like that this has turned into a historical debate on a Star Wars forum. Proves we've grown up a bit hasn't it? ;)
That was essentially my point in a nutshell Warb. It is a far more complex issue over the pretext to the conflict, and I always hated how everything is always resolved down to an entire war being fought over slavery alone. It was a needless war to begin with, and then came the trials of an incorrect Reconstruction which didn't help anyone.