Leading up to the Civil War, many people argued what is today a universally acknowledged truth; that slavery is simply wrong. It is immoral to deny people their rights and dignity as human beings and keep them as property. Tragically, many people in the 19th century did not regard their slaves as full human beings entitled to rights.

Governor Henry Rector of Arkansas summarized the moral debate in 1861: "The extension of slavery is the vital point of the whole controversy between the North and the South… [The North] believes slavery is a sin, we do not, and there lies the trouble."

The second issue intertwined with slavery is states' rights. Southern states always believed that entering the United States was their choice. Therefore, they should be able to choose to leave anytime they wanted. As a state, they had the right to determine for themselves whether or not to have slavery. If the North threatened to take slavery away from them, then they could leave the Union, pure and simple. It's the essence of self-government.

Abraham Lincoln attacked this position in 1854, "When the white man governs himself, that is self-government; but when he governs himself and also governs [slaves], that is more than self-government , that is despotism ."