Northern Distain for Southern Culture

Let this inevitable struggle proceed till slavery is dead – dead – dead” Letter from William Herndon to Charles Sumner, December 10 1860

Liberty and slavery – Civilization and barbarism are absolute antagonisms. One or the other must parish in this Continent.

I am thoroughly convinced that two civilizations as the North and the South cannot co-exist on the same soil and be co-equal in the Federal brotherhood. To expect otherwise would be to expect the Absolute to sleep with and tolerate “hell”.

… I helped to make the Republican party; and if it forsakes its distinctive ideas, I can help to rear it down, and help to erect a new party that shall never cower to any slave driver. Let this natural war – let this inevitable struggle proceed – go on, till slavery is dead – dead – dead.

“Let us fight it out now”, Letter from Edward Wade to Mrs. C R Wade, 22 January 1861

You ask me what I think of the state of the country and in reply I would say that before this agitation will have an end we must have a good fight. We cannot do without it. All the compromises in the world will not stop it, the matter might be delayed a few years, but eventually the spirit of slavery agitation would rise up with ten-fold more the fury than it does now. The irrepressible conflict will go on. We must have slavery everywhere or universal freedom; there can be no half-way matter about it. The South understand this, they know as we all know when we examine ourselves that we of the North with few disgraceful exceptions are all abolitionists at heart, … that we cannot help that our ultimate object is to exterminate the curse of slavery from this land. The North has got to test its strength with the South to see which is the master. We have no doubt of the result. Let us fight it out now.

“The first blast of war will be the trumpet signal of Emancipation”, Speech of Rep. Sydney Egerton of Ohio, January 31 1861

I will not compromise … because slavery is a sin, an outrage against humanity, and as insult to God. Disguise it as you will, it is still the crowning iniquity, the most ghastly atrocity … With my consent, it shall never curse another foot of God’s fair earth. By no vote of mine shall it ever be strengthened or countenance.

…. [If] war must come, let it come. Peace is not the first interest of a people. Better encounter war, with all its manifold horrors, than suffer the sense of justice and humanity to die out of the hearts of people. … And gentlemen should know that the first blast of war will be the trumpet signal of emancipation.