Pick your own debate... Regarding history!

"To make my contention clear, I, in order to win this debate, merely have to demonstrate that the North's Moral High Ground was higher, or roughly equivalent to, that of the South. " False. If the South is demonstrated to be roughly equivalent to, but slightly higher than, the North, I win this debate. Just wanted to clarify that. My opponent quotes Lincoln talking about Freedom, but he cannot be referencing blacks as well as whites as "others," as that would contradict the quote in which Lincoln expressed his feelings towards blacks. Contentions 1+, 2+: My opponent claims that the Federal Government was not being oppressive. However, they were most certainly being oppressive with their forcing of tariffs upon the South. South Carolina attempted to solve the matter peacefully by abolishing the act that it viewed as unconstitutional within its own boundaries, but the Federal Government denied them this power. In fact, Wisconsin even nullified fugitive slave laws within its own boundaries in 1859 [1][2a]: "Resolved, That the government formed by the Constitution of the United States was not the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself; but that, as in all other cases of compact among parties having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress. " Additionally, the tariffs themselves were highly unfair in their restriction on the South. Southern crops were generally exported worldwide, so tariffs would not protect them, but rather harmed by any counter-tariffs that would spring up in Europe. Meanwhile, Southerners had to buy highly priced goods from the North, whose main market was all of America, greatly protected by the tariffs. In fact, New England and Pennsylvania demanded that the tariff stay in place to continue to have more political and economic power than the South [3][2b] (see quote with "The city of New York. .. "). This blatant favoritism could most definitely be seen as oppressive by the South, thus justifying nullification, and, when that was denied, secession. Finally, oppression has to be in the eyes of the beholder. If the South says, "Government, you are oppressive, and we wish to leave," of course the government would say, "What? No, we're not being oppressive. " The least biased source would be the South, deciding that the benefits of the Union did not outweigh the oppression. As for the matter of new states being of free soil, this was a threat of free soil power increasing in the Senate, oppressing the South to an even greater extent. Therefore, the only solution was to get away from this oppressive power. My opponent asks why secession occurred before Lincoln took office. It was because the South decided that they could still end their oppression if they had a Pro-South president in the Fed. However, when this plan failed, the best option was to secede. My opponent cites Vice President Stephens' Cornerstone speech. However, I would like to redirect everybody's attention to a similar statement made by Lincoln: "And in as much as they cannot so live, while they do remain together, there must be the position of superior and inferior. And I, as much as any other man, am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. " Lincoln was opposed to giving any equality to the black race. My opponent criticizes the attack on Union forts. However, if the South were to have its rightful soveirgnity returned to it. The Confederacy offered to buy the land owned by the Union present in its own territory from the Union (although the federal government is not authorized to build forts), but Lincoln refused, requiring and justifying military force [4]. My opponent's claim that the Union had no choice is false. Contention 3+: My opponent criticizes the treatment of black soldiers in the war. However, assaults against armed military men cannot be worse than claiming the right to rape noncombatants. I would like to point out that Shaw's parents said that Shaw could have been buried in "no holier place" than his communal pit with his soldiers [5]. I would like to introduce as a contention General William Sherman. He utterly ruined the cities of Vicksburg, Meridian, and Atlanta [6][2c]. As for concentration camps, the same could be said for the Union's. My opponent's point of surrender is no contention for either the North or the South, as both sides acted respectfully. My opponent adds Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, but it is actually a form of irony against Lincoln. He is the one who ordered the wounds of the nation to be opened. He also said that a house divided against itself cannot stand, but two houses can stand perfectly well. Finally, as a closing, I would like to quote H. L. Mencken on the Gettysburg Address: "The Gettysburg speech was at once the shortest and the most famous oration in American history. .. the highest emotion reduced to a few poetical phrases. Lincoln himself never even remotely approached it. It is genuinely stupendous. But let us not forget that it is poetry, not logic; beauty, not sense. Think of the argument in it. Put it into the cold words of everyday. The doctrine is simply this: that the Union soldiers who died at Gettysburg sacrificed their lives to the cause of self-determination – that government of the people, by the people, for the people, should not perish from the earth. It is difficult to imagine anything more untrue. The Union soldiers in the battle actually fought against self-determination; it was the Confederates who fought for the right of their people to govern themselves" [7]. Good luck. 1. . http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com... 2. The Politically Incorrect Guide to American History, by Thomas E. Woods, Jr. a. American Government and the "Principles of '98", p. 39 b. The War Between the States, p. 68 c. The War Between the States, pp. 72-3 3. . http://mises.org... 4. . http://en.academic.ru... 5. . http://www.thelatinlibrary.com... 6. . http://en.wikipedia.org... 7. . http://www.lewrockwell.com...