Liberal Propaganda.

I'm a Conservative. I thought this was film great. Also, the film DID address Lincoln's reservations about emancipation and aloof view of slavery in general.

I think where interpretation of the Civil War bothers some folks like the OP is the disconnect between modern Right and Left and how we look at the Civil War in general.

What he's ranting about is the general perception that's been fostered by the Left that the Civil War WAS about slavery. Most 5th graders, if you ask them what it was about, will say that.

Now in and of itself that's not a bad perception, as centuries march on the encapsulation of the War will have to become simpler, and "freeing the slaves" isn't such a bad label.

However, Conservatives (like myself) look at modern Liberalism as an exercise in divide and conquer. So, where they're concerned, saying the Civil War was exclusively about slavery fuels their narrative that the history of America is all about groups of people being oppressed by others...and needing Federalism to help them.

Whereas a Conservative looks at the foundation of America and sees the individual and his/her drive to excel and live the life they choose.

Are there cases where intervention is needed? Sure. Check the 13-15th amendments. Though, many have become disenchanted with the sheer amount of
"social justice" legislation in the last 50 years, especially from the Federal level.

So I'm guessing the OP looks at the modern narrative, from the Left (for the most part), that it was all about slavery, and sees the Left using it as their justification for modern legislation that the Right is opposed to (Affirmative Action, entitlement programs, taking Founding Father's names off schools because they owned slaves etc.) and just sees "Liberal Propaganda"

Here is another link:

http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/reasons.html

Several states explain why they want to secede, and slavery figures in prominently (sometimes as reason #1). Texas is particularly funny, in that they complain about non-slave states failing to live up to the Fugitive Slave Act. But isn't the Fugitive Slave Act a violation of the 10th Amendment? Shouldn't the Confederate states applaud the bravery and independent-mindedness of people in non-slave states refusing to honor the Fugitive Slave Act? Well of course not, because the reality is, Secession was all about slavery and no amount of historical revision will change that. (The subsequent Civil War, meanwhile, was about the North not taking kindly to getting shot at; make no mistake, the aggressor in the Civil War was the Confederacy.)

Jerry,

I think you need to do some research on the Civil War. There is no debate as to why the war started or the south seceded, you're simply parroting talking points of the Lost Cause doctrine which was an ideology created by the same men who helmed the confederate administration as a way to cleanse the evil of slavery their hands.

The reality is that the war had everything to do with slavery, as did secession.

You don't have to believe me though, here is Alexander Stephens, VP of the Confederacy shortly after secession:

"The new constitution has put at rest, forever, all the agitating questions relating to our peculiar institution — African slavery as it exists amongst us — the proper status of the negro in our form of civilization. This was the immediate cause of the late rupture and present revolution. Jefferson in his forecast, had anticipated this, as the "rock upon which the old Union would split." He was right. What was conjecture with him, is now a realized fact. But whether he fully comprehended the great truth upon which that rock stood and stands, may be doubted.
Stephens went on to say
(Jefferson's) ideas, however, were fundamentally wrong. They rested upon the assumption of the equality of races. This was an error. ... Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner–stone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition."

There were certainly other reasons for secession, but it is completely false history to say that it wasn't the largest factor. To continue parroting this BS Lost Cause doctrine is to become an apologist for a people who thought that "the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery--subordination to the superior race--is his natural and normal condition" and were willing to fight a war to protect this idea.