The so-called south would not peacefully give up slavery. An illegal approach to solving their problem was chosen because they saw a major shift in social standards that meant an end to the inhumanity of their system. They tried and failed to maintain an economy based upon total exploitation, not unlike so many others in history. The unfairness and discrimination of the country in general at the time did not compare to what was being done in the slave states. At a terrible price, slavery ended and a general trend to more human society advanced. Criticize the "north" as much as one may like, defending the "south" is shameful.