John Smith and Abraham Lincoln had two completely different ideas about the Civil War. They disagreed on a lot of ideas about the war. Lincoln agreed with the North, and John Smith agreed with the South. Were either of the men the reason for the war, or were they simply adding cola to the fire? Both men gave speeches, with their opinion about the coming of the war, and the events leading up to the Civil War. Both men also believed they were doing what was best for the region they belonged to.
John Smith Preston’s speech was given on February 19th in 1861. It was given to the Convention of Virginia. John Smith was the Commissioner from South Carolina. In his speech he discusses the reasons for his state leaving the Union. One of the reasons he states for leaving the Union is a lack of “political equality.” (Smith 1) The South felt under represented, because of the issue of slavery in the west. The South believed in Manifest Destiny, likewise they believed that slavery should spread to the west. Slavery in the south was very good for the economy in the south, so they believed that it would be helpful in the west also. The South felt like the North did not acknowledge the economic opportunity that slavery would bring. John Smith writes about this as the first reason that South Carolina is succeeding from the Union.…show more content… John Smith states “I have run rapidly over these diversities to show that they pervade the entire composition of the social systems of the two sections, and that, therefore, we believe the political union unnatural.” (Smith 3) What Smith is saying is that he has displayed a justified reason for the South to leave the union, and because they have a justified reason it is legal for them to secede, and separate from the north. Smith says that the north and south believe in two different things, and have two different images of America, so it is only logical to split
