The cornerstone of the Confederate Memorial was laid in November of 1912. At the ceremony, Colonel Hilary A. Herbert gave a speech where he summarized the history of the United States. His major points are either controversial or not well known 110 years later, yet they were well established history then.

“The Constitution of the United States was a new experiment in government. It undertook to divide sovereignty between the States and the Federal Government. For twelve years the question as to who should decide between the Federal Government and a State when a dispute should arise gave trouble.”

The various secession movements following the founding, even in the North, are evidence of this fact of history. This is downplayed or ignored today because it does not support that the Civil War was about slavery. “State Rights” is not some invention of Southerners after the war. It was a point of contention from the founding.

“Here was the germ of secession. Under this theory the Government possessed no power to protect itself against disintegration. Jefferson, Madison and Monroe loved the Union. They all hoped that it would be perpetual; that it would grow in favor, and there would never be reason for secession.”

This idea that the “Government possessed no power to protect itself against disintegration” was a key factor in whether States seceding would lead to a war. There were important people in the North and the South arguing that the Federal Government did not have the Constitutional power to coerce a State into the Union. This historic debate must be minimized or ignored for the war to be about slavery.

Most definitions of the “Lost Cause Myth” include that slavery was not a primary cause of the Civil War. If you agree, then you are perpetuating the myth. However, an objective study of the history of the United States shows it is sound position. That same study also exposes one to fascinating people as well as debates that are relevant today.