James DeWolf Perry and Katrina Browne wrote the article Civil War’s Dirty Secret About Slavery for CNN.  It adds some information for us smug northerners to consider.

Abolition was a radical cause embraced by only a minority in the North. Northerners would march to war in vast numbers not to end slavery, but to preserve the Union.

…let’s use this anniversary to face and learn from our shared history in all its complexity. In this way, we can take a fresh look not only at the legacy of the Civil War for race in our society, but at lingering tensions between North and South, as well.

The lessons to be learned from considering this information go far beyond issues of The Civil War, Slavery, Racism, and the continuing differences between North and South.

What I take from this is that even those who are opposed to certain policies may have some vested interest in their continuance.  Despite this, if the policy is wrong, we must rise above our own vested interests and learn to live with the consequences of making corrections.

People face this kind of paradox every day in learning to eat a healthy diet, decide to get more exercise, postpone expenditures in favor of investing for the future.  Sublimating certain urges for the betterment of ourselves and society is what we have all learned to do to form a civilized society.