although most would agree the civil war and slavery were bad, the fact is the south had a legitimate gripe and being armed actually did serve its purpose. now, it turns out the north had, in my opinion anyway, the correct morals and values behind their actions and as such the south is looked at as the evil ones, but imagine if it was something not as benevolent as freedom for slaves? the government f the north could have forced them to submit to whatever they wanted them to do. the south proved that was difficult to do when the population was completely against it and armed. remember, while ending slavery was obviously good, it did significantly hinder a southerners way of life. thats a difficult pill for anyone in their position to swallow.