ignorance or wishful thinking of the average yanks, 'liberals' or otherwise

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/02/opinions/trump-man-who-is-tragically-unfit-to-be-president-mcwhorter/index.html?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion

IS Trump really ignorant on the cause of the yankie civil war? IMO,he just said a deal could've been made to avoid the war

"Then there's Trump's question: "Why could that one not have been worked out?" Of course this implies that the North should have cut ever more deals with the South to continue enslaving black people. But Trump either 1) doesn't know enough about the Civil War to know that (upon which, see above), or 2) doesn't think the slavery issue should have been a priority...""

I remember  vividedly what my(HK) hi school history teacher told me: "Slavery was an important but not the number one cause of the US civil war. Secession/seperatism was the CAUSE.."

From Lincoln himself:"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it.."

http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/greeley.htm