Slavery, they are told by one of the most eloquent of the agitators, himself a martyr in the cause, is the original sin of the Union, the cause of every subsequent dissension, the occasion of this war, and, what is more, the strength of the wrong cause, and the weakness of the right.
Sumner emphasizes the fundamental role of slavery in the conflicts facing the Union, framing it as the root cause of the Civil War.
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It is clear that the only question of present practical interest arises from the usurpations of the Slave Power and the efforts to extend Slavery.
Endeavor, for a moment, by comparison with other interests, to grapple with this sum.
It is a cause which, though long kept in check throughout our country, as also in Europe, now confronts the people and their rulers, demanding to be heard.
They belong to a system so essentially irrational, that all the admitted virtues of many of its agents cannot save it from judgment.
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