202 THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR 



States obliged the other English-speaking peo 

 ples to form some definite opinion as to the right 

 and wrong of the disastrous situation, a judg 

 ment on the merits of the political and consti 

 tutional arguments was naturally very difficult. 

 That a people possessed the right to determine 

 what its government should be, had been a 

 dogma of all English political philosophy since 

 the Whig revolution of 1688. That a nation 

 was entitled to independence and self-govern 

 ment, was, with certain qualifications adapted 

 to the latitude of Ireland, an accepted maxim 

 of British policy. But the application of these 

 principles to the American situation was effec 

 tually barred by the very unanimity with which 

 they were accepted by the contending sections. 

 The South stood for sovereignty of the people 

 (excluding negroes) and self-government for a 

 nation, and stigmatized the North as a ruthless 

 and bloodthirsty foreign invader. The North 

 stood for sovereignty of the people (also exclud 

 ing negroes) and self-government for a nation, 

 and stigmatized the South as a lawless aggre 

 gate of rebels and traitors. Elaborate reason 

 ing from history and law was adduced by both 

 sides in support of their respective contentions; 

 but this was even less successful abroad than at 



