[foobarchu]

> Allowing states to differ wildly was what let bygones be bygones,

I'm not convinced this was ever a thing. A good example is Bleeding Kansas (something every elementary student in the state is taught about, or used to be), in which Missourians flooded the state to influence elections and intimidate free-staters in hopes of creating another slave state (it's still a minor point of rivalry to this day). Point being, during the lead up to the civil war we had states trying to control the politics of other states

[mothballed]

I don't see the civil war as working against my thesis. Maybe it was worth it cuz slavery, but god forbid it happens again I don't think there is an excuse nearly as good as slavery to be fighting over today.