Quote Originally Posted by Thorne View Post
I disagree. As harsh as it was to force them to rejoin the Union, anything else could have resulted in a highly fragmented country, with individual states breaking away anytime some state legislature decided it didn't like what was happening in Washington. You then wind up with another Europe, many small nation-states constantly at war with one another.
Well, first I simply believe that you should not force areas together against what the people want. People have a right to choose for themselves.

Secondly, I really do not think that you can compare Europe and USA that way. The European countries were created over a long, long time and ended up really different, while USA was colonized by white people over a relatively short time.

What that would mean in the long run is anybody's guess, but surely the history would be markedly different from that of Europe.