The Confederate states had a federal law enshrining slavery. They had states’ rights to own slaves. At no point prior to secession did the federal government try to take a state’s rights to own slave or pass federal legislation abolishing slavery. They didn’t change arguments, slavery was always the priority, it was just opposing states’ rights while states were freeing slaves while the federal government was supposed to try to stop them.
The Confederate states had a federal law enshrining slavery. They had states’ rights to own slaves. At no point prior to secession did the federal government try to take a state’s rights to own slave or pass federal legislation abolishing slavery. They didn’t change arguments, slavery was always the priority, it was just opposing states’ rights while states were freeing slaves while the federal government was supposed to try to stop them.
None of this makes the picture above wrong.