Until the late 1800s, slavery was widely considered acceptable in America. This ethical issue was important because African Americans were forcibly held against their will to fulfill the duties of hard labor required by their owner. Slaves had no say in whether their lives were their own. There was no meaning to life, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. African Americans were not even considered a full person. Although slaves had families, they had no control over whether or not they could stay together. Slaves were sold to different parts of the country where they would sometimes never see their family members again. Although slavery was accepted, the northern part of America allowed African Americans to be free. This ultimately led to a bloody split between the North and the South. The South led a revolt to go to war against the North, specifically to maintain its right to allow slavery. Under jus ad bellum principles, the South was not qualified to go to war. To go to war the State must be minimally just and the South was not minimally fair in doing so. In this article I will explain the six principles of jus ad bellum and whether or not the South has respected any of these principles. I will also explain the Southern perspective within each of these principles, explaining why they believed it was right for them to go to war. In the book Morality of War, Brian Orend states: “War is a real, intentional, and widespread armed conflict between political communities in which the ultimate goal is to force the other side to accept its will regarding government (Orend). "The South's clear intent was to force the North to stick to its own policies... middle of paper... but it revolutionized the world's view of slavery today. Works Cited" First Inaugural Address, February 18, 1861: Rice University The Papers of Jefferson Davis." First Inaugural Address, February 18, 1861: Rice University The Papers of Jefferson Davis. Np, nd Web. November 21, 2013. "Sources of Internet History." Internet History Textbooks. Np, nd Web. 21 November 2013. “The Life of a Slave.” NP, nd Web. 21 November 2013. .Orend, Brian. The Morals of War. “Why was the Confederacy defeated?” History Today. Np, nd Web. November 21. 2013. .