Nikki Haley slammed for saying Civil War caused by concerns over freedom, omitting slavery

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is being criticized for saying the Civil War was caused by concerns that the government would interfere with people's freedoms as she omitted slavery from her answer. 

Haley, also a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and current Republican presidential candidate, made the comment Wednesday during a town hall in Berlin, New Hampshire, after a voter asked her about the cause of the Civil War. 

"I think the cause of the Civil War was basically how government was going to run, the freedoms and what people could and couldn’t do," she responded. 

"What do you think the cause of the civil war was?" she asked the voter, who responded: "I'm not running for president."

"I mean, I think it always comes down to the role of government and what the rights of the people are, and we– I will always stand by the fact that I think government was intended to secure the rights and freedoms of the people. It was never meant to be all things to all people," Haley replied before talking about the importance of minimal government, capitalism and freedom. 

The voter then said: "In the year 2023, it's astonishing to me that you answered that question without mentioning the word 'slavery.'"

"What do you want me to say about slavery?" she asked before moving on to the next question.

Rick Wilson, founder of the anti-Trump consultancy group, the Lincoln Project, said on X, formerly Twitter: "From Nikki Haley pretending slavery wasn't the cause of the civil war to Ron DeSantis pushing a curriculum highlighting the 'valuable skills' slaves gained, I'm just shocked they're not calling for the repeal of the 13th Amendment."

Florida Gov. DeSantis, also a current GOP presidential candidate, was criticized earlier this year for a curriculum stating that slaves "developed skills" that benefited them after the practice of slavery was banned. 

Former Georgia Republican gubernatorial candidate Vernon Jones said that Haley was incorrect. "The civil war between democrats and republicans before slavery ended and passage of the 13th amendment in 1865 was about SLAVERY.  In 2024, it’s still about SLAVERY.  White Democrats plantation owners still want to keep Blacks on their slave plantations. Republicans still want to free Blacks from Democrat slave plantation owners," he said on X. 

President Joe Biden responded to a video of Haley's answer: "It was about slavery." 

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