When discussing the main cause of the Civil War, researchers largely focus on two aspects: slavery and states’ rights. The Staunton Vindicator newspaper offers the reflection of the main events in the State of Virginia before the war, which allows pointing out issues illustrating both identified problems. The newspaper issue dated by April 12, 1861, discusses the situation concerning slavery in the state. Particularly, the articles published in the newspaper point out that slavery is not “a curse to the country,” as considered by the North. The readers’ attention is drawn to the fact that in the North, cheap immigrant labor is exploited with the same aim as slaves’ labor is in the South. The abolition of slavery is viewed as the greatest tragedy that may occur in the slave States. To prove their point, the newspaper’s authors suggest statistics of property values in the counties having many slaves as opposed to those having only a few. It is noted that slave labor is the most efficient power developing the State and leading to increased prosperity and success.
Another issue of Staunton Vindicator, dated by March 29, 1861, focuses on the problem of states’ rights and its evolution in Virginia. In the description of the issue, it is mentioned that it offers a comparison between the Federal Constitution and the Confederate Constitution. There is also a remark concerning the level of power entitled to Virginia by both constitutions. The source explains that the Confederate Constitution allows more freedoms to the people living in Virginia than the Federal one. In the summary of the speech given by Judge Brockenbrough, it is noted that since the constitutional rights of the South have been neglected, it has no other option than to separate from the North. Furthermore, the newspaper issue includes the information of unsuccessful participation of the Augusta delegates in the State Convention. Hence, this source contains much important data on the problem of states’ rights in Augusta, Virginia, on the verge of the Civil War.