LAKEPORT, Calif. – The first formal meeting of the Redwood Empire Civil War Round Table will be held this coming Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, at Round Table Pizza, located on 11^th Street in Lakeport.

The meeting will begin promptly at 6:15 p.m. and run until 8 p.m.

The topics covered at this meeting will include “The Election of 1860” and “The Secession Crisis.” These will be presented in a PowerPoint presentation by Phil Smoley and Zane Jensen.

There will be ample opportunity for those attending to ask questions or bring up anything Civil War-related.

Smoley will take lead on “The Election of 1860” that triggered the Secession Crisis, and eventually led to war.

“The election of 1860 was unique in that there were four viable candidates. Lincoln won with less than 40 percent of the popular vote,” Smoley said. “Today we think Lincoln was universally loved, but back then, over 60 percent of voters were against him. Here in California, over 60 percent voted for a Democrat, but because there were two Democratic presidential nominees, Lincoln won here with less than 33 percent of the vote. Lincoln did not even appear on the ballot in nine states, yet he still won in what has to be the most bizarre election in history. We will explore that is some detail.”

It was Lincoln's victory that was the final factor in South Carolina's decision to declare independence, and they were quickly followed by six other states, creating a monumental crisis.

Zane Jensen will explore the issue of secession. Was it legal? Did states have the right to secede? Did Lincoln have the Constitutional authority to invade those states? What was their motivation to secede?

“The answers will surprise a lot of people,” said Jensen. “It really comes down to whether or not they had the right to secede, and whether it was right to forcefully coerce them back into the Union. Just because someone has the right to do something, does not necessarily make it right. We will look at both sides of the issue in a fresh approach that will challenge the conventional wisdom of both sides.”

Today, people still debate the meaning of the 10th Amendment, states rights and the real causes of the Civil War. “With the sesquicentennial of the war upon us, what a great time it is for us to revisit these issues to gain an accurate historical perspective,” Smoley said.

There is no cost for attending. Food and drink is “no-host.”

For more information, contact Phil Smoley at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Zane Jensen at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .