Let's throw aside nationalities and all become inhabitants of Earth.

Because abraham lincoln said it was bad and he had a cool hat, so I side with him!

It's interesting because I'm also from Pennsylvania and I've visited the rural south (Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee)  many times. I've also met many southerners (Texans in particular) who have migrated to here. There isn't much of a difference culturally. As far as culture goes, a rural Pennsylvanian is more similar to a rural southerner than to an urban Pennsylvanian (especially today's Philadelphians.) 

Well, being from South Louisiana, we're in a bit of a world on our own. You find great differences just between someone in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Lafayette versus someone from Monroe or Shreveport.

There is a reason we call it Pennsyltucky, although the area i'm from can get pretty hicky, not nearly so much as my relatives who live in an old mining village near Danville

Just like the country itself, individual states are just arbitrary places on the map, so by rights it should go right down to the local level as it's still about self-determination.

If the first battle of Fort Sumter had not happened, it was still only a matter of time until tensions spilled over into violence elsewhere since Lincoln steadfastly refused to negotiate with a bunch of rogue states whose government he didn't recognize. I doubt the North would have started it, though, however determined Lincoln was to preserve the union. They hoped for cooler heads to prevail and figured that time was on their side, which it was. Neither side wanted to be seen as the aggressor for fear of losing support from the border states, but again, Lincoln's refusal to negotiate pretty much forced the issue. There was no way to defuse the situation, and the South had to act or it would lose face and appear weak. That would have been far more detrimental to its cause than merely appearing belligerent. As it was, the hostilities caused four more states to secede and join them within the next couple of months. So aside from that whole getting their ass kicked in the war that followed thing, it actually worked out pretty well for them!

Ah, my mom's family are "hicks" I suppose, haha. They live in Carbon county (Jim Thorpe.) My great-grandfather died in a fishing accident, that's how "rural" he was. Pennsylvania does have the second largest rural population in the nation, only second to Texas. I live in Pittsburgh right now for college, and I feel almost as if I'm in a foreign land lol. But if I visit a neighboring town or small city, it's almost as if I'm back at home again. It's quite odd how ways of life can be so different within a distance of a few miles, yet similar across state boundaries. However; it's very nice as well, except for some of the political tensions caused by both groups living under one state. 

All I know is the USA is the best and I love it.

Thanks for the reply it was quite edifyng , I would really like to see a  civil war thread.

Sorry, Mr Khan, but you seem completely indoctrinated, and that seems to cause you to be inable to objectively consider issues. That's my impression when reading this thread, plain and simple. You seem to not understand, that the only needs of the people, are the needs of the people. We have enough tools, we need thinkers, Mr. Khan.