Civil War: Right or Wrong?

In our class we have just about wrapped up speaking about the bloodiest war in US history, the Civil War. There were more deaths in this war than all the other wars US has participated in combined. These insane figures often prompt many people to think, "was it all necessary? Did this all really have to happen?" Well, it is clear after diving further in history that plenty of people including Abraham Lincoln tried many different approaches before resorting to war, for he was completely against the idea of fighting his own citizens. Ironically, it was his winning the election that proved to be the final straw for many slave states, which led to their secession. So in a way, it can be said that Lincoln lit the sparks of the very war he was so against and horrified by. However, Lincoln still agreed that the Civil War was necessary, because it fulfilled its purpose of keeping the Union together. Had there been no Civil War, and a more peaceful solution had been decided upon, then the outcomes of this nation would have been extremely different. For one thing, the "United" States of America would be anything but "united" as the Union and Confederates would be two separate nations. Also, slavery would still exist in the Confederate States, and the Southerners would continue to prosper off this unjust labor. But it doesn't stop there. With the US divided, its power is split, and the overall power of each separate nation would be greatly reduced. As a result, other nations would not have a hard time taking over or defeating either nation. The situation without a Civil War looks like a disaster, so I believe it is safe to say that although the war was not the prettiest option, it was still necessary and had positive outcomes, so it was indeed the right choice.