Final answer:
Leaders of the Confederacy felt they had the right to their own nation which was heavily predicated on maintaining slavery and white supremacy. They argued for states' rights to uphold slavery, utilized military strengths, and established a Confederate nationalism separate from American identity. Dissent was present, but protection of slavery was the unifying and driving force behind secession and war.
Step-by-step explanation:
Confederacy's Sense of Entitlement
Leaders of the Confederacy believed that as a sovereign nation, they were entitled to self-determination, which included the maintenance of the institution of slavery, the defense of states' rights, and the protection of their property rights, which they argued extended to the ownership of enslaved people. The Confederate constitution paradoxically allowed for less state power compared to the United States constitution in order to protect slavery more firmly. Notably, Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens declared that their political foundation rested on the notion of white supremacy and the belief that slavery was the natural state for African Americans.
In the face of war, the Confederacy leveraged its military advantages and defensive strategy, echoing the belief that they could achieve victory by outlasting the North. The cultural ethos of the Confederacy renounced American identity and adopted a new form of nationalism rooted in the idea of white supremacy and predestined victory, aligning with a divine mission. The secession debates within the member states were focused not on whether to secede but on the logistics, strongly influenced by the need to preserve the slavery-based socioeconomic system.
Dissent within the Confederacy was present, with differing views on the central government's power and class-based resentment against the wealthy elite. Nevertheless, the Confederacy's bid for independence and the consequent Civil War were largely fueled by the desire to protect slavery as the core institution of their society and economy.