▁way ▁of ▁prevent ing ▁violent ▁attacks ▁against ▁himself , ▁since ▁he ▁lived ▁in ▁a ▁border ▁state ▁where ▁sla very ▁was ▁still ▁pract iced ▁and ▁still ▁widely ▁supported . ▁Out right ▁abol ition ism ▁at ▁that ▁time ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁an ▁un pop ular ▁and ▁potentially ▁dangerous ▁position ▁in ▁pro - s la very ▁Maryland . ▁Other ▁histor ians ▁maintain ▁that ▁his ▁views ▁on ▁sla very ▁simply ▁evol ved ▁over ▁time ▁from ▁we aker ▁opposition ▁to ▁stronger ▁opposition . ▁ ▁The ▁novel , ▁although ▁more ▁m uted ▁in ▁its ▁criticism ▁of ▁sla very ▁by ▁the ▁time ▁of ▁its ▁publication ▁and ▁also ▁express ing ▁some ▁id yl lic ▁s tere ot ypes ▁about ▁plant ation ▁life , ▁leads ▁to ▁the ▁prediction ▁that ▁sla very ▁would ▁bring ▁the ▁Southern ▁states ▁to ▁ru in . ▁Sw allow ▁Bar n ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 2 , ▁ 2 9 ▁years ▁before ▁the ▁start ▁of ▁the ▁Civil ▁War ▁and ▁long ▁before ▁anyone ▁else ▁was ▁known ▁to ▁predict ▁that ▁the ▁Southern ▁and ▁Northern ▁states ▁were ▁head ed ▁for ▁armed ▁conflict . ▁ ▁Civil ▁War ▁Just ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁Civil ▁War , ▁Kennedy ▁wrote ▁that ▁abol ishing ▁sla very ▁immediately ▁was ▁not ▁worth ▁full - scale ▁civil ▁war ▁and ▁that ▁sla very ▁should ▁instead ▁be ▁ended ▁in ▁stages ▁in ▁order ▁to ▁avoid ▁war . ▁He ▁noted ▁that ▁civil ▁wars ▁were ▁histor ically ▁the ▁most ▁blo ody ▁and ▁dev ast ating ▁kinds ▁of ▁war fare ▁and ▁suggested ▁a ▁negoti ated , ▁ph ased ▁approach ▁to ▁ending ▁sla very ▁in