That's not what VP Alexander Stephens said in his Cornerstone Speech. Nor is it what any of the states said in their formal secession documents. The entire state of Mississippi declared, for example, that "our position is thoroughly identified with the position of slavery."
How about you CSA apologists stop putting words in their mouths, and argue only with the words that they spoke and wrote. You can't play amateur psychologists with these people to create fan fiction that supports your narrative.
Also, no one used force on the CSA until it committed an act of war. Like when Gen Suleimani had his Shi'ite militias attack a US embassy. Trump ordered him killed, and your stupid Democrats claimed that Trump was the aggressor. You people literally have not changed in 150 years.