Very tricky question. Yes and no would be my answer. I guess it's the times that make the man, but it's also man who makes the times. There had to have been a ton of blind eye turning in the South. Yes, your local clergy was telling you that everything was a-okay, morally speaking. But that voice in the back of our minds must have been yammering away at how cruel the whole enterprise was. Very few men have the moral character to stand up and do what's right, especially if it means losing the respect of your family, friends... and your livelihood. Here's a question: were there any southern slaveholders actually relieved after slaves were set free by the government, because it meant the hard moral decision to do so was made by someone else? I wonder...