"We, the people of the Confederate States, each State acting in its sovereign and independent character, in order to form a permanent federal government, "
And yet those sovereign and independent states couldn't enter into treaties, alliances, or confederations. They couldn't place imposts or duties on imports or exports. They couldn't keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, or enter into any agreement or compact with another State a foreign power. They couldn't coin money or decide what kind of government they wanted. They couldn't completely outlaw slavery within their borders, even if they had wanted to. The had to extradite people wanted in other states, even if they didn't want to. In fact they were operating under the same kinds of restrictions that they were under the real Constitution. Given that, how can the confederate constitution be considered a return to the kinds of freedoms the states enjoyed under the Articles of Confederation?
Three.
And before we get too far off track of the thread, for the record I could not care less what the state of Florida allows on their license plates. They could require the confederate flag be on every single car, and I still wouldn’t care. I don’t live there. I have never lived there. I will never live there. I don’t have a say in the matter.