I suspect you're right, and I would know that presidents such as Ronald Reagan and Andrew Jackson agreed with Lincoln's view that a state can't unilaterally secede from the rest of them and declare war on them.
Comparing the south during the civil war to the American COLONIES during the revolutionary war is a pretty weak analogy -- a state within a nation has an entirely different status than a colony under the rule of another nation. The colonies had NO representation in Parliament and were at the mercy of another place across the ocean, compared to the southern states who had the exact same rights as all the other states under the constitution, and had overrepresentation in Congress thanks to the 3/5th compromise counting millions of their slave "property" with no rights or voting power as "resident population" entitled to more Congressmen.
In order for anyone to "secede" from England in a manner similar to the civil war, Cornwall, Devon, Somset, Dorset, the Isle of Wright, Hampshire, Sussex, Kent, Surrey, Whitshire, and Bristol would have to pass ordinances announcing they were leaving the U.K. (upset that the guy they wanted for Prime Minister didn't win in the rest of the country) and forming a pro-slavery United Confederacy of Great Britain, then fire on the Queen's guards for attempting to resupply a fort that was property of the federal government.
Likewise, in order for an internal U.S. dispute to resemble the revolutionary war, the United States would have to announce the Puetro Rico will have no longer have a delegate to Congress and pass a bill ordering Puetro Ricans to pay three times the rate of everyone else for stamps that they must buy from the U.S. When Puetro Ricans protested, the U.S. would then pass a law to force them to pay exorbitant taxes on all alcohol (say, $50 for a can of beer), cigarettes, gas, and guns, which were only allowed to be purchased from the U.S. and had to be imported. When Puetro Ricans rioted in response to that, the U.S. would then pass a series of militant fascist laws effecting putting Puetro Rico under martial law and giving them zero rights and freedoms, and in every step of this process Puetro Rico would have absolutely no way to petition the U.S. about their grievances. Finally, with no other option left, the Puetro Rican Legislation would pass a resolution declaring Independence form the United States and severing its long standing ties to the mainland.
Pretty different situations. One thing I would certainly say is if Lincoln and Jefferson were alive today they'd adamantly oppose the idea of government by "politicians appointing politicians", i.e. the U.S. Senate choosen entirely by state legislatures that some founders thought was a good idea in 1776. Martha Coakley provides the latest example of why this would be a disaster if it was in effect today.
Search up and read Madison's Federalist No. 39 for comprehension, and then get back to us. You might as well, once you've taken the trouble to find it, read Federalist No. 40 as well.
Since we're talking about the Framers, the purposes of the Republic, and Original Intent and all.
I agree with most of your analogy, but not this section.
The colonies had all kinds of ways to petition the British government, and indeed did so. B. Franklin spent this whole period in London as a representative for a number of colonies. He did a very effective job in getting the colonial case out.
The problem is that the government and parliament decided to ignore the colonist's concerns, presented via their petitions. When they did so the colonists had no way to resist other than force.
The analogy to our present government being well aware the people oppose the health care but deciding to pass it anyway is remarkably close.
I guess I’m just a damn Yankee. I don’t really get why some people want to keep fighting the civil war on behalf of the Confederacy.
Whether they had a right to succeed or not they sure did it for a bad reason.
There are some things Lincoln did I don’t agree with but politically speaking Lincoln, Davis and everyone from 1861 would be disgusted with what we have now.