To: Old Teufel Hunden
Per the Constitution, rights are something accorded an individual that comes from God. Powers are something that individuals delegate to governments to perform on their behalf. Secession would not be a right, but a power so how exactly would Jefferson here be talking about secession? Not all "rights " come from God. "Rights" can be established under a contract or compact. If I enter into a contract with a builder to build a house and he doesn't build it to my specifications per the contract then I (usually) have a right to void the contract. It was of such "Rights " that Jefferson wrote. Instead of calling it secession he called it rupture.
87 posted on
08/05/2010 7:31:10 AM PDT by
Timocrat
To: Timocrat
"It was of such "Rights " that Jefferson wrote. Instead of calling it secession he called it rupture."
Jefferson in your quote talked about not having to submit to a government of unlimited powers. Would you define unlimited powers as a government trying to ensure that new member states and territories had the rights of all it's people's protected (i.e. not extending slavery to the new states and territories)? Thats what the Southern states were rebelling against after all. The federal government was not even trying to force the Southern states to abolish slavery.
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