[DiogenesLamp]

Since whether secession is or is not a legal right of the states has never been a topic I’ve weighed in on, it’s irrelevant to me.

If you are discussing the Civil War, you are weighing in on this topic. The entire justification for invading the other states was based on the assertion that states did not have a right to leave the Union.

If you won't defend that argument, you aren't debating honestly.

[SoCal Pubbie]

“If you won’t defend that argument, you aren’t debating honestly.”

I can honestly debate whatever aspect of whatever topic I choose. I can debate the wisdom of ordering Pickett’s charge or the leadership of George Custer without opining on the right of secession.

To recap:

The reason for secession was the South’s desire to preserve slavery.

The trigger for secession was the election of Abraham Lincoln, which fed fear of the abolitionist foundation of the Republican Party.

The American Civil War began when units of the South Carolina Militia fired upon a Union fort in Charleston harbor.