Posted on 06/29/2023 4:16:36 PM PDT by DiogenesLamp
The late Great Walter Williams makes it quite clear that he believed the South had a right to secede.
I saw this earlier on youtube and I thought certain people on this website would be interested in seeing the thoughts of Professor Walter Williams.
Ping to the people who regularly discuss the civil war.
Thank you for posting this.
Before the South seceded, it was generally understood that the states had a right to secede. The first ones to want to do that were the New England states way back before.
The deep state at the time wanted no dimunition of their power. Lincoln even said so in his first inaugeration speech.
After learning more about the civil war in the last few years, this is exactly how I have come to view that part of history.
We have had a corrupt government colluding with industry for a very long time in this nation.
You are welcome. I was surprised when I saw it earlier today, but I have always liked Walter Williams and he has always been brilliant and honest in my opinion.
I would not say I agree with Walter, but I always appreciated that Walter was not a part of the Liberals/Lefists intellectual plantation, and even though Walter is “black” and slavery is the backdrop of the Civil War, Walter has the intellectual homesty to come to his own conclusions. He represents highly why the founders thought “freedom of speech” (intellectual freedom) was so important, so essential.
he appears to take the treaty with Britain in 1783 as our founding document instead of the Declaration of Independence.
He states that “these states came together as principals in 1787 and they created the federal government as their agent”
This ignores our first constitution, The Articles of Confederation which was ratified by 1781.
He seems to be selecting facts and events in a limited way to get to the conclusion he wants to get to, rather than taking in the historical events as they actually occurred.
I also enjoyed it very much when he substituted for Rush.
Darn, I didn’t even know WW had passed. RIP.
I'm glad you cite the Declaration of Independence. It explicitly says that people have a right to become independent from a government they see as no longer representing their interests.
And yes, the Declaration is our founding document. The Courts have ruled continuously that American Citizenship began July 4, 1776.
I'm sure Walter Williams has other reasons for believing the South had a right to secede, but he had only a little time, and so he started where he thought was best for his argument.
I was very sad when I heard. He was awesome!
I explored that in detail during my Tea Party days.
I have always thought this, and I had a very liberal friend years ago who thought so too. Think states still have that right.
WW rules.
The best intellectuals are those who can speak to the common man and break the complex into simple parts.
Any power not reserved for the federal government is the right of the state. The Founding Fathers did not want a state trapped in the country, if the federal government turned against the state. The right to secession was a final check on the Federal government if it turned against a state.
There may be an arguement that states seceded over slavery, but the federal government did not wage war over slavery. It waged war to bring those states back into the union so they can continue to supply the textile barons with bottom-priced cotton.
Amen. Walter Williams was a much better writer than speaker. His writing was so clear and easy to understand. His speaking wasn't bad, but his writing was superb.
Dang! My 8th grade history teacher must have been a Walter Williams fan!
This is exactly what my school in the Chicago suburbs taught me. It was the War of Northern Aggression and increasing centralized federal power.
My favorite show to watch that year Firing Line with William F. Buckley. Watched it on our 19” round black and white Rayovac TV in the basement.
My Dad came down one night and said “What the heck are you watching??” Sat down with me and became a major fan.
Miss Mr. Williams.
My argument has long been this: If they have a *RIGHT* to secede, then their reasons for doing so do not matter.
A right isn't a right if you are only allowed to exercise it for approved reasons.
And yes, the South was a money stream for the powerful industrialists in the North who had evolved control over the government.
The War was about that money, and they didn't really care about the slaves.
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