Replies

Gee Walt ... you sure do love to hear yourself talk.

After reading your posts, and letting my nausea settle, I decided to once more throw my hat into this ring. You want to trot out that same tired old leftist argument that the War of Northern Aggression was all about slavery, and the only reason the Southern States seceded was just the sole issue of slavery. Having already proven you to be a buffoon about their (in your own words) "illegal secession", I would figure that you would've dug a little deeper and found out the true reasoning for the tyrant (Lincoln) wanting his war. But you didn't.

Slavery was only one of the rallying cries of Southerners when they withdrew. The main issue was whether a state had the right to determine its own domestic issues and the future of them or not. It was also about the States self-determination of their own economic futures and revenues. And they did have the right to decide their own domestic issues free from governmental interference. In other words Walt ... STATES RIGHTS vs Federal Government Rights. If you study a little deeper into the Founders intent and ideals when the US Constitution was framed, you would find out that Lincoln was acting well outside his scope of Constitutionally approved authority when the secession crisis came, and launched an illegal war over a dying institution (slavery), that the Southern States had the right to determine anyway because it was a domestic issue in each State. When he launched his war, he thus repudiated the ideals of American society that are put forth in the Declaration of Independence, and started us down the road to the colossus of intrusive government that we have now, and the expense of some of our Individual Liberties.

As I have said before, you must remember that the Founders' Intent is controlling when interpeting the Constitution. Now seeing as how you will disagree and try to tell me where I am wrong, before ever going and studying it ... take the suggestion in my tag line, won't you.

As I have said before, you must remember that the Founders' Intent is controlling when interpeting the Constitution.

I'd agree:

George Washington to John Jay, 1786:

"Your sentiments that are affairs are rapidly drwaing to a crisis, accord with my own. What the event will be is also beyond the reach of my foresight. We have errors to correct. We have probably had too good an opinion of human nature in forming our confederation. Experience has taught us, that men will not adopt & carry into execution, measures the best calculated for their own good without a coercive power. I do not conceive we can exist long as a nation, without having lodged somewhere a power which will pervade the whole Union in as energetic a manner, as the authority of the different state governments extends over the several States. To be fearful of vesting Congress, constituted as that body is, with ample authorities for national purposes, appears to me the very climax of popular absurdity and madness."

Washington to John Jay, August 19, 1786

Walt

Slavery was only one of the rallying cries of Southerners when they withdrew. The main issue was whether a state had the right to determine its own domestic issues and the future of them or not. It was also about the States self-determination of their own economic futures and revenues.

If so, your assignment is to give the class one example from the 1860 secession crisis using primary sources only of an issue involving a "state's right to determine" or a state's "self-determination" that did not revolve around the issue of slavery. Remember -- primary sources only, not propagandists like DiLerenzo.