That's a funny case too. See, here's where it gets frustrating to me. The fact that I am antifederalist in my thinking allows me to see the Constitution for what it is, which, rather than making me side with the Confederates, makes me side with the Union. The states were bound into the new, consolidated system. The secessionists, imo, were dead wrong. (Nevermind that their Constitution was not a confederacy).
That doesn't mean I admire the Constitution. I know it's radical to say, but I don't. I see it as a proven failure. Too liberal. But, it is what it is.
That's why I scoff at the 10th amendment people. The 10th amendment is a worthless statement. It changes absolutely nothing. It clarifies nothing. It states a general principle, without answering any particulars.
Did you know earlier drafts of the 10th said "expressly delegated" powers? It got shot down. The antifeds were trying to get that through, but it would have radically altered the intent of the Constitution , which was to EXPAND national power at the expense of state power.
Had it passed, McCulloch v Maryland comes out differently. Maybe Washington sides with Jefferson over Hamilton re: the first bank of the US.But it was not to be, and that was on purpose. It was no accident.
I understand your reverence for these men and times, but I say embrace iconoclasm. It's liberating to take them down from their pedestals and critique them in cold, hard light, based solely on the results.
Anyway, my mom's side is from AL and MS. I lived in Bama for a while, but I'm pretty much a Yankee. I don't hassle anyone. I love liberty above all else politically speaking. Everything else is apple sauce. I enjoyed your post with the details regarding family and history, and it's good to hear from someone else who is swayed by antifederalist thinking.
“It’s liberating to take them down from their pedestals”
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Part of my point, that I guess i did not explain well enough...
In those days, the men who claimed to “represent” Georgia were fooling themselves.