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To: southernsunshine
southernsunshine: "the 10th Amendment does appear in the Bill of Rights."

The 10th Amendment does not authorize secession "at pleasure."
Nor, so far as I can find, did any actual Founder speak in favor of secession "at pleasure."

Again, I invite you to review your vast collection of Founders' quotes to see which ones spoke out specifically for a "right of secession at pleasure."

246 posted on 01/13/2012 4:07:57 AM PST by BroJoeK (a little historical perspective....)
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To: BroJoeK; phi11yguy19
BJK: The 10th Amendment does not authorize secession "at pleasure."

The crux of the matter is sovereignty. Who are the sovereign?

Excerpt of letter from Shuyler Colfax to Lincoln 02/01/1861(emphasis mine):

...”For myself, I can say that while willing to vote for a Constitutional provision against interfering with Slavery in the States, which is merely declaratory of what I regard as the Constitution now, & to restore the Mo. Compromise by law, (but not to put any lines in the Constitution) I have an insuperable repugnance to making New Mexico a State, when,with this sovereignty, she may secede the next month as she cannot now And I look upon the Convention here next week with great distrust.”

IOW - “with this sovereignty,” (as a state) “...she may secede the next month” (or “at will”) “...as she cannot now” (as a territory).

Indiana Congressman Colfax (1855 - 1869), speaker of the house (1863 - 1869), and 17th VP, unequivocally acknowledges that the states had the right to secede whenever they wanted.

Hat tip, PA:)

247 posted on 01/13/2012 7:53:12 AM PST by southernsunshine
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