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To: rockrr

It wasn’t Mass - It was Virginia and New York, driven by Patrick Henry.

The sovereign states of Virginia and New York entered the USA by ratifying the constitution provided that certain conditions were met and maintained.

That is what NY and VA did, and the conditions were accepted. You may not like it but NY and VA retained the right to assert their sovereignty, in the event the federal government did not meet certain conditions.


A copy of the VA ratification: (from usconstitution.net)

WE the Delegates of the people of Virginia, duly elected in pursuance of a recommendation from the General Assembly, and now met in Convention, having fully and freely investigated and discussed the proceedings of the Federal Convention, and being prepared as well as the most mature deliberation hath enabled us, to decide thereon, DO in the name and in behalf of the people of Virginia, declare and make known that the powers granted under the Constitution, being derived from the people of the United States may be resumed by them whensoever the same shall be perverted to their injury or oppression, and that every power not granted thereby remains with them and at their will: that therefore no right of any denomination, can be cancelled, abridged, restrained or modified, by the Congress, by the Senate or House of Representatives acting in any capacity, by the President or any department or officer of the United States, except in those instances in which power is given by the Constitution for those purposes: and that among other essential rights, the liberty of conscience and of the press cannot be cancelled, abridged, restrained or modified by any authority of the United States.

With these impressions, with a solemn appeal to the searcher of hearts for the purity of our intentions, and under the conviction, that, whatsoever imperfections may exist in the Constitution, ought rather to be examined in the mode prescribed therein, than to bring the Union into danger by a delay, with a hope of obtaining amendments previous to the ratification:

We the said Delegates, in the name and in behalf of the people of Virginia, do by these presents assent to, and ratify the Constitution recommended on the seventeenth day of September, one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven, by the Foederal Convention for the Government of the United States; hereby announcing to all those whom it may concern, that the said Constitution is binding upon the said People, according to an authentic copy hereto annexed, in the words following:

A copy of the Constitution was included in the ratification document.

On motion, Ordered, That the Secretary of this Convention cause to be engrossed, forthwith, two fair copies of the form of ratification, and of the proposed Constitution of Government, as recommended by the Foederal Convention on the seventeenth day of September, one thousand seven hundred and eighty seven.


Virginia also included a proposed “bill of rights.” It was clear at the time that Virginia (and the other states) retained sovereignty, and the right to withdraw from the USA.


289 posted on 07/16/2012 4:48:08 PM PDT by Triple (Socialism denies people the right to the fruits of their labor, and is as abhorrent as slavery)
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To: Triple
You may not like it but NY and VA retained the right to assert their sovereignty, in the event the federal government did not meet certain conditions.

They may retain the Natural Right of Rebellion, but they possess no other extra-constitutional rights recognised by the United States Constitution or any of her courts.

290 posted on 07/16/2012 4:57:41 PM PDT by rockrr (Everything is different now...)
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To: Triple

It was not clear, and in fact the courts ruled the other way in Texas v. White. Further, any reservations that were mentioned at the time of ratification were not duplicated when the states were re-admitted after the Great Rebellion. So any reservations by the states during ratification are no longer in effect.


294 posted on 07/16/2012 8:18:18 PM PDT by donmeaker (Blunderbuss: A short weapon, ... now superceded in civilized countries by more advanced weaponry.)
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