[BroJoeK]

"They were telling them that they had to funnel all their trade through New York."

And yet... and yet, that condition existed for several DECADES before 1860 without ever being considered a valid reason for secession.
Nor did ANY "Reason for Secession" document mention it.

What they did mention, nearly all of them, and most at great length, was, yes, slavery.

[DiogenesLamp]

And yet... and yet, that condition existed for several DECADES before 1860 without ever being considered a valid reason for secession.

So if a man can tolerate a nagging wife for decades, he's not allowed to finally get tired enough of it to divorce her?

Besides that, they don't have to have a valid reason for deciding they had enough. They just have to decide that they've finally had enough and don't want any more of it.

What they did mention, nearly all of them, and most at great length, was, yes, slavery.

You know better than that. You should not impugn your honesty here by saying something that you know is factually incorrect.

And again, even if it was true that their reasons for leaving the nation that has protected legalized slavery for "four score and seven years" is some sort of perceived threat that this nation (that had always protected it and even offered up a permanent slavery amendment to the US Constitution) would someday abolish it, then it is still okay for them to leave, because they can leave for any reason they d@mn well please.

Even a bad reason.