What did the federal government do in 1860 to destroy the independence of the states?
In 1861 it waged war on a state to force it to remain in the union.
But there was no war in 1860 when the secession started. There was no destruction of the Constitution, no attack on the liberties of any state. Only an election result that some people didn't like. The 1809 proclamation from Pennsylvania did not apply in this case. The secession was merely a petulant political action totally unrelated to any injury to the Constitution.
Very true.
The election of Carter for one agonizing term (America Held Hostage) and the Clinton's two scandal ridden terms inflicted enormous damage to this country, and yet there was not an attempt to create a civil war, as they was after the public decided the election of 1860.
The federal government is simply a creation of the states. The states are the contracting parties. Besides massive cessions of land (Nortwest Territory, Tennesee, Alabama etc) to create new states, Southern blood and monies were paid to acquire new territories. Northern states wanted to have the territories for whites only (not that there would ever be a mad rush for blacks to emigrate west - there were few in territories) - and attempted to deprive Southerners of the equal participation in settlement of the territories.
Nowhere in the Constitution does it deny a state, or group of states, access to property in common. Specifically Article 9 §1 grants Congress the power to deny emigration in states 'now existing', not any future expansion.
The federal government was also charged to 'insure domestic Tranquility', yet did nothing to rein in insane Northerners hell bent on destroying Southerners and the union. Mass murderers (John Brown and his men) were financed by yankees, but not prosecuted - instead they were editorialized as martyrs. Brown and his men marched their victims to a clearing, and with swords split open the head of James Doyle, and then proceeded to sever the arms of his son Drury, and killed his other son Willaim. Brown and his murderous minions then slaughtered Allen Wilkinson in front of his wife and children, and lastly murdered William Sherman.
One socialist, Julia Ward Howe, later memorialized the actions of Brown in song and his 'terrible, swift sword' Most don't realize it, but it's to the tune "John Brown's Body", so with each rendition, a mass murderer is being glorified.
Lastly, several of the states seceded AFTER Licoln demanded troops from those states to be used to invade the seceded states. The Constitution does not require states to enumerate their actions, nor does it prohibit secession. The convention did vote down (twice) the use of force against a state.
the BOR specifically gives ENUMERATED powers to the federal government. NONE of those enumerated powers is the power to attempt to forbid a FREE state or states from lawfully LEAVING the union, peacefully.
may i suggest that you go read the 10th Amendment???
secession was/IS lawful.
free dixie,sw