“All those people who took up arms against the US in 1860-1865 were committing treason. “
All those people who took up arms against Great Britain in 1775-1783 were committing treason. A comparison that you never can explain away in your monomaniacal hatred of the South.
BTW, donny, do you get a lot of your material from ‘The Rad Geek’s People’s Daily”? I think that you do.
That's true, and had they lost their rebellion then no doubt most of the American leadership would have been hung. But the difference is that they didn't lose their rebellion, did they?
I understand why the secessionists wanted to make that comparison - it had great usefulness as propaganda. But it is still specious.
The cause of war in 1775 was the government refusing to allow Americans any representation in Parliament at all. They were barred from participating in any election and had no voice in their government.
The secessionists had no such grievance: their cause of war was - despite the fact that they were heavily overrepresented in Congress - that they had lost an election.
I have, on my desk, a copy of the oath of one George Washington.
I George Washington, Commander in Chief of the Armies of the United States of America do acknowledge the United States of America to be Free, Independent, and Sovereign States, and declare that the people thereof owe no allegiance or obediance to George the Third, King of Great Britain; and i renounce, refute and abjure any allegiance or obedience to him; and I do Swear that I will to the utmost of my power, support, maintain and defend to said United States, against the said King George the Third, his heirs and successors and his or their abettors, assistants and adherents, and will serve the said United States in the office of Commander in Chief ... which I now hold, with fidelity, according to the best of my skill and understanding. G. Washington”
The difference: The colonies did not pretend to legal secession, rather they revolted, which only became legal because they won. If they had lost, G. Washington and the others would probably have been hung. That requires real bravery, real commitment, and is only attempted for the most serious of causes, which you can find explained in the Declaration of Independence.
By contrast, secession at pleasure, as pretended by the slave power which ruled the southern states, followed by attempting a war against the legitimate US government for spurious causes deserves nothing but my contempt, no matter the courage of their devoted but deluded soldiers.