[hirn_man]

"It was taken for granted by all of the state delegates and legislatures that states could secede. "

So if it was taken for granted by all of the state delegates and legislatures that states could secede, why is the constitution silent about the matter? Seems to me they could of prevented a costly war by spelling it out. There shouldn't have been any contention since all the state delegates and legislatures took it for granted.

[Wolfstar]

The Constitution is silent on a number of issues the founding generation took for granted. As brilliant and farsighted as they were, they nevertheless were fallible human beings who were addressing the most pressing problems of THEIR day. Issues they either did not see as problems in their time, or which were not as urgent to them, were deferred for future generations to handle.