Where in the Constitution is the anti-secession clause, again?
"Where in the Constitution is the anti-secession clause, again?"
ANSWER: There is none. EXCEPT: the Constitution says that a section of a State may not secede from that State unless approved by the State legislature.
This is precisely what happened with West Virginia. They seceded from the State of Virginia UNCOSTITUTIONALLY-- the Virgina legislature NEVER approved it--- but Lincoln DID!!!
In other words, Lincoln approved of the only clearly unconstitutional secession in history!!!!
As for the States, here is the principle:
"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."--- the Declaration of Independence
There isn't one. But while secession itself may not be illegal, unilateral acts of secession as practiced by the southern states are.