[libertarianben]

"That is some of the goofiest logic I have ever read. The entire war was about whether the south had the right to secede the Union. The south was not a constitutionally independent nation, they seceded in what they were convinced was a legal way. The Federal government disagreed. That's why we went to war. At that point, like it or not, might makes right."

So, if you are powerful you have a right to destroy all others you deem less powerful than you even if the law says differently. Hitler and Stalin would be so proud. Well then, the Federal Government needs to read their founding fathers work.

[Casloy]

So, if you are powerful you have a right to destroy all others you deem less powerful than you even if the law says differently.

The North did not set out to destroy those less powerful. In simple terms it demanded the Southern States rejoin the union. The issue of whether a State could secede was not something that just came up in 1861, this issue had been debated over since before Jackson. There was no clear answer and there is nothing in the Constitution that permits it. In fact, one can argue that any state seceding from the Union was denying it's citizens the protections afforded them under the constitution. But, the South knew absolutely that if they seceded there was going to be war. The South was also convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that based on their culture and military traditions they were bound to win the war. So, to pretend as if it was the less powerful being destroyed is bogus. In fact, until Gettysburg it didn't look like the North was going to win.