[Texas Mulerider]

The Southern states were never out of the Union to begin with.

Except, of course, when declaring that the Southern states were out of the Union suited the needs of the Northern Congress in order to pass the 14th amendment.

[Non-Sequitur]

Except, of course, when declaring that the Southern states were out of the Union suited the needs of the Northern Congress in order to pass the 14th amendment.

What had declared the Southern states out of the Union? It wasn't the Reconstruction acts. I'm not aware of a single piece of legislation that ever referred to the Southern states as former states or territories.