And they completely ignore the Hartford Convention (which didn’t make it partly because they were just too late, and it was kind of moot), and the damn near treasonous New Englanders altogether in “1812”. Yet no one questioned their ability to secede. Only whether it was justified. Lincoln basically made it “illegal” to secede. Despite the fact that is exactly what the Founders did - break off from Britain.
No, because the Hartford Convention destroyed the old Federalist party and brought single-party rule (Democrats) for the next 27 years.
Our Founders did not believe in declaration of secession at pleasure and that's how they viewed the Hartford Convention.
So they abolished the Federalist Party.
the OlLine Rebel: "...and the damn near treasonous New Englanders altogether in “1812.
Yet no one questioned their ability to secede.
Only whether it was justified."
Nonsense, President Madison responded to New England secession threats by moving US Army units from the frontier with Canada to nearby Albany, NY in case they were needed to suppress rebellion.
He also sent New England troops home to vote against secessionists.
Neither Madison nor anyone else at the time considered New Englanders' beefs legitimate cause for secession and were willing to use military force, if necessary, to top it.
the OlLine Rebel: "Lincoln basically made it “illegal” to secede."
Nonsense, "secession" by mutual consent is just as legal today as it was in 1788 and as it would have been in 1860, had Fire Eaters sought out & achieved mutual consent.
But they didn't think it necessary.
That proved unwise.
the OlLine Rebel: "Despite the fact that is exactly what the Founders did - break off from Britain."
But our Founders never "broke off from Britain" until long after Britain broke off from them!
By declaring Americans in rebellion, a declaration of war meaning American leaders would hang if captured, and waging war in their colonies, Brits had long before broken any bonds of legitimate government.
So the Declaration of Independence in 1776 merely recognized what Brits had already done.
Nothing remotely resembling such conditions existed in 1860 when Deep South Fire Eaters began declaring unilateral unapproved secession at pleasure.