You are among the best finders of evidence in these arguments. Do you know of anything that would answer my question?
I had thought that the defenders of secession would have it at their fingertips, but it seems not to be the case.
Lee said that "in 1808 ... Virginia statesmen ..." had held secession to be nothing other than "treason." Surely the Virginians of that era were responding to something from the New England malcontents, but there seems to be little trace of it.
Any thoughts?
Found this on a website about Fort Macon, North Carolina.
“Secession is nothing but revolution... the framers would not have devoted so much care to the formation of the Constitution if it was intended to be broken by any member of the Confederacy at will... In 1808 when New England states resisted Mr. Jefferson’s embargo law, and when the Hartford Convention assembled, secession was termed treason by Virginian statesmen; what can it be now? Still, a Union that can only be maintained by swords and bayonets, and in which strife and civil war are to take the place of brotherly love and kindness, has no charm for me. If the Union is dissolved and the government disrupted, I shall return to my native state and share the miseries of my people. Save in her defense, I will draw my sword no more.”
This is from Lee's letter of January 23, 1861. I use part of it often.
Walt
Regards,
Richard F.