In President Jefferson Davis’ inaugural address he pointed out that “sovereign States here represented have proceeded to form this Confederacy; and it is an abuse of language that their act has been denominated a revolution. They formed a new alliance, but within each State its government remained.” He added simply, “The agent through which they communicated changed.” Thus there was no “destruction of the Union” as was charged by the North, but merely a reduction in the number of constituent States forming the union of 1787.
Bernhard Thuersam www.Circa1865.org The Great American Political Divide
Peaceable Americans Form a More Perfect Union
“On February 15, 1861, before the arrival of Mr. Davis at Montgomery to take the oath of office, the Congress passed a resolution providing “that a commission of three persons be appointed by the President-elect as early as may be convenient after his inauguration and sent to the government of the United States, for the purpose of negotiating friendly relations between that government and the Confederate States of America, and for the settlement of all questions of disagreement between the two governments, upon principles of right, justice, equity and good faith.”
Truly, as Mr. [Alexander] Stephens, of Georgia, one of the delegates to this Montgomery Congress, says . . . “[the Confederate Congress] were no such men as revolutions or civil commotions usually bring to the surface . . . Their object was not to tear down, so much as it was to build up with the greater security and permanency.” And we may add that they meant to build up, if so permitted, peaceably.
In this spirit of amity and justice, the first act of the Louisiana State convention, after passing the ordinance of secession [from union with the United States], was to adopt, unanimously, a resolution recognizing the right to free navigation of the Mississippi River (which flows down from Northern States of the great inland basin and empties into the sea within the confines of Louisiana), and further recognizing the right of egress at that river’s mouth and looking to the guaranteeing of these rights.
President Davis’ inaugural address, delivered February 18, 1861, breathe the same spirit of friendship toward our brothers of the North. He said in part:
“Our present political situation . . . illustrates the American idea that governments rest on the consent of the governed, and that it is the right of the people to abolish them at will whenever they become destructive of the ends for which they were established.”
(Living Confederate Principles, Lloyd T. Everett, Southern Historical Society Papers, No. II, Volume XL, September 1915; Broadfoot Publishing Co., 1991, excerpts pp. 24-25)
There you have it, Jefferson Davis quotes the pertinent section to secession of the Declaration of Independence which enunciates the principles upon which the States ordained the Constitution to unite themselves. With it, the States delegated powers to the general government, i.e., the United States beyond which it was not to go. That is unambiguously stated in the 10th Amendment. There is NO enumerated power delegated to the United States in the Constitution to prevent a "free and independent State" or "States" from voluntarily leaving the union, just as they entered it. --Ron W
ReplyDeleteIndubitably.)
DeleteIf memory serves Lincoln and his cabinet refused the meeting. The thinking is they did not want to acknowledge the newly formed Confederation of States, and thereby give it status; better to kill Federalism and with it hundreds of thousands of citizens.
ReplyDeleteIf everyone is counted, civilians and all, there may have been one million.
DeleteIn order to ratify the Constitution, three states, VA, NY and RI demanded the right to leave the Union, at any time for any reason. These demands were endorsed by the convention-acknowledging the right of each state to leave the Union.
ReplyDeleteSomething they don't want known or spread, because it ruins Lincoln's image as his motives become clear-power at any cost.
Commies don't accept facts.
Delete