 |
| South Carolina Sovereignty Flag |
Paul Rahe discusses the secession of South Carolina from the Union on December 20, 1860, 150 years ago today. Rahe, a misinformed Northern apologist, recycles old lies and myths about the "illegality" of secession, at this link.
Rahe claims that, since the Constitution doesn't specifically state that secession is Constitutional, then it is not allowed. Nonsense. Since the Constitution doesn't state that secession is prohibited, then it is not prohibited. Rahe has it exactly backwards. Our rights and powers are not limited to those specifically stated and enumerated.
Rahe then claims, unbelievably, that the Articles of Confederation (which existed before the Constitution was formed) stated plainly that the Confederation (the original Union) would exist "in perpetuity." Really? Is that why it was ended and cancelled and replaced? Implied in Rae's reasoning is that our current Constitution is illegal because we are still legally governed by the Articles of Confederation, which were "perpetual"!
Rahe claims that, since the Constitution doesn't specifically state that secession is Constitutional, then it is not allowed. Nonsense. Since the Constitution doesn't state that secession is prohibited, then it is not prohibited. Rahe has it exactly backwards. Our rights and powers are not limited to those specifically stated and enumerated.Rahe then claims, unbelievably, that the Articles of Confederation (which existed before the Constitution was formed) stated plainly that the Confederation (the original Union) would exist "in perpetuity." Really? Is that why it was ended and cancelled and replaced? Implied in Rae's reasoning is that our current Constitution is illegal because we are still legally governed by the Articles of Confederation, which were "perpetual"!
In reality, those words "in perpetuity" only meant there was no automatic expiration date -- many corporations and other organizations have that same term in their organizing documents, but it is not to be taken literally.
Then there is the unfortunate (unfortunate for Rae) the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, which states:
Then there is the unfortunate (unfortunate for Rae) the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, which states:
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.And those powers include the right of secession, recognized by every state when the Constitution was formed, and by key founding fathers like Thomas Jefferson, and taught as a right at West Point before the War for Southern Independence.
Update: Great minds think alike. Robert Stacy McCain also rebutted Paul Rahe at this link.
Update 2: 1389 blog weighs in too -- read it at this link.
12 comments:
Hi there, Stogie!
Thanks for refuting the wrongheaded Paul Rahe.
Here's 1389 Blog's take on the SC secession celebration:
Celebrating Secession
Thanks my friend! I will definitely read it right away.
The Civil War was a disaster for the South and particularly for South Carolina. It is not a date to be celebrated.
Anon, it is more accurate to say that the election of Lincoln was a disaster -- for self government, for states rights, for human life. The South's secession did not cause the war, it was Lincoln's decision to invade that caused it. Therefore we should never celebrate the tyrant's birthday or anything else about the man.
Vos articles sur cette guerre Nord et Sud me passionne Stogie!
The best blood of the Palmetto State (think Micah Jenkins)perished in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia and Tennessee and for what?
If the Confederacy had triumphed this would eventually become 4 or 5 different nations. States (Texas,Arkansas, and Louisiana) would probably have seceded from the Confederacy and the rest of the United States might have broken off and we would resemble Central America and never achieved the greatness that we would achieve later on. The 20th century would not have become the American Century. Honor the Confederate heroism and the dead but not the Confederacy. By the way Lincoln outmaneuvered Jefferson Davis (who was loyal to incompetents such as Braxton Bragg) into firing the first shot.
Why did the best blood perish, Anonymous? It perished because of the tyranny and aggression of Abraham Lincoln. You are blaming the victim. Don't blame the South for the war that Lincoln started. I do honor the Confederacy and will continue to do so.
Yes, Lincoln maneuvered South Carolina into firing the first shot. It only shows how dishonest "honest Abe" really was.
All your other observations about who might secede from whom and the 20th century are mere speculation and prove nothing.
And what is your speculation on the type of country the Confederacy would have become? Are you sorry that the Confederacy never won its independence? You are setting up a classic straw man argument. Jimmy Carter is living proof that the best blood of the South perished at Shiloh, Antietam and Gettysburg. It was not worth it.
Yes, I am sorry the Confederacy did not win its independence. No, I am not setting up any kind of straw man argument, you're just throwing out terms. We will never know what kind of country the CSA would have become because it was murdered in its infancy. You comment about Jimmy Carter being the ultimate representation of all things Southern reflects your bias against the South and the people who live there.
No my comment on Jimmy Carter was that he was proof that the South lost its best men in the Civil War. I am not anti-Southern. I came back on Thanksgiving from a visit to East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee where I toured Vicksburg, Champions Hill, Chickasaw Bayou,Shiloh, Brices Cross Roads , Tupelo and Sabine Cross Roads. Next year it will be Stones River, Chattanooga, Franklin and Chickamauga. Charles Johnson once called me a neo Confederate.
Anon, well if Charles Johnson doesn't like you, you can't be all bad. Why not use a handle next time you post? Anonymous is so impersonal.
More Online > If you are looking for a challenge then this is a good game for you, it features extremely challenging semi truck driving through harsh environments and icy terrain. Interactive Learning and Reading Activities for Students in Grades
Post a Comment