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Katygunnut wrote:
Texas (or any other state) has the ability to secede if we want to. The only question is whether the government of that neighboring country (the USA) would try to stop us.

Kind of like saying that I have the ability to withhold my Federal income tax check. I just need to have the backbone to live with the consequences of that action.

UpTheIrons wrote: I hope you don't mind - I just "appropriated" this image for my Facebook profile.

chasfm11 wrote:

Scott in Houston wrote:

chasfm11 wrote: For a historical perspective, however, the slide against States rights has gone on for a very long time. In spite of commonly held beliefs, the Civil War was about States rights and slavery just happened to be one of the issues under that topic. We all know how that turned out.

Love the rest of your post, but have to jump on this. Your statement shows what I believe is a southern myth about states rights.
It was first and foremost about slavery. States rights just happened to go along for the ride. (the other way around from your comment)

If it was truly *only* or *first and foremost* about states rights, then why couldn't a state in the Confederate States elect to ban slavery? They couldn't. Under the Confederate Constitution, slavery was required/mandated. No states rights there... They were all about ensuring the continuation of slavery. The whole process began even before Lincoln came into office just because they feared his anti-slavery point of view. Taxation and other states rights issues jumped on board after it began and was spawned by slavery.

I believe the real myth is the belief that the war was primarily about states rights. I think that belief of this myth is spawned from the fact that it's hard for us from the South to believe our ancestors would actually support and fight over such an evil practice, but the sad truth is, they did.

I want to drag out some of my Civil War research. I'm pretty sure that I read something pretty close to what I posted. It may, indeed, be a myth.

As far as any Confederate State not being able to outlaw slavery, I don't dispute your comments. But, as you pointed out, that was part of that Constitution. There was no question but that slavery was a rallying cry for the South because many did believe that its abolition would kill their economy. As today, the political leaders of the time where not going to permit opposition among the Confederate States for such a crucial matter.

Over the years, the US has done many deplorable things, slavery foremost among them. Our treatment of the Native Americans and those of Japanese decent during WWII are more examples. I can only hope that we've learned for these breaches of human decency.

chasfm11 wrote: For a historical perspective, however, the slide against States rights has gone on for a very long time. In spite of commonly held beliefs, the Civil War was about States rights and slavery just happened to be one of the issues under that topic. We all know how that turned out.