The Right of Secession

Do our liberties come from our humanity or are they granted by governments? Is secession a right or not? This video seeks to address these questions.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• secession
• natural
• rights
• us
• america
• states
• liberty
• constitution

[beingforitse1f]

Rights are indeed inalienable and natural. States always have a right of secession in cases of obscene injustice, denial of liberty, etc.

The Confederate States of America (and pre-1865 Union) were both illegitimate states precisely because of this; they enshrined slavery and the denial of the liberty of all black men in their constitution and founding documents.

[RedShirtArmy]

Any state is basically an enemy of liberty - that is the nature of government. I agree that slavery was wrong - in both the USA and CSA. Too bad that Jefferson's principle of 'That government is best which governs least' has not been the basis of self-government in America. Rather, we have had increasing centralisation and loss of liberties, ever higher taxes and more and more government intervention at home and around the entire planet.

[lunchcountersitin]

RSA, one last question, then I will move on:

YES or NO: Do you believe that the SC government, which made the decision to secede, was illegitimate because it disenfranchised blacks, who were over 60% of the SC population in 1861?

I don't want to hear about the North or England. I am talking about SC, which you describe as YOUR state.

The OBVIOUS answer is that the SC government was illegitimate. Wouldn't you agree with that?

This is a Yes or No question.

[RedShirtArmy]

SC at that time obviously did not follow the Natural Law in regards to Black people. I will grant you that if it is what you are looking for. To me all government is awful, so it's not much of a concession. I can only point out that it was 150 years ago and that at that time almost no nation on earth gave Blacks their due natural rights. So if we are to say that SC was illigitimate then we must say that nearly all gov'ts then were illegitimate. As far as the recognised citizentry...

[RedShirtArmy]

... (continued) the right of secession was properly and legally excersied.

I will also say that even in contempory times if we judge the US by Natural Law it is illegitimate. It enslaves people (conscription during Vietnam), it wages aggressive wars (murder) and it steals our wealth (taxation and inflation). It clearly has no regard for the Constitution in what it does. So, no government truly follows Natural Law - which is why I am in general anti-gov't and want as small of one as possible.

[lunchcountersitin]

"Strictly speaking under our system the States are sovereign and can not be split up BUT by their own GOVERNMENT."

I get the point: under your "system" people would not have the right to secede from the state. Although the people have the natural right to create their own state, those rights could negated by the sovereign STATE GOVERNMENT.

I get it. Really I do.

[RedShirtArmy]

You misunderstand me. I mean to say that under the original US system you can not secede from a State without that State approving it. I am however arguing that in my own personal opinion you have the natural right to break away from any tyrannical government. I'm not trying to play with words - rather, to make a distinction between the original concept of the US and States rights and what I personally believe (which is more libertarian than what the Founders believed). Hope you understand now.

[JohnMOverman]

Well they ran through the briars and they ran through the brambles..they ran into places that a rabbit wouldn't go

[defenderoFreedom]

if we (the states) created the federal government, then we should be able to DESTROY it!!

[jenni3613]

@Luigi84289 . the fact is that 21 states are no longer apart of the united states of america . i do not plan to keep quiet about this .

[Luigi84289]

@jenni3613 I know it didn't that's the point I was making. Because we lost in 1865 Freedom was lost for America.

[jenni3613]

@Luigi84289 slavery has nothing to do with the liberty of the states . its an idea that was forced upon the Republics these once free states . the idea of freedom does not die .

[jenni3613]

every state has a right to cede . this is in every state constitution .

[Luigi84289]

@beingforitse1f Slavery would have been done away with over time and was not the foundation of the Southern economy. Physical labor was. My dad worked on a plantation in the 60's. Anyone can do the work.

[Luigi84289]

@beingforitse1f Slavery was an American problem that had to be phased out and could not be instantaneously abolished if the well being of everyone living in America was to be maintained. It is a very weak justification as it does not take into account the condition of the region and people's natural right to be free. There was and is nothing wrong with the Southern people as even Yankees today that come down here will attest. We're all in slavery now and quite helpless. Read slave narratives.

[Luigi84289]

@beingforitse1f Remember all of your knowledge of the CSA is coming from the north. The victors write history. Look at where your history books are published. None of us learn what was going on behind the scenes before the war was thrust upon us. We either had to become a slave region (as we are now) to the rest of the states who were leading a cultural majority in Congress or we could choose freedom/self governance. We chose the latter. RR's are anti-south

[Luigi84289]

@Luigi84289 Real freedom and liberty. These same men who rail on about how mice and other animals will fight tooth and nail to achieve a state of freedom enslave themselves to other men's wills and desires.