How did the states' rights theory lead to the civil war?

calzrhe

Congress passed a law that kept new states admitted to the country from being slave states. Every single slave state voted against this law, yet it was still passed because the government was dominated by the Republicans. The South saw that it practically had no power in the federal government, and would rather form their own. So they did. Abraham Lincoln decided he must mobilize the military to fight the rebels in order to protect the union of the United States.

According to the Constitution, only Congress may declare war, however the President has the power to use his military for national defense, enforcement of law, etc. This was a war that Congress never formally declared. This war was fought, officially, for enforcing national law on the rebels, who had refused to obey federal law.

This war is part of a big long struggle on the issue of slavery. People tend to say it isn't fought because of slavery because there are many other factors that are involved that would be made minuscule if one were to think slavery was the only reason. Slavery was, nonetheless, a major factor that eventually led to this war.

Wayne - What about the Supremacy clause? Supreme law of the land...

Wayne C

It is not a theory, it is a fact. There is nothing in the constitution to stop a state from going it's own way.

If there is copy and paste it. I have missed it the several times I have read it!

Edit: The supremacy clause does not apply to the secession of a state. There was not then and is not now a law prohibiting succession:

This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.

Kinda like drugs and immigration. The states cannot ignore or create law contrary to Federal law that is within the federal rights under the Constitution. We know they do, that is another issue.

What has me laughing my butt off is all these morons talking $h!t about the law in Arizona. All it is is Federal law that has been copied and pasted into Arizona code. CA code has required police to turn over illegals since before 9/11 and the formation of Homeland Defense. It also makes it a crime to ignore Federal law, they ignore that too.

Would it not be fun as hell to walk into some city council meeting and palce them all under citizens arrest, drug charges, immigration, there has to be more....wonder if the Feds could refuse to take them in custody. Ya gots to love law and ignorance...they seem to go hand in hand here....just not the same hands.

Reem

it is widely believed that slavery was the cause of the civil war, wrong

the slavery issue was the tipping point, not the whole issue

out2lunch4now2

There is nothing in the Constitution of the United States that allowed the federal government to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Slavery within an individual state's borders was an issue for the states to decide individually for themselves, NOT an issue to be mandated by the federal government. It is much like socialist medicine today. The federal government has no authority to interfere since none is granted by the Constitution of the United states.

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