States Rights, Secession, and the Civil War?

Question

Ok i have a final on the Civil War but, I dont understand either of the two subjects as it pertains to the Civil War. Someone please help me out! Also which one do I talk about first in my final: States Rights or Secession? Thanks in advance

Answer 1

The Articles of COnfederation, on paper, gave states the right to secede.

But, since a war erupted over secession, that meant this right did not exist in fact.

Answer 2

I like Hobbsko's answer.

Note that the issue of secession had come up before. There was considerable sentiment in several of the New England states for secession over the issue of the War of 1812, though it never got quite to the point of actually coming to a vote.

People in those days had a different attitude about the Tenth Amendment:"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.

There was a real concern that slavery would be abolished. Note that the slaveowners were not reimbursed for their "loss of property" as required by the Fifth Amendment. It seems the dodge was that they were "war contraband." It's an interesting point of balancing what's morally right with what's legally justifiable.

Answer 3

they aren;t mutually exclusive events and so you don't talk about either one first or second.

many people believe that the civil war was a war fought over the morality of slavery. it would be more correct to argue that it was fought over slavery as it pertained to STATES RIGHTS. when lincoln took over the presidency, the southern states feared that his republican administration would essentially take over the country and eliminate the opportunity for states to make their own decisions concerning certain issues (like slavery). at teh time, the US was undergoing vast expansion and had recently acquired new territories in the west. while lincoln didn't oppose slavery, he did not feel that it was something that should be spread to new settlements. obviously this goes against what the southern states believed to be the inherent right of the state to make that decision, if that makes sense.

as a result, southern states, one by one, decided to seceed from the union and create their own nation--the confederacy.

hope this helps. keep in mind: you probably want to support any answers you get here with your own research and thoughts since it's your grade.