Reading Secession

Secession has become a popular topic. People on both the left and right are critically discussing the issue, and several popular political movements have developed in the last three decades pursuing a political separation of the United States. But this raises an important question: is secession legal?

Most establishment academics--and by default a large percentage of "college educated historians"--would tell you secession is treason. The "Civil War" proved it, and only racist "Neo-Confederates" think otherwise.

They then cite the "Supremacy Clause" of the Constitution, a few cherry picked private quotes from James Madison, and statements by Joseph Story and John Marshall to "show" that secession was, in fact, illegal.

But was it and is it? The answer would be no, but you need the intellectual firepower to explain why.

Hence, Reading Secession, a primary source romp through four important works that favor secession followed by two that argue it is illegal.

Who wins this intellectual war? I have my opinion, but maybe you come down on the other side. This is THE course you need to argue with the "secession is treason" crowd.

In this class, we cover:

Albert Taylor Bledsoe: Is Davis A Traitor?

Bernard Sage: The Republic of Republics

William Rawle: A View of the Constitution of the United States

Lysander Spooner: No Treason

John Motley: The Causes of the American Civil War

Orestes Brownsen: The American Republic