If I understand your argument correctly, the Confederates forfeited their right of secession by the matter of their leaving.
Nope. There is no enumerated "right" of secession. But there could still be secession if conducted properly (see West Virginia). and nope - I said nothing about forfeiture of anything.
As Judge Napolitano points out, Lincoln was not altogether polite in his suppression of the rebellion.
So what? War is hell. They shouldn't have started something and set the pace for something they couldn't finish.
I think the right of secession turns not on such subjective niceties but on the fundamental right to secede or not. Is it a natural right? Is it is a constitutional right? Is it inherent in the peculiar arrangement of states which made the American union? If there was a right, was it somehow illegitimate to claim it to protect the perpetuation of slavery?
Again, there is no enumerated "right" to secession. There is a God-given natural right to rebellion as defense against tyranny. There was no tyranny occurring in the United States of 1860 - except arguable the one being perpetuated against blacks. The south started a war for no defensible reason other than their belligerence.
As to being wrapped up with events that ended 150 years ago, I take it you do not celebrate Independence Day on July 4? You do not celebrate Christmas or observe Yom Kippur?
You take it incorrectly.
In the white guilt rationale if some of the states did not want to join the union in the first place and did not join the union, Washington would had threatened them with war and MADE them join. It was a voluntary union of states. If not, the Founding were a bunch of a lying SOBs who never had any intention of EVER letting a state out once they opted to join. If anyone believes that I’ve got some good ocean front property in Arizona to sell you.
“Again, there is no enumerated “right” to secession.”
States Rights are NOT enumerated. All rights not given to the Federal government are reserved to the states.