[one2many]

I'll accept the challenge; it may take me a while but I have some friends who are quite well-versed in the era. BTW, I assume you do NOT consider the newpaper editorial writers in my earlier quote to be "political leaders" and thus they are, by extension, non-representative of the "Northern View"?

Now I must admit to having some misgivings in responding to someone who claims to believe "that the Union created the States". (From an earlier exchange that we had) --But, in the interest of truth I will do so.

[rdf]

Thanks for your kind reply.

The argument from editorials has some weight, but only some. There were two issues, at least. 1] Was there a right to secede, and 2] was it wise and just to oppose secession, even unlawful secession, by force of arms? I would have to read through a representative sample of these editorials to see what question the writers were responding to. Moreover, passions and fears were high, and some of the same papers changed their editorial stance after Sumter. Moreover, there are contrary indicators of popular sentiment, such as the anti-secession resolutions adopted by many Northern state legislatures.

Public opinion shifted in the upper South during this period, too. Witness the failure of the first Virginia Convention to decide on secession.

Of course, none of this bears on the views of the Founding period, which is already 50 years in the past by the time of these editorials.

Finally, do you have a link to the editorials, or does one have to get hard copy?

Regards,

Richard F.