Anyone who says that it was about states’ rights is being disingenuous.
Oh, it was about states’ rights. Mostly one right in particular that they reasonably feared was going to be taken from them by federal action, specifically the right to own other people as property. So not a particularly **good ** right to be the one you draw the line at.
It’s probably not a coincidence that the federal government expanded it’s powers a lot more and a lot more quickly after the Civil War than before, though.
Oh, it was about states’ rights. Mostly one right in particular that they reasonably feared was going to be taken from them by federal action, specifically the right to own other people as property. So not a particularly **good ** right to be the one you draw the line at.
It’s probably not a coincidence that the federal government expanded it’s powers a lot more and a lot more quickly after the Civil War than before, though.