On Sun, 17 Apr 2011 19:41:03 +0000, Larry Blanchard wrote:

If you want to get a good perspective on American history, I suggest:

http://www.journalofamericanhistory.org/

Of particular interest is an article on the legality of secession,at:

http://www.historyvortex.org/LegalitySecession.html

Here's a quote which sums up the article:

"If secession was illegal, then the actions of the those eleven Southern
states led to the destruction of the republic as created by our Founding
Fathers, and the South bears ultimate responsibility for the deaths of
the 620,000 Americans who died in the ensuing war. However, if secession
was a legal action, then blame for the aforementioned tragedies can be
placed squarely upon the shoulders of President Abraham Lincoln; the
deification of the putative €œGreat Emancipator€� can cease, and he can be
forever known as the President who plunged the nation into the bloodiest
conflict in its history. High stakes indeed! (It is interesting to note
that the eradication of slavery remains an unblemished virtuous outcome
of the War for Southern Independence, regardless of where fault may lie
for the wars causation. "

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw