Constitutional Betrayal: The Raw Deal
Lincoln’s War on Southern Sovereignty and the Lasting Scars of Federal Overreach
“Any people whatsoever, have the Right to abolish the existing government and form a new one that suits them better. This is the most valuable, the most sacred Right.”
~Abraham Lincoln, July 4, 1843, 13 years before he illegally invaded the Sovereign States of the South.
In a glaring breach of Constitutional principles, President Abraham Lincoln’s overreach during the Civil War stands as a troubling chapter in American history from a Southern and Constitutional perspective. Merely days after his call for the militia, Lincoln audaciously disregarded the Sovereignty and legitimate governance of Southern States by imposing a blockade on their ports. His labeling of these States’ authorities as “pretended” not only dismissed their governance but set a threatening tone by promising to treat anyone defending their homeland under such authority as pirates. This was a shocking and reprehensible breach of Constitutional conduct.
Lincoln’s actions blatantly violated the balance of powers, ignoring that the authority to declare war and initiate blockades rested exclusively with Congress, not the Executive Branch. His unilateral decision to enforce a blockade was nothing short of an unauthorized declaration of war.
“Force might perpetuate the Union, but it would not be the Union of the Constitution. It would be nothing short of a consolidated despotism.”
~Alexander Stephens
This move undermined the essential Principle of State Rights and demonstrated a dangerous precedent, suggesting that the President could single-handedly embroil the nation in war. Though the Supreme Court later gave its…
Excellent article on Lincoln's abuse of the Constitution!
alterNative