slavery is at the bottom of everything they were worried about

JohnTaylor

Sergeant
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
In the Southern honor thread, Trice stated, “It is obvious they were worried, and that slavery is at the bottom of everything they were worried about.”

I said, “Tim, that is not true, but that is also a separate debate.”

So, it would seem to be relatively simple to refute Tim’s statement by providing some item from the list of grievances that does not have slavery at its bottom. That said, here is a list of just a few:

1. From the Georgia declaration: “the owners of fishing smacks sought and obtained bounties for pursuing their own business (which yet continue), and $500,000 is now paid them annually out of the Treasury.” Federal expenditures without a constitutional basis.

2. From the Texas declaration: “The Federal Government, while but partially under the control of these our unnatural and sectional enemies, has for years almost entirely failed to protect the lives and property of the people of Texas against the Indian savages on our border, and more recently against the murderous forays of banditti from the neighboring territory of Mexico.” The Federal Government has failed to protect the people from incursions from Mexico and from attacks by Indians.

3. From the South Carolina declaration: “The Northern States, having the majority in Congress, claim the same power of omnipotence in legislation as the British Parliament. "The general welfare" is the only limit to the legislation of either; and the majority in Congress, as in the British Parliament, are the sole judges of the expediency of the legislation this "general welfare" requires.” The people of the North, especially the Republicans, have expressed the view that there is no real limit on Federal power, other than what the simple majority in Congress believe it to be.

4. Declaration of the people of Botetourt county, Virginia in 1861: “When a State does secede, the Constitution and laws of the United States cease to operate therein. No power is conferred on Congress to enforce them. Such authority was denied to the Congress in the convention which framed the Constitution, because it would be an act of war of nation against nation – not an exercise of the legitimate power of a government to enforce its laws on those subject to its jurisdiction.” Thus, the people of Botetourt asserted that the attempt to coerce a seceded State would violate the Constitution, and would justify Virginia in resuming her delegated powers, which as events turned out, is exactly what she did.

These are the words of peoples that have seceded as to why they seceded (or endorsed secession in the case of the Botetourt Resolutions). None of these is slavery. None of these is even closely related to slavery. Slavery is at the bottom of none of these issues. Thus, Trice’s assertion is disproven.
Respectfully,
John Taylor
 
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