Wasnt secession treason and werent the Confederates traitors for trying to leave the Union?
No. It was clearly understood in the earliest days of the United States that states who could join the Union of their own free will could also leave it of their own free will. Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton both stated this clearly. Also, some states, like Virginia and New York, joined the Union with the express proviso that they could later leave it if they so chose. Also, the right of secession was widely understood in American law, and the right of secession was even taught at West Point before the war. After the war, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, was not tried for treason because the Northern politicians had good reason to believe they would lose the trial. Clearly, secession is NOT synonymous with treason. Liberal and Northern writers often describe our Confederate ancestors as traitors. Since they do not have a valid argument over the legality of secession, they resort to name-calling and insult.
