re: #94 Kragar

State’s rights were always laughable. Slave states routinely violated the rights of free states with their “runaway slave laws”, plus the Slave States were perfectly happy with a strong Federal government if it happened to back them up.

Which is why we got a civil war out of the slavery issue, because the South was increasingly worried that a rapidly industrializing North would eventually be able to force the matter on them and the federal government was less inclined to continue putting up with their bullshit.