In 1776 thirteen British Colonies in North America declared their independence and separated themselves from their mother country, Great Britain. In the Declaration of Independence the colonies asserted that they had a natural right to secede. Great Britain refused to accept that they had a lawful right to secede and engaged the colonies in a bloody war to prevent their independence. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that when in the opinion of the people a government becomes tyrannical it is the right to the people to alter or abolish it.
With the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 eleven southern states exercised their right to secede from following the precedence established in 1776. In order to prevent their secession, Abraham Lincoln and preserve the Union he instigated the War of Northern Aggression. Rather than attempting to alter or abolish the government the southern states decided to exercise their right to peacefully withdraw from the Union.
If it was lawfull for the 13 colonies to secede, why would the secession of 11 southern states be unlawful?
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