John Avery EmisonFrom the publisher:
In his provocative book, John Avery Emison sets the record straight on the legality of Southern secession. He laments the unnecessary loss of 620,000 lives, the burning of cities, and mass devastation to the South, wreaked between the years of 1861 and 1865, by the North. A close examination of the true causes of the Civil War reveals the fight was not one for racial justice, but rather a battle over the economic disparities between the North and the South. By illustrating how Abraham Lincoln's tyrannical presidency paved the way for today's bloated "Leviathan" government, Emison brings his subject into the twenty-first century and puts forth his fear for the future.
Contrary to contemporary assumptions, secession was--and still is--within the rights of all states. The concept of sovereignty grants such powers to the states, not the federal government. Emison explains the list of violations that Lincoln committed in an effort to prevent the South's peaceful exit from the Union. These atrocious actions include the blockading of ports, arresting innocent citizens, suspending habeas corpus, suppressing newspapers, and, most notably, ordering a gruesome war without consent from Congress.
While presenting a historical backdrop, the author credits the events and political figures that contributed to Lincoln's election. He references significant Supreme Court doctrines and delves into the depths of the U.S. Constitution. Emison's arguments are backed by the expert analysis of notable legal historians, such as Kenneth Stampp and Carl Wittke.
