I suppose any State has the "right" to break away from the union if it so desires. The problem is, as the War Between The States proved, the Union also has the right to wage war against them in order to bring them back into the fold.
What is "right" and what is "wrong" was determined by brute force, as are many conflicts between waring Countrys.
I said in another post that I am a American first, and a Texan second. If, by some strange turn of events the State of Texas did actually try to secceed from The United States of America, I would have to oppose in every way possible.
And, whether we like it or not, The United States would have every right to wage total war against my State. That precident was set by the War Between The States, and settled once and for all.
Shelby Foote made an interesting observation during Ken Burns Civil War series on PBS. He said that before the War, it was common to refer to our Country as "These United States". After the War, the more common monikor became "The United States".
Originally Posted by Jackie S
Right and wrong is
not determined by brute force. There are countless cases of invading armies conquering other countries with no right to do so; victory doesn't make it right. If Israel finally falls to the Islamists, their defeat won't be proof of the Islamists being right. If the Union had no right to force the southern states to stay in the Union, winning the Civil War didn't change that fact.