Refuting Historical Ignorance On Secession &
Nullification!

The website Human Events published an article by Jarret Stepman in which he attacks nullification advocates. In his article, “Secessionists and Nullifiers won’t Succeed,” Stepman agrees that citizens must resist federal power.
“There are far better options on the table, and more legal ways for citizens to resist the power of the federal government.”

However, Stepman says that nullification is not the answer.
“Although there is a great temptation for conservatives, in light of the most recent election, to attempt to nullify federal laws and even abandon the union, it must be noted that these actions are unproductive, unconstitutional, have led to the destruction of two national political parties and one bloody civil war.”
Stepman begins his argument with a history lecture. He correctly explains the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 as the origins of nullification, and points out that they were written by Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, respectively.
“These resolutions were written in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts passed by Federalist dominated Congress and President John Adams…The resolutions, while fueling political movement that brought Thomas Jefferson and his followers to power, was outright rejected by ten states.”

While it is true that the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions were rejected, the author fails to mention why. First off, the Alien And Sedition Acts gave the federal government the power to imprison anybody criticizing it. That certainly created a chilling effect on public debate. Furthermore, Stepman ignores the political realities of the time. The Federalist Party controlled most state legislatures. The Federalist party also controlled Congress and the presidency. So yes, these Federalist state legislatures failed to oppose a doctrine meant to void a policy their own party created and supported. Amazing!
But it gets better – and Stepman ignores this fact as well – these same states that rejected nullification of the Alien and Sedition Acts drug the doctrine out about 10 years later as a way to fight Jefferson’s blockade, and then again a few years later to block federal conscription during the War of 1812. Daniel Webster, whom Stepman uses as a citation in his opposition to nullification, wrote:
Clearly, the opposition to Jefferson and Madison’s resolutions in 1798 was political, not principled.
“She (Virginia in the 1798 Resolutions) asserted moreover & offered her proofs that the States had a right in such cases, to interpose, first in their constituent character to which the govt of the U. S. was responsible, and otherwise as specially provided by the Constitution; and further, that the States, in their capacity of parties to and creators of the Constitution, had an ulterior right to interpose, notwithstanding any decision of a constituted authority; which, however it might be the last resort under the forms of the Constitution in cases falling within the scope of its functions, could not preclude an interposition of the States as the parties which made the Constitution and, as such, possessed an authority paramount to it.”
Finally, Stepman makes the statement that nullification “goes too far,” but says there are better ways to resist federal power. Ways such as the Health Care Freedom Act, for example, which states that, “No government entity can force an individual to participate in the healthcare system or stop an individual from purchasing treatment.”
The author continues to say that the “Governor can also refuse to set up health care exchanges in their states.” Apparently, Stepman believes that refusing federal laws is not nullification. However, no matter how you try to put it, that is exactly what it is.
Stepman is opposing nullification and advocating it, all at the same time. By rejecting nullification as legitimate resistance to federal power, yet supporting it in practice, Stepman makes you wonder if he even knows what nullification is.
Nullification is any act or set of acts which has as its end result a particular federal law being rendered null, void, or just plain unenforceable in your state. It flows from the basic principle that the federal government was created by an act of the people of sovereign states. In fact, several of the state ratifying instruments specifically assert that the states retain the power to reassume (i.e. take back) those powers. Take New York’s ratifying document for instance.

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It logically follows that the people of the states retain the final say on the extent of the powers they have delegated. How can the people of the states have the authority to “reassume” powers if they don’t have the authority to judge the extent of the power in the first place? The people act through their elected representatives at the state level. So nullification stands as legitimate exercise of power within the structure of the system the framers created.
As Madison stated in his Report on the Virginia Resolutions, “The states then, being parties to the constitutional compact, and in their sovereign capacity it follows of necessity, that there can be no tribunal above their authority, to decide in the last resort, whether the compact made by them be violated; and, consequently, that, as parties to it, they must themselves decide, in the last resort, such questions as may be of sufficient magnitude to require their interposition.”
Stepman gives us a nice history lesson. And he does a fine job of pointing out historical opposition to nullification. But he fails to ever get to heart of the matter – the legitimacy of nullification within basic structure of the Union.
They never do.
Matt Renquist is a blogger for the Tenth Amendment Center. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Colorado State University and currently lives in Colorado.
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This Stepman clown is a real piece of work.
ReplyDeleteTo begin with it was the government that seceded from the union back in 1861 and they validated and finished the job in 1913 with the criminal Federal Reserve Act, so if there is any secession going on it will be from the present corporate fascist regime and unfortunately it appears that will only happen at the end of a gun. and that has already been established from the present regime.
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable." - John F. Kennedy
I AGREE 100% WITH THIS PERSON... NONE OF THE CONSTITUTION APPLIES WITH THESE CORPORATE CROOKS. THEY EVEN BREAK THEIR OWN LAWS (IF YOU WANT TO CALL THEM LAWS) FROM THE JUDGEY WUDGEYS TO THE STREET THUGGS.... WHAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHAT IN THE HELL ARE WE ALL WAITING FOR ??.... PLEASE SOMEONE DECLARE A DATE FOR A GATHERING IN THE DISTRICT OF CRIMINALS, AND ABOUT 2 MILLION OF US JUST GO INTO CONGRESS AND THE WHITEHOUSE AND GRAB THESE PISS-ANT THUGS, MURDERS, RAPISTS, DRUG DEALERS ETC BY THEIR NECKS.... TRY THEM THE NEXT DAY AND HANG THEM ....WE NEED THEM GONE, THIS COUNTRY NEED TO HEAL AND WE NEED TO CUT THE CORD.
DeleteLet's invite all the secessionists and environmentalists and 911 truthers and the Ron Paul people and Jesse Ventura people and the Glen Beck people and the Alex Jones people and the Thrive people and the militia people and all of the Wall Street people... Seriously, this could happen people, John, NESARA people, everybody. In that group, if you invite veterans, and the different activist churches who are not afraid of the government or the IRS or whoever, and the military, and all of these people, you can get two million people easy. Easy. Easy. Someone just needs to start it. People are mad enough, they just feel as of they can't do anything about all of this stuff that's going on, or are afraid for their families. But we notify everyone, do fundraising for advertisements, go on the petition websites and let everyone know, and on the set date, if you are in Washington DC, you will be at the protest. And let me tell you something, if two million people show up on the steps of Washington DC, then things will change, and fast. We get the Article 3 courts up and running suits, and common law courts, or lawyers, or whoever, and with that much military, you will have the ability to arrest people for sure, citizen's arrest, or literal arrest, or whatever. It can happen. We see the sentiments building. We just need someone to stand up and start it. Being 16, I might be too young, but I know that there is someone else out there who can and will act. John, feel free to post this, or to be that guy yourself. You all know that this would work. The lasting effects would be based on the law people who would be doing stuff and organization. But it can succeed. And it will if someone stands up and does it.
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