In a message dated 07/26/2003 12:30:41 PM Eastern Daylight Time, mocsa@earthlink.net writes: > And there was the issue of Southern Unionist who wanted to retain US > citizenship. Hi Scott, There would have been no United States left to retain citizenship to. The US was made up of the North AND the South. Once the "United States" were no longer united, it would have been the Confederate States of America, and the Federal States of America. If these Unionist who lived in the South, wanted to remain under the restraints of Federal control, they could have relocated, or, their other choice, abided by the laws of a new and better nation. The Federal Government had overstepped their bounds, passing laws to punish the Southern States, ignoring the fact that these States had rights as sovereign and independent States. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Message of Jefferson Davis to the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America During the war waged against Great Britain by her colonies on this continent a common danger impelled them to a close alliance and to the formation of a Confederation, by the terms of which the colonies, styling themselves States, entered "severally into a firm league of friendship with each other for their common defense, the security of their liberties, and their mutual and general welfare, binding themselves to assist each other against all force offered to or attacks made upon them, or any of them, on account of religion, sovereignty, trade, or any other pretense whatever." Strange, indeed, must it appear to the impartial observer, but it is none the less true that all these carefully worded clauses proved unavailing to prevent the rise and growth in the Northern States of a political school which has persistently claimed that the government thus formed was not a compact between States, but was in effect a national government, set up above and over the States. An organization created by the States to secure the blessings of liberty and independence against foreign aggression, has been gradually perverted into a machine for their control in their domestic affairs. The creature has been exalted above its creators; the principals have been made subordinate to the agent appointed by themselves. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx You wrote: There was Federal installations and property that was confiscated. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx How can you say that they were "Federal" owned property? They belonged equally and jointly to the United States, the Southern States being PART OF the United States. Just goes to show you how we, even now, see the government as being an entity unto itself, and not belonging to us, the people of these United States. Carolyn