Southerners Have the Right to Self Determination

The province of Quebec Canada was a French colony until September 1760.  In a war with France, the British took control and made the colony part of Canada.  The French speaking citizens never gave up their French connection and to this day the primary language spoken in that province is French.  There were two attempts in the latter part of the 20^th century to vote for separation of Quebec.  Both elections were close but the province did decide to remain part of Canada.

Now we have the governor of Virginia declaring “Confederate History Month.”  Sons of Confederate Veterans has a web site calling the Civil War the “Second American Revolution.” The flag of the State of Georgia from 1956 to 2001 incorporated the Confederate flag.  The South Carolina State House in Columbia displays three flags in the following order from top to bottom: The Flag of the United States of America, The South Carolina State Flag, and The Flag of the Confederate States of America.  The Mississippi flag currently incorporates the Confederate States of America flag.

On my trips to Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia I was invariably faced with a native of those states wanting to discuss slavery and discrimination.  These were not subjects that I introduced.  As evidenced by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, many Southerners have not only not forgotten the Civil War, they would like to succeed from the Union.

I believe we should let them vote for secession just as Québécois voted.  If Southerners want to separate from the United States they should be given that right of self determination.  If a majority vote to stay part of the United States they should shut up and accept the rule of American law.