From the quotes selected, note that Rawle views secession soberly, not flippantly: “To withdraw from the Union is a solemn, serious act.” While he did believe it was a right of the states, it would come with costs and consequences that the people of the states would have to bear, namely, the forfeiture of benefits of being part of the American Union. He clearly affirmed, however, that “it depends on itself whether it will continue a member of the Union.” To deny this right would fundamentally deny the basis on which the American Union was founded—the Declaration of Independence, the right of the people to determine how they are governed, and the voluntary acceptance of the Constitution. Further, “The states, then, may wholly withdraw from the Union.”

The debates concerning the legality and ethics of secession notwithstanding, most historians treat the discussion of antebellum secession dismissively at best. What this evidence from William Rawle demonstrates is that the question of state secession—while serious and weighty—was open for discussion and was believed by many, including him, to be a right of the American states. Today, the matter is treated as “settled science” in exactly the opposite directions—states cannot secede and they never could. This was allegedly a post-war, “lost cause” myth. However, William Rawle and his generation of readers—North and South—confute that view.