The US Constitution used to start with the phrase ‘This Confederacy of States’ – but after the victory of the Union in 1865 – the US Constitution was changed to read ‘This Federation of States’. The 1776 Revolutionary victory of British left-leaning Radicals against the Bourgeois British Establishment in North America ensured that each of the original 13 Colonies were elevated to the legal status of a fully independent ‘City State’. As a matter of collective security, these ‘City States’ voluntarily agreed to pool economic and military resources for security, growth and defence. This ‘Confederacy’ was a ‘loose affiliation’ that could not be forced but could be withdrawn at anytime with no repurcussions. After all, there was no overarching – or permanent ‘Federal’ – authority structure (such as existed in Europe) that could enforce such an arrangement. This was the ‘Freedom’ the Americans secured for themselves in the late 18th century!
When the Southern States decided to defend this Freedom between 1861-1865 – their collective effort was named after the first lines in the US Constitution! Today, of course, very few people know this fact because of the propaganda perpetuated by the victorious North and the implementation of its reactionary agenda. From 1865 onwards, the Northern States established a ‘Federal’ power structure that was designed to project its political agenda into the Southern States. This negated the freedom won during the American Revolution of 1776 and removed the right of a ‘State’ to consider itself an independent ‘City’ – and exempt itself from any collective interaction.
This very real loss of political freedom was disguised by the North through the amplification of the Slavery issue – which was really a political sleight of hand perpetuated by Abraham Lincoln. A type of political terrorism designed to keep the UK from politically and militarily supporting the Confederacy! When Lincoln freed the slaves it was only those in the Confederate States (or the areas he possessed no authority over) – and not those slaves held in bondage within the Northern States (the areas he did control)! After he signed the Emancipation Proclamation – Lincoln placed his head in his hands and exclaimed ‘Oh my god, what have I done?’ Black people were released from the state of non-waged slavery into the state of waged slavery. In this much they gained a slight freedom. Overall, however, with the defeat of the Confederacy, the entirety of the American people (regardless of race) lost a fundamental element of the substantial freedom related to collective self-determination – secured through their victory in 1776!
THE SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 