Early American State Structure: A Rawle's View

William Rawle's e-book on the US Constitution remains crucial today for its exploration of how early Americans perceived the roles of State and Federal governments, as well as individual Americans. Rawle's insights provide valuable perspectives on the formation of the American state and its implications for governance.

William Rawle, a highly respected legal authority in early America and a Northerner and abolitionist, had connections with prominent figures like Washington and Franklin. His work, A View of the Constitution of the United States of America: could easily have been mistaken for the writings of Southern leaders like John C. Calhoun or Jefferson Davis. Many Confederate Generals justified secession by citing their West Point education, where Rawle's textbook was used. It affirmed that secession was a reserved right of the States. The concept of States' Rights was initially an American, not just a Southern, idea. The fact that a Northern Abolitionist supported a State's right to secede in 1861 challenges the belief that the South was entirely in the wrong.