"States Rights" Equaled "Slavery"

D over at Lawyers, Guns & Money reminds us that, around this time of the year, most southern states legally celebrate the "rich legacy" of the Confederacy's struggle in the face of "Northern aggression." In one of the least surprising displays of filth and disgusting attitudes, as he points out, the white supremacists are equally celebratory of their "legacy" and condemning of other holidays (best summarized by one cesspool of a commenter who points out that "We have MLK day shoved down our throats and yall call it your history and heritage! We have Confederate Heroes Day and we call it OUR history and heritage, so deal with it!!! ").

Also, not surprisingly, in said comments stream the defense that the south fought for states's rights, and NOT for slavery, comes up.

Which allows us this opportunity to remind ALL the states-rights people that as South Carolina's declaration of secession (the model for all others) reminds us: defense of states rights in the south WAS defense of slavery. It's all right there (see, for example, article 19, and article 21, though it's throughout). Did the South leave for "states's rights"? Yes. Did those rights include slavery? Yes. Did the South explicitly say that those rights were primarily slavery? Yep. So memo to the confederate apologists - states rights and slavery aren't mutually exclusive. In fact, they were interdependent.