The Secession And The Anti-Secession Movement In American Modern History

America didn't become a real country under the confederacy system after independence. The disorder in the Confederacy period propelled all states to join together to strengthen the power of the central government through the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Though the 1789 Constitution designed the new nation's regime as a federal one, it failed to settle the conflict between the federal power and the states' rights. The belief in states' rights still had its great influence. Out of concern for regional political and economic interests, some region, armed with states' rights, was driven to resist the federal power. Secession was its last resort in the course of pursuing political aims. From the early 19th century on, secession movements, which was led by regional powers in pursuit of regional interests, had happened three times. For the sake of consolidating the unification, the federal government decisively waged the anti-secession campaign against the pro -secession power. The central government ended the secessionism tradition which had tangled America over a long period of time and established its supreme power. Based on the study of historical fact, this paper summarizes the reasons why America could successfully wage the anti-secession campaign. This paper holds that when confronted with such problems, any country could draw on the experience America has gained in the course of anti-secession and gain enlightenment from the experience.