Should states be allowed to leave the USA?

[sparkey]

The difference between the American Revolution and something like an ordinance of secession is that the American Revolution made no pretense of working within the laws of its mother country. The Patriots knew quite well that declaring independence would not be allowed. So "should states be allowed to leave the USA?" doesn't have much to do with the fact that "the USA seceded from Great Britain." It's not philosophically inconsistent to have a revolution that establishes a union that cannot be dissolved through legal means.

Personally, though, I think there are extreme circumstances under which a state may be allowed to leave the Union, but it should probably require a supermajority of popular support to ensure that any such vote isn't a temporary phase, and things like lack of turnout or voting irregularities don't determine the outcome. For what it's worth, I don't think that the Confederacy met these requirements (they didn't even ask their black residents!).