Thanks to FindLawThe Constitution is silent as to the methods of disposing of property of the United States. In United States v. Gratiot, in which the validity of a lease of lead mines on government lands was put in issue, the contention was advanced that ''disposal is not letting or leasing,'' and that Congress has no power ''to give or authorize leases.'' The Court sustained the leases, saying ''the disposal must be left to the discretion of Congress."
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In the territories, Congress has the entire dominion and sovereignty, national and local, and has full legislative power over all subjects upon which a state legislature might act. It may legislate directly with respect to the local affairs of a territory or it may transfer that function to a legislature elected by the citizens thereof, which will then be invested with all legislative power except as limited by the Constitution of the United States and acts of Congress.
Pertinent Footnotes can be seen by viewing the text directly
The Constitution gave to Congress the power to determine whether slavery could be practiced in the Territories. Obviously, the 13th now supercedes all of this.
To all those who think that the States were somehow able to secede legally, ponder the following:
The Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land as per Article VI. Article VI actually says that State Laws and Constitutions cannot contradict the Federal Constitution. A State Law that says the Federal Constituiton in a State is void is quite clearly in contradiction with the Federal Constitution since it attempts to dismantle it and to give it no effective force, which is exactly what the Supremacy clause said could not happen.
Before the words "tenth amendment" pass your fingers, ponder this: The Tenth Amendment changed nothing from the Original Constitution, it simply stated a principle that every Framer considered implicit in the original document.
''The Tenth Amendment was intended to confirm the understanding of the people at the time the Constitution was adopted, that powers not granted to the United States were reserved to the States or to the people. It added nothing to the instrument as originally ratified.'' - United States v. Sprague (1931)
The tenth amendment therefore could in no way have modified the Supremacy Clause and therefore my argument from the Supremacy Clause remains. Therefore the attempt by States to leave the Union was unconstitutional and an attempt at rebellion, and arguably treason since they established themselves as enemies of the United States. The United States was well within powers to put down this rebellion, and did so.
I don't know what I would have done with the secessionists considering that I'm not too aware of the politics surrounding it, though given my intrasigent nature to people I think have commited treason, I probably would have been harsh.
