The States United

[originally written by me, 23MAR12; also, this was before I truly embraced the idea of anarchism, so it's written with a bit more of a "yeah, the State is an OK sort of thing" perspective.]

Or, perhaps, even... The States of America United.

It's all the same words. They're just slightly rearranged. And, even though it's the same words, don't you instantly get a different sense about the meaning of them?

In fact, I would suggest that the sensation you just got by thinking about those words is, indeed, exactly the sense that the Founder intended.

You may not have realized this, but, up until the end of the Civil War, "The United States" was considered to be a PLURAL proper noun. Yes, people would have said "The United States are...". That's because, prior to that point, the federal government was secondary to the state governments.

There's a maxim that a creation can never be more powerful than its creator. Think of that as applied to the various governments that exist within these States United for a moment.

We generally accept that it is the State which as primary authority. Even county and local legislatures are crafting laws within the context of what is allowed (or, perhaps more likely, not disallowed) by the State government... and the State Constitution.

Yep - bet you may not have even thought about how your State has its own Constitution, did you? That Constitution contains all of the overriding principles for all counties and municipalities within the State. Not only that, but (Article 4, Section 4), "[t]he United States shall guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican Form of Government..."

[I will, for the moment, skip talking about the very next phrase of Article 4, Section 4, although it IS of particular interest in the light of illegal immigration: "... and shall protect each of them against Invasion".]

So, let's think about the formation of the Union. The States CAME FIRST...

The original 13 States were the transformations of the 13 colonies into independent States. Those States were composed of "We the People" who made up each state, individually. Those States, then, came together to form the States United. [Yes, I'm purposely continuing that usage for the moment.] That now starts to make the name of the country make a bit more sense, doesn't it?

The States united in order to protect each other.

Now let's follow the "chain of creation"... the People created the States... and the States created the Union.

So, the States United were just a conglomeration of all of the States that composed that union.

This worked fine until the Civil War... when President Lincoln and the "Union" (sometimes names ARE meaningful, aren't they?) took over and insisted that the federal government was superior.

And, suddenly... POOF... The States United became a singular proper noun. Because it was the federal government that claimed supremacy over the individual States.

So - here's a challenge for you.

Try starting to think of the States United (or, if you insist, the "United States") as a plural proper noun again. Try and use it that way. Avoid, as best you can, saying "The United States is..." Share this with others.

Maybe, by reinforcing, once again, how the States are superior to the federal government... merely by saying it... we can make it so. Or, if not, we can at least help move that concept along.