Did the South have the right to split up the country in 1860?

If we look at the Constitution, the South didn’t have the right to split the country. The Constitution is clear that federal laws take priority over state laws. States aren’t allowed to pass laws that go against federal laws or the Constitution. Decisions are made based on the common good. Sometimes decisions will hurt a region while helping another region. If a state or region would threaten to leave the Union every time they don’t get what they want, the country could not possibly survive or function.

However, when we were colonies of Great Britain, we weren’t supposed to break away from them. If a region or state feels their concerns are not being heard or addressed, and if they have exhausted all efforts to resolve the differences, then they must be prepared to fight for their independence if they choose to break away from the Union. In the Declaration of Independence, it says people must remove a government if they feel the government isn't protecting their rights. The South felt this was the case, so breaking away wasn't out of the question. This is what we did when we declared independence from Great Britain.

Thus, in a narrow sense, the South didn’t have the right to break away from the Union. However, in a practical sense, if they broke away and fought and won the war that would follow, then it may have acceptable that they split from the Union.