Federalism in the Constitution of the Confederate States of America.Between Political Philosophy, Constitutional Theory and Practice

From the beginning of the United States of America, there was the debate about the interpretation of the US Constitution and the meaning of federalism. Opposing the centralisation promoted by the Northern Federalists and later the Nationalists, Southern statesmen countered them with the concept of states' rights, compact theory and strict construction (interpretation)of the Constitution, which were the basis of the Southern understanding of federalism. Theseprinciples were embodied in the Constitution of the Confederate States after the Southernstates seceded. In this article, the author analyses the fundamental political principles of the Old South and their genesis. He then examines the Constitution of the Confederate States in terms of the application of these principles to the Confederate constitutional order. Finally, he examines the relationship between constitutional principles and their implementation at the time of the Confederate States of America.