Lincoln's Constitution by Daniel Farber is reviewed. Farber's book is framed around two broad issues: First, did the South have the right - either under the Constitution or some higher law - to secede? Second, were Lincoln's actions to preserve the Union consistent with the Constitution; or did he exceed the powers delegated to him as the chief executive? Farber is less interested in resolving historical disputes than in analyzing the legal questions that confronted Lincoln - principally of secession and civil liberties. Whether, under the Constitution, the states have a right to secede, or, correlatively, whether the National Government has the right to use force to prevent the dissolution of the Union are interesting questions.
