Written by the great American poet, Walt Whitman, TO THE STATES urged people, cities and states to RESIST.
We call that nullification – something northern abolitionists did to great success in the 1850s.
FULL POEM:
To The States, or any one of
them, or any city of The
States, Resist much, Obey
little,
Once unquestioning obedience,
once fully enslaved,
Once fully enslaved, no nation,
race, city, of this earth,
ever afterward resumes
its liberty.—
Michael Boldin [send him email] is the founder of the Tenth Amendment Center. He was raised in Milwaukee, WI, and currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. Follow him on twitter - @michaelboldin and Facebook.
Latest posts by Michael Boldin (see all)
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- The Welfare Trap: Benjamin Franklin’s Forgotten Warning - August 19, 2026
- The 17th Amendment Broke the Founders Kill Switch - August 12, 2026