content: That's what I've tried to explain to people before. The United States were a group of States - almost countries, bound loosely together by this constitution. People were Virginians, Texans, Carolinians, and that's where their loyalty laid. As far as secession , many states felt it was their Constitutional right to leave the Union. Really it's unknown whether or not SCOTUS of the time would have ruled secession as constitutional, as it was never heard before the court.