“States’ rights” was by and large an excuse for states to marginalize and oppress their minorities without interference from the Federal Government. (The Federal Government is usually the last line of defense a minority has against the state’s oppression.)

There’s a book that makes an incredibly compelling case called Freedom’s Dominion, highly recommended.

Now when I hear “states’ rights” I complete the thought with, “…to do bad things to people we don’t really like”