
States' rights refers to the reservation of political powers for state governments instead of a central government, essentially the opposite of a federalist society. The term was coined in the United States in response to the debate over slavery legislation, as many Democratic Party politicians in the American South argued that it was unconstitutional for the government to enforce the outlawing of slavery in the south. This issue caused the American Civil War, which ended with the US government passing an amendment that enforced the outlawing of slavery across the country. Anti-government activists and segregationists would continue using the term for the rest of the 19th and the 20th centuries, arguing against desegregation and nationwide laws. During the election of 1980, Republican Party presidential nominee Ronald Reagan won over the American South by promising to uphold "states' rights", ending the Democrats' "Solid South" and winning the support of segregationists and conservatives. Since then, states' rights has been a major issue that the Republican Party supports, as Republicans protested against the nationwide legalization of gay marriage in 2013, divided the country between "right to work" (anti-union) states and union states, and refused to accept a nationwide legalization of marijuana. Opponents of states' rights argue that it allows for oppressive practices such as segregation and discrimination to continue, and that states' rights threatens the unity of the USA.