Term 'states' rights' heard anew in election cycle

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) As the Republican presidential campaign has turned south, into the region that seceded from the Union 150 years ago, old debates about the term "states' rights" and federal authority echo anew in phrases used by candidates, their supporters and the news media.

Even before the Civil War, "states' rights" was a byword for the protection of black slavery. In the modern civil rights era, the phrase was at times a "dog whistle" for racist elements in the electorate.

Today, presidential candidates like congressman Ron Paul cite states' rights as an issue. In doing so they are talking about the 10th Amendment and its delegation of powers to states and to the people instead of the federal government.

But the term can still bring back memories of Southern states resisting segregation.