Break-Up Coming? Pew Documents Secession Movements in 7 States

Unity. If there is one thing the 2016 election clearly demonstrated, it’s that the United States lacks the basic ideological agreement necessary for unity to exist over such a vast population. Two philosophical camps have been building and coalescing their political strength over the last ten decades. In the first, we have those who believe in the envy, victimization mentality, and collectivism of the German socialist philosopher Karl Marx, and, in the other, those who prefer the path of individualism, uncertainty, and personal liberty blazed by the American founding fathers.

Why is this a problem? The two philosophies of government and society are mutually exclusive — meaning neither can exist alongside the other in it’s purest form — and people in a variety of states (Texas, California, Oklahoma, Maine, Utah, West Virginia and New York) have already put in motion processes attempting to separate themselves from the government of one another.

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The Pew Charitable Trusts, an organization known for it’s polling efforts, recently released a report which sheds some light on the various movements which have formed across the country and are already spearheading efforts to begin separating themselves (both on the left and the right) from the existing federal union of states. Pew reports:

Just last month, a longshot effort to allow Californians to vote on seceding fell apart after one of the founders dropped out amid criticism of his ties to Russia. But a new group pushing secession has vowed to collect the nearly 600,000 signatures required by July to put the measure on the November 2018 ballot.

Last May, the Texas Nationalist Movement came within two votes of adding Texas independence language to the state’s Republican platform. And in Oklahoma, Republican state Sen. Joseph Silk in January introduced a bill to remove the word “inseparable” from the sentence in the state constitution describing Oklahoma as “an inseparable part of the Federal Union.”

The move for independence, whether it’s from the right of the political spectrum as in Texas, or the left as in California, reflects the political division felt across the country, said Edward Meisse, a supporter of the Yes California secession group that just disbanded. “We have two diametrically opposed philosophies in our country, and we’re just not getting anywhere,” he said. “I think we should allow states to secede so California can be California and Texas can be Texas.”

Nationwide, interest in seceding is fairly strong. An online survey by Reuters in 2014 found that nearly one in four Americans want their state to secede. The desire was highest — 34 percent — in the Southwest, which includes Texas.

Senator Marco Rubio recently took to the floor of the Senate with a monologue expressing his concern regarding the behavior of Americans toward one another following the outcome of the presidential election, and even of his own colleagues on the other side of the aisle, commenting that “everyone hates everybody.” We compiled some of his comments, and those of a few others, in this short video examining the plausibility that secession may not just be a possible resolution of the near future, but perhaps even a probable one.

What do you think? Is America heading toward secession? Will it be a peaceful transition if it happens? We hope and pray that peace prevails as people take on the responsibility of governing themselves. Let us know by visiting us on Facebook or in the comments below.



About Patrick Stephens 163 Articles
Patrick is the founder and lead editor of the publication. Currently a pastor of many years by trade, Patrick served in the US Army and did his graduate work at both Miami University in Oxford, OH (Social Sciences) and the University of Dayton (Theology) — earning an advanced degree. He enjoys bringing a larger historical and philosophical perspective to his projects. Also, he likes comic books.