“When our country is so over-centralized in governance but so divided politically, when the level of mistrust is so high when partisan rancor blocks needed reforms, the cost of secession might be smaller than the cost of remaining united.” – American Secession
Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley recently bungled a question about the Civil War by failing to include slavery as a reason for its cause. While slavery was certainly an underlying concern, the war was clearly waged to keep the Union together. As the South began to secede, Lincoln was compelled to stop them. If such an event were to happen again today, the same extreme measures would not likely be the choice. Instead, it seems certain we would just let a seceding state go.
In F. H. Buckley’s 2020 book, “American Secession”, Buckley revisits not only the Civil War and America’s history of secession, but the number of similar movements around the globe. As nations continue to grow too large, the desire to split into smaller states has increasingly been the rule rather than the exception. In addition to the problem of an overlarge nation in the United States, the growing corruption of the federal government, and an immigration system that has ceased to co-mix, have only accelerated the desire to, once again, give secession a chance.
The great American experiment succeeded in that it took a small country and grew it beyond expectation in a very short time. The freedom to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, driven by industrious citizens, has created enormous prosperity. But its bigness has come with adverse consequences, as well. Mainly, it has led to a welfare/warfare state domestically, and an empire-building behemoth internationally, each requiring massive taxation to sustain it. The result has been a country that was born of states' rights ceding too much power to the national government, with too many decisions removed from the states and the people.
As well as growing too large, the country's pride in diversity may also be its Achilles heel. Too much diversity has led to a decrease in social cohesion and shared values, weakening the Founding Constitution, as assimilation has become less desirable. Beyond political differences, the battle has extended past the usual red versus blue, to a chasm between the people and its government, as the controlling Uniparty has increasingly coalesced against the people. Now, like a big ship in the harbor, the government has less ability to right itself and return to its founding principles.
To address the growing problem, the Constitution came with an arsenal of solutions. The first obvious fix is federalism, to devolve power out of Washington, and back to the states and the people. There has been much success using nullification to thwart federal laws, resulting in a system where states can vary greatly based on the wishes of their population. As such, Americans have begun self-sorting, by relocating to states that align more closely to their liking.
However, a more powerful option exists that can be expanded to allow further decentralization from even the states themselves. That is the concept of home rule, which would give significantly more economic and financial self-governance to smaller localities within the state, mainly municipalities, and towns. With an expanded array of territories determining their own rules, the federal government would be restricted to foreign policy only.
When that doesn’t work as planned, the final course of action may be to simply leave the union. With the legislative branch hopelessly in gridlock, the Constitution prepared a way to leave Congress completely out of it. Through a Constitutional Convention as defined under Article V of the Constitution, a plurality of only 34 states is needed to call the meeting, while the agreement of 38 states can finally put an end to our misery. As of 2024, 19 states have passed legislation to convene a Convention, 7 have completed part of the process, and 12 more are in play. A Convention of States would propose Amendments to the Constitution, addressing several state and federal issues, including secession.
America was formed as a collection of autonomous states, with a small federal government bound by limited duties. Unfortunately, our current system is operating in the opposite direction. The country has grown too large and is no longer functioning as intended. With America increasingly divided by politics, religion, and culture, a split of some kind seems likely. While we await the best solution, Buckley suggests we begin to exercise more tolerance and empathy for those who see a different way forward.
Divorce, which not long ago was looked upon with derision, is now commonplace. As couples consider their options of staying together, living apart, or divorcing, our country must now make the same decision. With trust in the government and each other at all-time lows, it's time to take the first steps.
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