| List Of U.s. State Secession Proposals |
Article Index for List Of |
Website Links For List |
Information AboutList Of U.s. State Secession Proposals |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT LIST OF U.S. STATE SECESSION PROPOSALS | |
| secession in the united states | |
| states of the united states related lists | |
|
Article 4 of the United States Constitution provides for the creation of new states of the Union , requiring that any such creation be approved by the Legislature of the affected state(s), as well as the United States Congress . Since the formation of the current Constitution, only two states have technically seceded from another existing state: Maine and West Virginia . In the latter case, since the original state ( Virginia ) had itself seceded from the United States, it was no longer relevant to the Article 4 requirements (and in fact, West Virginia originally formed itself as the legitimate government of Virginia within the Union , then essentially gave itself permission to leave Virginia). Many cases of state secession attempts in U.S. history likewise stem from internal state divisions over the formation of the Confederacy . While majorities of states may have voted to secede and join the Confederacy, or remain in the Union, regional and cultural ties, even in those years, moved portions of those states to strongly favor the other side. An earlier crop of state secession sentiments appear in the period between the signing of the Articles Of Confederation in 1781 , and the signing of the Constitution in 1789 , often related to internal differences in preference of one over the other. In nearly all recent cases of state secession, the impetus for the proposal comes partially from strong regional identities within the state, coupled with a frustration from one region that the state government, in the other region, is out of touch with and underserving the disgruntled area. Conversely, more urban regions may mull secession ideas over tax flow issues, where the urban side disproportionately subsidizes government spending on the rural side. Often these regions also hold distinct political values from eath other, usually with rural / conservative areas seeking to split from urban / liberal areas or vice versa. ALABAMA According to legend, upon the secession of Alabama from the United States during the American Civil War , the county of Winston County, Alabama seceded from the state as the Republic Of Winston , and pledged its alliance with the Union. Today citizens of the county still refer to it as the Free State of Winston, which drives the local tourist industry. ALASKA ARIZONA ARKANSAS During the Civil War, five counties (possibly including Marion County and/or Madison County ) in the hills of Arkansas, in reaction to the state's secession from the Union, attempted or desired to remain in the Union. When called upon to renege, four counties did, but one county represented by Isaac Murphy (cf.), later the state's governor under Reconstruction , resisted. Men of his county fought for the North during the war. CALIFORNIA Since as far back as the mid- 1800s , the mountainous area of northern California and parts of southwestern Oregon have been proposed as its own state. In 1941, some counties in the area ceremonially seceded, one day a week, from their respective states as the State Of Jefferson . This movement disappeared after America's entry into World War II , but the notion has been rekindled in recent years. During the mid- 1990s , California had a serious Ballot Initiative drive which would have split the state into three states, consisting of southern, central, and northern California. In the wake of the California Recall , some people have proposed that the state should split into as many as four new states, dividing distinct geographically and politically defined areas as the Bay Area , North Coast , and Central Valley , as well as the historic Jefferson area, into their own states. Reference: {Link without Title} COLORADO Two counties have, in the past, proposed leaving Colorado and joining with in the 1950s , and Costilla County in 1973 . Also, in ca. 1935 , the ''Walsenburg World-Independent'' proposed that Huerfano County secede from the state. References: [http://campuspress.colorado.edu/cpa/BOOK/huerfano.html CONNECTICUT DELAWARE Prior to the American Revolution, the three counties of Delaware were known as the Lower Counties of the Colony Pennsylvania and had its own tax structure and court system, as opposed to the three counties in Pennsylvania itself. In 1776, after being granted "independence" from Pennsylvania control, Delaware declared independence from England as an outright colony. FLORIDA Various non-serious "proposals" have been made for portions of Florida to secede from the state, usually to join other nearby entities with which they have stronger cultural ties, such as Alabama , Georgia , or even Cuba . There have also been occasional noises about the Florida Panhandle forming its own state, due to its differences with the peninsular section. One tongue-in-cheek proposal is for the Florida Keys to secede from the state under the name, the Conch Republic . Conch Republic flags have become a popular novelty item. GEORGIA In the 1850s many from Dade County, Georgia , in the far northwestern corner of the state, threatened to secede from Georgia (and the U.S.) if the state itself did not secede. References: [http://www.dadesentinel.com/092601-4.htm HAWAII IDAHO See Also: State of Lincoln After the state capital was moved south to Boise from more northern Lewiston , Northern Idaho proposed splitting away from the now southern-oriented state government. This idea has been rekindled throughout history, sometimes in union with similar secession sentiments in Eastern Washington . ILLINOIS In 1925 , the county of Cook County, Illinois , which contains Chicago , considered seceding from Illinois as a new state named Chicago. References: {Link without Title} INDIANA IOWA KANSAS In 1992 , a group in southwestern Kansas advocated the secession of a number of counties in that region from the state. The group was nominally headed by Don Concannon , a lawyer and former gubernatorial candidate from Ulysses . Various media reports indicated as few as five or as many two dozen counties were involved in the movement. The state was to be called "West Kansas," and early meetings included proposals for official state bird (the Pheasant ) and state flower (the Yucca ). The proposal stemmed from state laws raising the state property tax and shifting state education funding away from rural school districts and into more urban areas, though the secessionists' call was the fairly generic "Give us equality or set us free." Though organizers arranged for a series of straw polls that demonstrated widespread support for secession in at least nine of the counties, the movement petered out by the mid 1990s. References: {Link without Title} KENTUCKY In 1849 , part of Pike County, Kentucky petitioned the state to allow it to join Virginia (now West Virginia ). In the 1950 s, Letcher County, Kentucky threatened to secede from the state, demanding better roads in the area. The threats subsided when Governor A.B. Chandler indicated that he didn't care. LOUISIANA MAINE Politicians of Aroostook County, Maine have proposed spinning off the county as its own state, probably named Aroostook, since the 1990s . As recently as 2005 the question has been brought up before the state assembly. {Link without Title} Proposed names for this state include Aroostook, Acadia, and Maine (in this latter case, with the rest of the state renamed as Northern Massachusetts). MARYLAND Three times in the Maryland General Assembly legislators have submitted a bill for the Eastern Shore of Maryland to secede from the western half. The most recent was in 1998. [http://www.journalism.umd.edu/cns/wire/1998-editions/03-March-editions/980305-Thursday/KeepD.C._CNS-UMCP.html MASSACHUSETTS Maine , which is not connected to Massachusetts by land, successfully seceded as its own state in 1820 , as part of the Missouri Compromise . It is the only U.S. state to have seceded from another U.S. state. (In contrast, West Virginia seceded from a ''Confederate'' state.) Some talk has been given of splitting . Shortly after the formation of the United States, a group of citizens from Western and Central Massachusetts, in response to high tax burdens and an undemocratic new governor, formed Shays Rebellion in opposition to the Boston government. It does not appear that a state was declared. During the Abolitionism era, some supporters of William Lloyd Garrison sought the secession of Essex County from the state. {Link without Title} In from Massachusetts , largely in response to Redistricting which associated the islands with Cape Cod . All three areas are known for their status as oceanfront summer resort and vacation communities. MICHIGAN As the most significantly geographically divided state in the country, Michigan's two peninsulas have evolved into two distinct and proud regional identities. A few have called for the Upper Peninsula to secede from the United States, while more (or less) patriotic ones have proposed it become its own state. A suggested name for such a state is Superior (for Lake Superior ). {Link without Title} In fashion of other proposed secessions of large cities from their host states, Detroit has been called by some civilians to possibly secede from the state (primarily around Election season, which the city and its population tends to vote Democrat while the rest of the state is primarily Republican ). MINNESOTA On February 7 , 1978 , the town of Kinney in northern Minnesota announced its secession in hopes of receiving foreign aid from the U.S. government. To this day many in the town still claim its independence. [http://www.rangecities.com/cty/kinney.shtml More recently, a group has formed a movement named Free Republic of Duluth , claiming inspiration from the Kinney movement. The movement centers around the Freeduluth.com web site, and an artists collective based at Washington Studios Gallery. The movement, which does not appear to have made any petitions or declarations of secession, has designed a currency and held a general election and Cultural Exhibition. {Link without Title} MISSISSIPPI As with Winston County, Alabama , Jones County, Mississippi was widely rumored to have seceded from the state of Mississippi. Although these rumors turned out to be completely false, the county did serve as a safe haven for Confederate defectors such as Newt Knight . This event was inaccurately dramatized in the 1948 movie ''Tap Roots''. MISSOURI During the American Civil War, congressman Frank Blair urged that St. Louis should secede from the state if it decided to join the Confederacy. Around the same time, Callaway County, Missouri proposed seceding from Missouri, but with the opposite inclination. See also Missouri Secession . Reference: {Link without Title} MONTANA NEBRASKA In the 1890s , residents of the Nebraska Panhandle tired of the state government's refusal to enact water laws (like Wyoming had) to encourage irrigation into the area. Area leaders threatened to secede from Nebraska and join Wyoming, which finally prompted the state to enact the desired laws. Reference: {Link without Title} NEVADA NEW HAMPSHIRE New Hampshire's history is dotted with various movements of communities desiring to secede from the state. On the signing of the United States Declaration Of Independence , the state of New Hampshire hastily enacted a state constitution. Dismayed at the lack of prudence, leaders of Grafton County, New Hampshire effectively seceded from the state by refusing to pay state taxes and fees, and attempted to form a new state ("New Connecticut") or merge with Vermont . Over the period from 1776 to 1781 , numerous communities along the Connecticut River (the border between the two states), from Lyman to Newport , expressed their stronger ties with Vermont (then an independent Republic Of Vermont ) and voted to join it instead. Eventually 36 towns had been accepted by the Republic, but were still claimed by New Hampshire. In the end, it was General George Washington who settled the dispute, by threatening military action if Vermont did not give up its claim to the towns. In exchange, Vermont was accepted as a U.S. state. Recently, in 2001 , the communities of Newington and Rye considered seceding from the state in response to the enactment of a uniform statewide property tax. References: [http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/new_hampshire/85588 , [http://www.newington.nh.us/news.htm , NEW JERSEY Proposals have been repeatedly made, mostly from the southern half of the state, to split the state into north and south sections. This harkens back to the state's early colonial history, when it was the separate colonies of East and West Jersey. Talk of southern secession is often rekindled during times of tax changes, as recently as 2004 . References: [http://www.belleville.com/mld/centredaily/news/local/4483070.htm NEW MEXICO NEW YORK New York City has had proponents of its independent statehood (and even nationhood) as far back as 1787 . It has long been commonly recognized that the Upstate state government at Albany is of a different world than ultra-urban NYC, which is about as devolved as a U.S. city can legally be (NYC itself contains multiple Counties and collects its own income tax). Some upstate residents also feel that voters in New York City ignore their economic woes and thus want to split off into their own state as well. See New York City Secession . See also Upstate New York's Statehood Movement . NORTH CAROLINA Between 1784 and 1789 , the three western counties of Greene , Washington , Sullivan , and part of Hawkins counties voted to secede from North Carolina, and formed the provisional State Of Franklin . Revolutionary war hero John Sevier was elected governor. By 1789 , the provisional government had collapsed, and in 1790 North Carolina's state government, tired of the upstart region, relinquished it to the federal government, reverting the area to part of Ohio River Territory. Six years later, part of that territory, including former Franklin, became Tennessee , with Sevier as governor. References: [http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ehandley/handley.htm NORTH DAKOTA OHIO In 2005 , the county executive of Summit County, Ohio , which contains Akron, Ohio , publicly advocated that his county (and the rest of Northeast Ohio ) secede as a new state. {Link without Title} OKLAHOMA The narrow, remote section of the Oklahoma Panhandle has often cited the distant state government for neglect, and support for secession as a new state has been voiced. Alternate proposals have the region merging with Texas , as the closest major city to the area is Amarillo . The city of Tulsa , proud of its cultural establishment in comparison to the more rural remainder of the state, has voiced calls for its secession from Oklahoma. References: [http://forums.egullet.com/lofiversion/index.php/t56608.html OREGON In 1941, some counties of southwestern Oregon joined counties of Northern California and ceremonially seceded as the State Of Jefferson . See also California above. In the wake of controversy over the issue of Same-sex Marriage , as well as rifts with the rest of the state over tax laws and the flow of capital funding flow, the secession of progressive-leaning Multnomah County, Oregon has been proposed in some local media. Some talk has also been made of Eastern Oregon following suit (and perhaps merging) with Eastern Washington , were it to secede from its parent state (see Washington below). In both states, distinct political, cultural, and geographic divides exist on either side of the Cascade Mountains . Reference: {Link without Title} PENNSYLVANIA In 1787 , the residents of the Wyoming Valley attempted to secede from the state. Before the issue was decided, the state militia was mobilized to put down any attempt to make good on the threat. {Link without Title} RHODE ISLAND Despite being the smallest state in the Union, Rhode Island is not without its secession movements. In 1790 , the urban center of Providence, Rhode Island was frustrated with the state government's reluctance to ratify the Constitution and join the United States. In response, Providence threatened to secede from Rhode Island and ratify on its own as its own state. The threat finally compelled the state to ratify, by a narrow majority. In 1984 , angered over the state's refusal to enact Noise Pollution laws, the remote spot of Block Island, Rhode Island threatened to secede from the state. Reportedly, both Massachusetts and Connecticut expressed interest in annexing the island. The state compromised, giving the island ability to limit the sale of noisy mopeds. References: [http://www.davidyoungallen.com/noteshistory.html , [http://www.projo.com/specials/century/month10/02733011.htm] SOUTH CAROLINA SOUTH DAKOTA TENNESSEE In February 1861 , in the early days of the Confederacy, the Southern-sympathetic county of Franklin petitioned the state to allow it to secede and join Alabama , which had recently seceded from the Union. By June, Tennessee had decided to secede as well, eliminating the reason for Franklin to secede. Conversely, the more pro-Union Eastern Tennessee area disapproved of state secession, and some proposed seceding from Tennessee to rejoin the Union. Some, however, have characterized this sentiment as mere Contrarianism against the sentiment of the western half. Scott County in eastern Tennessee did officially pass a proclamation during the Civil War to secede from Tennessee and form the "Free and Independent State of Scott." In 1986 when it was discovered that this county law was still on the books, the proclamation was finally repealed and Scott County actually petitioned the state of Tennessee for readmission even though the secession had never been recognized by either the state or federal governments. References: [http://civilwartalk.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-19344.html [http://www.scotttn.org/pages/history.html] TEXAS According to legend, Van Zandt County, Texas , voted to secede from the state in 1867 , apparently in response to the state's readmittance to the Union, and formed the Free State of Van Zandt, raising a ragtag army. In response, the state speedily dispatched Philip Sheridan and the state militia, who were roundly defeated by the locals. Elated at their victory, the Van Zandters immediately began celebrating, leading to their easy capture the next day. More than a few liberal bastions of the state have been host to those voicing the idea of their area seceding from the primarily conservative Southern state. While it would not technically constitute secession, it is worth noting that under the treaty by which the Republic Of Texas was admitted to the Union, it has the right to divide itself into as many as five different states. It is not clear whether this provides any power beyond that already provided by the Constitution. Some citizens of Houston want the city and it's Metropolitan Area to secede as the State of Houston, partly due to a sense of being overshadowed by Dallas . Proponents believe secession would bring national attention to the city, though the resulting state would be extremely small in comparison to the rest of the country. Houston's differences to the rest of Texas have been observed by many (mostly outside) observers, prompting the nickname "City State of Houston". References: [http://www.snopes.com/history/american/texas.asp , [http://www.texasescapes.com/MikeCoxTexasTales/211Texas-County-Seats-and-Counties-Name-Confusion.htm] UTAH In 2002 , the United States House of Representatives voted to allow Wendover, Utah to leave the state and join Nevada , but the Senate never considered the bill. The opposition of Nevada Senator Harry Reid blocked the bill. ''Skiing Magazine'' once suggested that Park City, Utah is so unlike the rest of the state that, given the opportunity, it would secede from Utah "in a New York minute". The statement was echoed in the ''Park City Mountain Lifestyle'' real estate newsletter. {Link without Title} VERMONT The city of Killington, Vermont has repeatedly voted to secede from Vermont and instead declare its loyalty to the government of neighboring (and to Vermont, politically inverted) New Hampshire . Because the city is not adjacent to the New Hampshire border, this would create an Enclave . A similar motion was attempted in Winhall, Vermont , but was voted down. {Link without Title} There is also a movement to declare Vermont as an independent republic. They advocate the peaceful secession of the state as the Second Republic of Vermont, referring to the original Republic Of Vermont which existed from 1777 - 1791 . {Link without Title} VIRGINIA In the early days of the Confederacy, Lunenburg County, Virginia grew impatient that the state had not yet seceded from the Union, and threatened to secede from Virginia itself, possibly to join North Carolina . After Virginia did secede, the mountainous western half in turn seceded from the state, which was at that point no longer a U.S. state but a Confederate state, in 1861 as the legitimate Union government of Virginia. In 1863 , the area was admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia . More recently, minor localities have grumbled over state secession possibilities in response to various state government decisions on both sides of the political spectrum. Some in more urban Northern Virginia have proposed secession over tax flow issues and accusations of neglect and being used by the state governemnt for revenue. Northern Virginia is widely seen as more liberal than the rest of Virginia and more northeastern in culture. WASHINGTON Over the latter half of the . Suggested names for such a state include East Washington, Cascadia, Columbia, and Lincoln (state) . WASHINGTON, DC There has been a recurring movement since the 1960s to devolve the city, which is an insular Federal District separate from any state and operated by the federal government, into its own state complete with full representation in Congress. An alternate proposal is to allow the city to become part of Maryland (much like that of Alexandria, Virginia prior to the Civil War), and receive representation from that state's Congressional delegation. WEST VIRGINIA In 2002 , members of the western part of Mingo County, West Virginia petitioned the county to allow it to break off and join Kentucky on the other side of the Tug River . Neither state has seriously considered the request. WISCONSIN In 1967, the village of Winneconne seceded from Wisconsin for one day to protest its omission from the new state highway map. WYOMING NOTES |
|
|