Texas secession movements
Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Congressional caucuses Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other Texas secession movements, also known as the Texas Independence movement or Texit,[1][2] refers to both the secession of Texas during the American Civil War as well as activities of modern organizations supporting such efforts to secede from the United States and become an independent sovereign state.
Each of the colonies originated by separate grants from the British Crown and had evolved relatively distinct political and cultural institutions prior to national independence.
In 1825, Alexis de Tocqueville observed, "If today one of these same states wanted to withdraw its name from the contract, it would be quite difficult to prove that it could not do so.
[7] More recently, in 2006, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia stated, "If there was any constitutional issue resolved by the Civil War, it is that there is no right to secede.
"[8] Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836, spurred on primarily by American settlers in the former Mexican territory against the government of Santa Anna.
[10] Sam Houston promoted the first, as he felt that the newly independent country, lacking hard currency and still facing threats from Mexico, could not survive on its own.
[11] The Republic under Lamar incurred large-scale debt, and suffered from a poor economy and inadequate defenses, which led to the annexation of Texas into the United States in 1845.
[14] The ordinance was ratified by a popular referendum on February 23, making Texas the seventh and last state of the Lower South to do so.
This led to the replacement of Texas themes for the most part with those of the Confederacy, including religious justification given in sermons, often demanded by petitioners.
However, the war did take a serious toll in the way of chronic shortages, absence of men at home to run the economy, military setbacks and fear of invasion.
[18] However, for the most part, overt discussion of the right of states to secede ended, replaced by another mythology based on the indivisibility of the territory.
Unlike southern states, Texas began emphasizing its cowboy heritage and connection with the U.S. Southwest, even influencing the rest of the U.S. identity in the 20th century.
[19] For many Texans, the history of the Republic of Texas is considered a time of independence and self-determination often in contrast to interference by the federal government in Washington.
[22] Tactics of the group included filing liens against properties, disavowing state and federal authorities, and opening an "embassy".
[22][23][24] In March 1997, McLaren wrote to the federal government to claim 93 trillion dollars in reparations to Texas for the Civil War.
[9][22] The siege ended on May 4, 1997, with McLaren and four others giving up without violence,[22] while two others from the group, Mike Matson and Richard Keyes, fled the hideout armed with handguns and deer hunting rifles.
[37] Unlike its predecessor, TNM claims to work peaceably[38] with the current political system, and to reject use of force to achieve its goals.
In January 2013, members of the TNM rallied at the state capital in Austin to promote the resolution, resulting in one mention of secession by one lawmaker on the opening day of the legislative session.
[39] His remarks sparked controversy[48] and harsh criticism from government officials and pundits, such as Jeff Macke and Joe Weisental.
[48] After US president Barack Obama won the 2012 US presidential election, bumper stickers and signs saying "secede" started to appear in Texas.
[21][49] The petition stated that secession would "protect the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government" and defend Texans from "blatant abuses to their rights"[54] The Texas secession petition was followed by one allowing Austin to secede from Texas and stay part of the union.
[60] In June 2022, the Republican Party of Texas released their Report of the Permanent 2022 Platform & Resolutions Committee which urges the legislature to introduce a referendum in 2023 to secede from the United States.
[61] In March 2023, state representative Bryan Slaton introduced a bill that would add a referendum on independence to the 2024 US election ballot.
[62] In December 2023, the Texas Nationalist Movement claimed that it collected enough signatures under the petition to include a question on secession on the ballot in 2024.
