Union Now, Union Forever
Why neo-secessionist movements won’t help restore calm or prosperity to America.
In order to scale our efforts to develop and popularize a national populist governing philosophy, The Populist Memo is now actively seeking contributions from other writers. This will be the first of several pieces that we have lined up for publication.
In the run-up to the civil war, secession was considered a fringe position among most in the South. However, one event flamed the fires of the secessionist frenzy more than any other: the raid on Harpers Ferry. Harpers Ferry was a federal armory designated to store and manufacture weapons for the military. Brown had planned the raid as a means to acquire weapons to foment a slave revolt across the South. The raid ended in failure and Brown was convicted of treason, murder, and inciting insurrection. The real story though, is what happened after the raid. Brown’s eloquence in defending his actions led to a shift in the northern opinion from condemnation to tacit or sometimes expressed approval. This reaction by northerners inflamed national tensions on slavery and brought secession into the forefront of political thought.
Secession, as a result, brought the nation to civil war and led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans. While this is not unknown by any stretch of the imagination, it seems to be forgotten by many. A new poll by YouGov claims to show a minimum of 30-40% of those polled in every region of the country supporting regional secession, with 2/3rds of southern Republicans supporting forming a new country in the South. While such polls often overestimate support due to the fact that it is not seen as a serious prospect, these results are very worrying.
Common Secessionist Arguments
America has less in common than it did at any point in its history. We no longer have a populace that is bound by devout belief in Christianity, trust in our political institutions, or common heritage. While America has made a workable nation out of vastly different peoples throughout her history, it has been exacerbated by our poor immigration policies. The percentage of Americans born in another nation stands today at nearly 14%, nearly quadruple the rate circa 1965.
This is brought up to note that America is indeed not the same country she was during the Civil War. She is less cohesive in most respects and one can only theorize as to how that will fuel secessionist sentiment in the coming years. For some, this means America has less reason to exist by the day. They argue that America is no longer united in what matters: heritage, beliefs, and religion.
While there are many differences between those on opposite ends of the Mississippi or Appalachia, these differences appear miniscule once compared to customs and traditions on the other side of the Pacific, Rio Grande, or Panama Canal. The day once America will cease to exist as a cohesive nation will be the day that there will be more differences between a New-Englander and a Texan than between a Texan and a Honduran, and it is not yet certain if there ever will be.
So what is it that we may lose by remaining in the Union? It’s a fair question, any time spent on rightwing social media will undoubtedly showcase the beliefs of those who stand in favor. They say that the Washington Regime is brute, incompetent, and oppressive against the true values and peoples of America. This is undoubtedly true as has been shown throughout the decades of establishmentarian control in Washington. Economic and foreign policy have proven to be subjects of mass incompetence or in some cases outright malicious behavior on the part of our ruling elites. They have destroyed nations, denigrated America on the world stage, shipped off jobs to faraway countries, and ballooned the debt far past the point of reason for the aforementioned endeavors.
The Case Against Secession
So, what advantages do we retain from remaining in our great Union? Well, we maintain the most favorable geographical and strategic advantages of any nation currently if not of any ever to exist. We maintain the most plentiful navigable waterways of any nation in terms of length. We share no borders with any enemy nations, something of incalculable value when compared to the superpowers of Russia or China. While they are surrounded by formerly subjugated peoples and intense border conflicts, America remains free of such weary problems. To her north and south stand two allied nations with which she has plentiful (but not perfectly distributed) trade. To her east and west sit two vast oceans that she controls with her domineering fleet, with strong allies at the ends of both of those oceans.
All of these advantages disappear overnight in the prospect of secession. These new states will not be friendly, they will fight over resources, farmland, and the military remainders of their mother state. None will be totally secure in their footing, with contentious border conflicts erupting often if not outright war. The navy dominance of America will wither away as her fleet is divvied up by the survivors. The waterways shall be impeded at border crossings, severely interrupting the flow of trade and rendering them far less useful. State economies will be destroyed as the simplicity of current American trade will be replaced with import-export systems, tariffs, and regulatory differences.
All of these factors would combine to create a first in America: nationwide famine. As her supply chains are interrupted and as her great breadbasket would no longer serve the whole of the nation, America’s people would starve in their homes. The threat of war would send millions of Americans to Canada and Mexico as immigrants or refugees and millions more if war did spark. Russia and China would be able to meddle in our domestic affairs in excess of anything possible now. They would be able to police our coasts and enforce demands upon us with their large military arsenals. This is not to even bring up the prospect of the division of Nuclear Arms. Who would get them? Where are they truly all located? Is it possible that a nation for fear of being conquered could launch a preemptive strike on another American city?
The destructive potential of a secessionist movement must be acknowledged. America has been incredibly lucky through her natural advantages to the point of imperviousness. If she is to remain the greatest power the world has ever known, or simply to remain prosperous and peaceful at home, America must remain a Union. This union may be complicated and dysfunctional at times, but it is the best hope for the great survival of our people on a timescale that truly matters.
Author’s note:
I would like to thank my friend Sherman McCoy for his aid in this article. His article was very useful in identifying many of the natural geographic advantages America currently possesses. If you enjoyed this article I suggest you read his analysis on the rise of China.
Legal, peaceful Texit is the best outcome. Let the Paxton, Ravnsborg, Bondi, Brnovich criminal AGs have a nation of their own. Win-win.