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Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or political entity. Typically there is a strong issue difference that drives the withdrawal. The word is derived from the Latin term secessio. American revolutions According to some secession theorists, the American Revolution, in which Thirteen Colonies successfully fought for independence from the British Crown was a secession, as opposed to a revolution. Revolutions seek to replace current governments, while secession movements merely seek separation from current governments. According to this view, the independence movements of Latin American countries were also examples of secession (from Spain). Other positions emphasize the colonial nature of British rule, and the previous restrictions on participation by colonists in the government. Northeast US and the Hartford Convention Opposed to the War of 1812, Federalists from northeastern US states informally convened the Hartford Convention in 1814 at which there was some discussion of secession from the nation. The war ended soon afterwards, and revelations about the secession discussions politically destroyed the Federalists. South Carolina During the presidential term of Andrew Jackson, South Carolina had its own semi-secession movement due the "Tariffs of Abomination" which threatened both South Carolina's economy and the Union. Andrew Jackson also threatened to send Federal Troops to put down the movement and to hang the leader of the secessionists from the highest tree in South Carolina. Also due to this, Jackson's vice president, John C. Calhoun, who supported the movement and wrote the essay "The South Carolina Exposition And Protest", became the first US vice-president to resign. Confederate States of America One of the most famous unsuccessful secession movements was the case of the Southern states of the United States. Eleven states declared their secession from the United States, joining together to form the Confederate States of America. These eleven states were Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Two other states (Missouri and Kentucky) had factions that also joined the Confederacy. This secession movement brought about the American Civil War. The position of the Union was that the Confederacy was not a sovereign nation but instead a collection of states in revolt. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the 1869 case Texas v. White that unilateral secession by a U.S. state was unconstitutional and had no force in statutory law. The Supreme Court decision is contested by some historians and legal scholars who view the American Civil War as a conflict between two sovereign entities. The regions making up what is now West Virginia seceded from the state of Virginia (which had joined the Confederacy) and became the 35th state of the U.S. during the course of the war. Texas secession from Mexico The Republic of Texas successfully seceded from Mexico in 1836. In 1845 Texas joined the United States as a full-fledged state. Mexico refused to recognize Texas independence and warned the U.S. that annexation meant war, which broke out in 1846. Failed minor examples in the United States Local examples of secession also exist, such as the attempt of Staten Island to break away from New York City in the late-1980s and early 1990s (See: City of Greater New York). Around the same time, there was a similar movement to separate Northeast Philadelphia from the rest of the city of Philadelphia, presumably with a new name as well. San Fernando Valley recently lost a vote to separate from Los Angeles in 2002 but has seen an increased attention to its infrastructure needs (See: San Fernando Valley secession movement). Several cities in Vermont including Killington are currently exploring a secession request to allow them to join New Hampshire over claims that they are not getting adequate return of state resources from their state tax contributions. There have been other modern secessionist movements to create new states. Advocates in the upper peninsula of Michigan, with off and on intensity, have called for it to become a separate 51st state. There are also web sites currently advocating a separate California nation, and independent nation of Hawaii as well as other sections of the United States. It should be noted that after the American Civil War, Congress passed legislation outlawing the act of secession by any state in the Union. A humorous response to an alleged infringement of the Constitutional protection against unlawful search and seizure inspired the failed secession of the Conch Republic in the Florida Keys. Canada See main article: Secessionist movements of Canada. Throughout Canada's history, there has been tension between English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians. Under the Constitutional Act of 1791, the Quebec colony (including parts of what is today Quebec, Ontario and Newfoundland and Labrador) was divided in two: Lower Canada (which retained French law and institutions, including seigneurial land tenure, and the privileges accorded to the Roman Catholic church) and Upper Canada (a new colony intended to accommodate the many English-speaking settlers, known as the United Empire Loyalists, who had arrived from the United States following the American Revolution). The intent was to provide each group with its own colony. In 1841, the two Canadas were merged into the Province of Canada. The union proved contentious, however, resulting in a legislative deadlock between English and French legislators. The difficulties of the union lead to the adoption of a federal system in Canada, and the Canadian Confederation in 1867. The federal framework did not eliminate all tensions, however, leading to the Quebec sovereignty movement in the latter half of the 20th century. Other secessionist movements have also existed from time to time in Canada, including anti-Confederation movements in 19th century Atlantic Canada (see Anti-Confederation Party), the North-West Rebellion of 1885, and various small separatism movements in Alberta particularly (see Alberta Separatism) and Western Canada generally (see, for example, Western Canada Concept). Norways secession from Sweden Norway seceded from Sweden by the Karlstad Conventions of September 1905. Australia During the 19th century, the single British colony in eastern mainland Australia, New South Wales was progressively divided up by the British government as new settlements were formed and spread. South Australia was separated in 1836, Victoria in 1851 and Queensland in 1859. However, settlers agitated to divide the colonies occurred throughout the later part of the century; particularly in central Queensland (centred in Rockhampton) in the 1860s and 1890s, and in North Queensland (with Bowen as a potential colonial capital) in the 1870s. Other secession (or territorial separation) movements took place around the same time, centred around Deniliquin in the Riverina district and Mount Gambier in the eastern part of South Australia. Western Australia Secession movements have surfaced several times in Western Australia, where a 1933 referendum for secession from the Federation of Australia passed with a two-thirds majority. The referendum had to be ratified by the British Parliament, which declined to act, on the grounds that it would contravene the Australian Constitution. United Kingdom The United Kingdom has a number of different secession movements: China Secession in Former Yugoslavia Croatia, Slovenia, and later Bosnia and Herzegovina have decided to secede from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which resulted in bloody Yugoslav wars of secession. The problem was that Serbs, who were a constituent nation of Croatia (until their status was unilaterally changed in 1990, against federal constitution) and Bosnia and Herzegovina were against secession. Macedonia, on the other hand, seceded peacefully, not violating the federal constitution. In 2006, Montenegro succeeded in seceding from Serbia, finally putting an end to the state of "Yugoslavia" created after WWI. Somaliland Somaliland seceded from Somalia in 1991. To date, it is unrecognized by the UN, nor by any other state. See also | |||||||
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