On Secession

In defending classical liberalism, one must support the notion of a natural right to secession. As classical liberals themselves, the founders of America cherished the right of the individual and of smaller political communities to secede from the larger organizations which it joined either by birth, by force, or by voluntary means.

After all, the Revolutionary War was, by definition, a secession of thirteen independent colonies from the British Crown. Thus, Jefferson wrote in his Declaration of Independence, "That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government." The founders believed that it was the right of the thirteen "Free and Independent States" to have complete autonomy. 

This right of secession was rarely questioned in America until 1861 when Lincoln invaded his own nation, killing over 600,000 Americans. Freedom for the enslaved Africa Americans was by far the greatest outcome of this war. However, more peaceful means of emancipation - which was the method chosen by all other developed nations at the time - would have been preferable to the death and devastation that was brought onto the North and South alike. As DiLorenzo reveals in The Real Lincoln, freedom of the slaves was not one of Lincoln's objectives until it became beneficial for military purposes. There were other, much more devious objectives behind Lincoln's war. The idea of state's rights were abandoned for a more powerful central government and acceptance of a "loose" interpretation of the Constitution. As a result, obedience to the Federal Government has replaced individual liberty and the right of the States to opt out of their voluntary compact that formed the united States of America. The very word secession, as taught by our public school teachers, is often wrongly associated with racism or slavery. In reality it means the very opposite - freedom from government subjugation.

With an out-of-control Federal Government and an annihilation of all meaningful aspects of the Constitution, it may be time to begin discussing the natural right of Virginia, and all states and communities, to peacefully secede and opt out of the Union. Indeed, a list of the US Federal Government's "long train of abuses and usurpations" would rival the list that Jefferson compiled in his condemnation of the King. 

Currently supporting these secessionist sentiments are several organizations around the country that originate from a wide range of the political spectrum. Just yesterday, I received an email regarding secession from 7 term New Hampshire State Senator and liberal Democrat, Burt Cohen. In the email, this is what Cohen had to say in regards to liberty and secession:

"As the empire inevitably falls, it's up to citizens to re-establish the state sovereignty our founders intended. Dissolution of the union makes sense in so many ways, culturally, politically, foreign and economic policy. The idea brings right and left together."

Cohen will be co-hosting the third North American secession convention held in Manchester,  NH on November 14-16.

Due to recent events and failures of government, the movement for secession may be gaining steam. Along with the secession convention in November, there is a new book out by Thomas Naylor that is receiving attention, Secession: How Vermont and All the Other States Can Save Themselves form the Empire. Naylor is cofounder of the Middleberry Institute, which was formed in 2004 and has the admirable goals to "place secession on the national agenda, encourage secessionist organizations, develop communication among existing and future secessionist groups, and create a body of scholarship to examine and promote the ideas and principles of secessionism." A terrific review of Naylor's important work was written by Andrei Kreptul today on lewrockwell.com. In his review, Kreptul concludes,

"Secession is one of the few books available that offers a truly normative case for breaking up the United States and many other of the world’s nation-states, using interdisciplinary arguments based on economics, politics, history, culture, and, most importantly, reason. Secession is a path-breaking contribution to the secession literature, and arguably the first of many books on the topic that are sure to follow in the years to come."

Belonging to the traditions of Virginia - always the vanguard of rebellion - secession may be the necessary means to restore the Commonwealth. As Patrick Henry observed, America needs to return to the youthful objectives of the founders: "When the American spirit was in its youth, the language of America was different: Liberty, sir, was the primary object."