Texas secession movements facts for kids

The flag of the Republic of Texas

Texas secession movements are about groups and ideas that want Texas to leave the United States. This idea is also called the Texas independence movement or Texit. People who support this want Texas to become its own independent country.

Texas was once its own country called the Republic of Texas. It was independent for nine years before it joined the United States. Even though Texas won its freedom from Mexico in the Texas Revolution, Mexico did not agree that Texas was an independent country.

Today, groups like the Texas Nationalist Movement support Texas leaving the U.S. These discussions have become more common recently. This happened after a Supreme Court decision about the 2020 presidential election.

Can States Leave the United States?

Discussions about states leaving the U.S. started after the American Revolutionary War. The U.S. Constitution does not clearly say if a state can leave. Each of the original colonies had its own government and culture.

Some people believe the U.S. Constitution does not allow states to leave. Others think it might be possible if a state keeps a republican form of government.

Before the Civil War, many people debated this topic. In 1830, a legal expert named Joseph Story wrote that the Constitution does not allow states to leave. President Abraham Lincoln also argued that states were created by the Constitution and could not leave it.

Today, the Supreme Court of the United States has ruled on this. In a case called Texas v. White, the Court said that states cannot simply decide to leave the country on their own. They can only leave through a revolution or if all other states agree. In 2006, Justice Antonin Scalia said that the Civil War settled this question: states do not have the right to secede.

Texas as an Independent Country (1836-1845)

Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836. This happened after American settlers in the area fought against the Mexican government. The main leader of Mexico at the time was Antonio López de Santa Anna.

After the Battle of San Jacinto in 1836, Texans had two main ideas for their future. One idea, supported by Sam Houston, was for Texas to join the United States. Houston believed the new country was too weak and poor to survive alone. It also still faced threats from Mexico.

The other idea was to remain an independent republic. This was supported by Mirabeau B. Lamar, who became the second president of Texas. Lamar dreamed of a large Texas nation stretching to the Pacific Ocean. Because of his vision, Lamar is sometimes called the father of Texas nationalism.

However, the Republic of Texas faced many problems. It had a lot of debt, a weak economy, and not enough defenses. These issues led Texas to join the United States in 1845. Even so, the time Texas spent as an independent nation created a strong sense of Texas identity.

Texas Leaves the U.S. in 1861

Texas's history during the American Civil War was unique. This was partly because it had been an independent country before. Many Texans were unhappy with President Lincoln and his views on states' rights. They also felt that Washington had not kept its promises when Texas joined the U.S.

In 1861, Sam Houston still wanted Texas to stay in the United States. He worried about the economic and military challenges of leaving. But those who wanted to leave used ideas from both the American Revolution and the Texas Revolution to support their cause.

On February 1, 1861, a special meeting of Texas leaders voted to leave the U.S. The vote was 166 to 8. Texans then voted on February 23 to approve this decision. Texas became the seventh and last state in the South to secede.

Some people wanted to bring back the Republic of Texas. But most Texans chose to join the Confederacy. They hoped that joining the Confederacy would give them the respect they felt Washington had denied them. However, Texas kept some of its own unique identity during the war.

Texas did not see much fighting during the Civil War. Only Galveston had military battles with Union forces. But the war still caused many problems for Texans. There were shortages of goods, fewer men at home to work, and fears of invasion. Lincoln believed that even though Texas had been independent, joining the Union meant it would always be part of the U.S. Constitution.

Texas Identity After the Civil War

After the Civil War, many Texans kept a "rebel" or Confederate identity. This was a way to continue showing their defiance toward the United States. Texas also became a safe place for people from other parts of the South who were leaving areas damaged by the war.

Over time, the idea of the "Lost Cause" continued in Texas and other Southern states. This idea often romanticized the Confederacy. However, open talk about states leaving the U.S. mostly stopped.

Texas also began to highlight its cowboy heritage and connection to the U.S. Southwest. This image even influenced how the rest of the U.S. saw itself in the 20th century. For many Texans, the time of the Republic of Texas is seen as a period of independence. They often compare this to what they see as too much control from the federal government in Washington. Texas schools even teach a course on state history in seventh grade, where these ideas are explored.

In the 1990s, Texas started using the slogan "Texas. It's Like a Whole Other Country" for tourism. This slogan is still used today. However, people in Texas still have different ideas about whether Texas should be a state or its own nation. These different ideas can sometimes be seen as a difference between people in rural areas and those in cities.

Modern Secession Efforts (1990s to Today)

Republic of Texas Organization

Efforts to promote Texas leaving the U.S. have been around since the 1990s. One early group was the Republic of Texas organization. Its founder, Richard Lance McLaren, believed the U.S. had illegally taken over Texas. He thought Texas was being held captive. This group saw itself as an alternative government with very limited powers.

McLaren's supporters believed that global changes threatened their rights and Christian beliefs. The group tried different tactics, like filing legal documents against properties and saying they did not recognize state or federal power. They even tried to open an "embassy." Members of the group complained that the U.S. government had a corrupt legal system and made illegal treaties. They also felt the government had too much power and used its global influence unfairly. The group often pointed to the Waco siege as an example of what they thought was wrong with the U.S. government.

In 1996, McLaren was jailed for a month for not appearing in court. After he was released, his statements became even stronger.

Davis Mountains Event

In March 1997, McLaren demanded a huge amount of money from the federal government for the Civil War. By this time, his group had split into three parts. When two of McLaren's followers were arrested, McLaren took two people hostage. He and his armed supporters stayed on his property, leading to a standoff with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The standoff ended peacefully on May 4, 1997. McLaren and four others surrendered. Two other group members, Mike Matson and Richard Keyes, tried to escape with weapons. The next day, Matson was killed by return fire during a chase, and Keyes was later caught. In November 1997, McLaren was found guilty of kidnapping and other charges. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

By 2003, there were three groups claiming to be the Republic of Texas. However, none of them named McLaren as their leader.

Texas Nationalist Movement

The Texas Nationalist Movement (TNM) started in 2005. It grew from one of the earlier Republic of Texas groups. However, TNM has distanced itself from McLaren's group and its confrontational methods. Instead, TNM focuses on political solutions. The group has local chapters across Texas.

The TNM's goal is for Texas to become completely independent. Unlike the earlier group, TNM says it works peacefully within the current political system. It does not support using force. TNM focuses on getting political support and educating people about secession. They want the Texas Legislature to ask Texans to vote on whether Texas should leave the U.S. This would be similar to the vote for Scottish independence in 2014.

In 2013, TNM members gathered at the state capital in Austin to support their idea. In 2016, the Texas Republican Party almost voted to support a secession resolution. In 2020, the Republican Party of Texas added a statement to its platform. It said that the federal government had harmed Texas's right to govern itself. It also stated that Texas has the right to secede if the U.S. government changes too much. In 2022, the party voted again to include a plan for a vote on secession in 2023.

Some members of the Texas Nationalist Movement visited Russia in the mid-2010s. The Russian government reportedly helped fund their trip to a conference. The leader of TNM, Daniel Miller, has not shared how much funding they received.

Other Talks About Secession

Other discussions about Texas leaving the U.S. have happened since 2012. In 2009, Governor Rick Perry spoke at a rally where people chanted "secede, secede." Perry joked that if Washington kept ignoring Americans, "who knows what might come out of that?" He later said he was not serious and did not support secession.

After Perry's comments, a poll found that about 1 in 3 people believed Texas had the right to secede. However, only 18% would actually support it, while 75% would oppose it. Another poll showed that 60% of Texans were against becoming an independent nation. But 48% of Texas Republicans supported it.

After President Barack Obama won the 2012 election, "secede" bumper stickers appeared in Texas. Many people also signed online petitions on the White House website. The Texas petition received over 125,000 signatures, far more than needed for a response. The petition said that leaving the U.S. would "protect the original ideas" of the country's founders. The White House responded by rejecting the idea.

In 2016, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union (called #Brexit), there was new interest in Texas leaving the U.S. People started using the hashtag #Texit on social media.

Texas Republican Party Platform

In December 2020, the Supreme Court refused to hear a lawsuit from Texas. After this, the head of the Texas Republican Party, Allen West, suggested that Texas and other states could leave the Union. In January 2021, a bill was introduced in the Texas House of Representatives to allow a statewide vote on secession. However, the bill was never voted on.

In June 2022, the Republican Party of Texas again asked the legislature to hold a vote in 2023 on whether Texas should leave the United States. Some experts believe that if such a vote passed, it could lead to conflict, based on the Supreme Court's ruling in Texas v. White.

What Do People Think?

Polls have been taken to see how many people support Texas leaving the U.S.

What if the 2016 Election Had a Different Outcome?

Polls also looked at how people might feel about secession under different circumstances.