List of Secessionist Movements in the United States
A number of secessionist movements have arisen in the United States since its formation in 1776. Indeed, the very independence of the country is the result of its secession from the British Empire. By far the best known postindependence secessionist movement was the one that created the Confederate States of America and led to the American Civil War (1861–65). However, various secessionist movements waxed and waned during the period between independence and the Civil War.
In 1869, following the Union’s victory in the Civil War, the Supreme Court ruled that unilateral secession was unconstitutional. Although no successful secession movement has arisen since 1865, contemporary secession movements exist, with varying degrees of seriousness, and in the 21st century polls have shown that interest in secession has been rising. The following is a list of those movements that show the highest levels of organization and popular support in the 2020s.
Texas secessionism
Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836 and was an independent republic before joining the United States in 1845; this brief history of independence continues to resonate. As of 2024, 31 percent of Texans expressed support for secession, one of the three highest numbers among states (the other two being Alaska and California). The present wave of Texas secessionism began under the aegis of an organization known as the Republic of Texas, which eventually splintered into different groups. The most important formal expression of this trend is the Texas Nationalist Movement, which aims to “make Texas a free, independent, and prosperous nation again.” This organization, which was founded in 2005, claims to have more than 600,000 registered supporters.
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Puerto Rican independence movement
Puerto Rico was ruled by Spain starting in 1508, then ceded to the United States following the Spanish-American War in 1898. The Puerto Rican independence movement differs from other movements on this list in that Puerto Rico is a territory, not a constituent state, of the United States. The movement’s largest political party is the Puerto Rican Independence Party, founded in 1946. In a 2024 plebiscite, 29 percent of Puerto Rican voters supported outright independence, with 12 percent opting for independence with free association, by which Puerto Rico would potentially retain some ties with the United States on the basis of bilateral treaties.
Cascadia
The Cascadia movement is distinctive in the sense that it aims at cross-border secession. It encompasses the states of Oregon and Washington, as well as at least part of the Canadian province of British Columbia and, potentially, adjoining areas of other states. Cascadia has a strong environmental focus—promoters of the movement consider the area to be a distinctive “bioregion” deserving of conservation on cultural and ecological grounds. One of the movement’s organizations, Cascadia Underground, claims 25 percent support for independence in the United States and 35 percent in British Columbia.
Hawaiian sovereignty
This movement seeks to restore the sovereignty of Hawaii, which came to an end in 1893 when the last Hawaiian monarch was overthrown and the archipelago came under U.S. rule, eventually becoming a state in 1959. Adherents of Hawaiian sovereignty support a variety of potential outcomes, ranging from full independence to models of expanded self-governance. While accurate polling is hard to come by, a 2014 poll suggests only 6 percent support for independence in the state, while 31 percent opted for “federal recognition of a Hawaiian nation.”
Second Vermont Republic
Vermont first declared independence in 1777 and was an independent republic until it joined the United States in 1791. This early history of independence inspired the economist Thomas Naylor to launch the Second Vermont Republic movement with his book The Vermont Manifesto (2003). Naylor described this movement as “left-libertarian, anti-big government, anti-empire, antiwar, with small is beautiful as our guiding philosophy.” A 2017 poll showed that nearly 21 percent of Vermonters were willing to consider independence for their state.
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Greater Idaho
Founded in 2020, Greater Idaho is one of the country’s younger secessionist movements. The movement claims that “the Oregon/Idaho line…makes no sense in its current location because it doesn’t match the location of the cultural divide in Oregon.” Proponents of Greater Idaho argue that eastern Oregon is more conservative and libertarian-leaning than the western part of the state and therefore would naturally be more at home as part of Idaho. As of 2024, 13 Oregon counties had passed resolutions in favor of joining Idaho.
Others
A number of other secessionist movements have been active in recent decades, but in many cases, they lack sufficient popular support or organizational infrastructure to make a political difference. Despite the relatively high support for independence in Alaska (36 percent as of 2024), the Alaskan Independence Party voted to dissolve itself in 2025. California has seen multiple secession and division movements, such as the State of Jefferson (which aims to unite parts of northern California with southern Oregon) and the Aztlán movement (more an expression of Mexican-American cultural nationalism than of outright political separatism and extending to other states in the Southwest). In 2025, 44 percent of Californians said they would vote in favor of independence for their state. However, as of January 2022 the pro-independence California National Party had only 413 registered voters.