If at First You Don't Secede: Trump Could Revitalize Vermont Movement
Vermont got a taste of independence between 1777 and 1791, when it was out of the British Empire but not yet one of the United States. It declared itself a sovereign republic 240 years ago this month and soon adopted the first constitution in North America that prohibited slavery.
A few Vermonters are hoping the confluence of that anniversary and the upcoming presidential inauguration will generate support for — or at least interest in — trying something similar. As Donald Trump prepares to become the country's commander in chief, these activists are girding for what one of them describes as a "very, very radical" form of dissent: advocating secession.
The origin of the modern effort to get the "U.S. out of Vermont" can be attributed to one man: Thomas Naylor. When he retired from Duke University in 2003, the Mississippi native and former economics professor moved to Vermont out of admiration for its thriving small towns and businesses. A year later, he began propagandizing for secession. Naylor's The Vermont Manifesto, which calls for the establishment of an independent republic, piqued the curiosity of a small group of Vermonters. Within a year, secessionist sentiment had become strong enough that some 300 demonstrators took part in a parade and rally in Montpelier to support the state's transformation into a nation.
The Second Vermont Republic — a term referring to both the aspiration and the loosely organized network that seeks to make it a reality — has lost momentum in recent years, but its partisans now see an opportunity for revival.
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