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Fact check: Has any US state ever legally seceded from the Union successfully?
1. Summary of the results
The historical and legal record is clear: no US state has ever successfully and legally seceded from the Union [1] [2]. This was definitively settled through both military conflict (the Civil War) and legal precedent, specifically in the Supreme Court case Texas v. White [3], which ruled that unilateral secession is unconstitutional [1]. The Supreme Court established that the union is "indissoluble" and can only be changed through revolution or consent of other states [2].
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
Several important contextual points need to be considered:
- While secession attempts have occurred, notably by 11 Southern states during the Civil War, all were ultimately unsuccessful [1]
- The only legal territorial changes in US history have involved:
- Land acquisitions (like the Louisiana Purchase)
- Colonial territories gaining independence (like the Philippines)
- States splitting to form new states within the Union (Kentucky, Maine, and West Virginia) [1]
- Modern legal scholars, including Sanford Levinson and James Wilets, continue to affirm this interpretation, with Justice Antonin Scalia stating that the Civil War conclusively resolved the issue [4]
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The question itself might suggest there's ambiguity about secession's legality, when there isn't. While theoretical discussions about secession, nationalism, and political philosophy exist [5], the legal and historical reality is unambiguous. The question might stem from:
- Misunderstanding of historical events like the Civil War
- Confusion between theoretical discussions of secession [5] and its actual legal status
- Modern political movements that sometimes promote secession despite its clear unconstitutionality
It's worth noting that various political groups might benefit from promoting secession narratives, despite the clear legal precedent against it. However, the Supreme Court and constitutional experts have maintained a consistent position that secession is not legally possible without the consent of other states [2].