Many Americans admit that they have never seen a country so divided. The last elections, one of the most intense on record, became the most talked about of all time. It had one of the most significant voting battles this nation has ever seen. It was one of the most watched political dramas ever broadcasted on television, and it all ended with a bang. An explosion that not only shocked America but the entire world. The United States elected their first reality TV star as president. It was a twist that most Americans never saw coming.
United America Stands or Falls
However, what many never saw coming was a nation so torn apart that people would actually vote to see their state succeed from the union. To others, a divided nation was unthinkable. Yet, as Donald J. Trump’s America slowly began taking root, the wake-up call and the consequence of a divided America suddenly became a reality. There are some who argue that the nation is no more divided now than it was centuries ago, since its foundation. To others, The United States has dependably been a country separated. Since its establishment over two centuries ago, the nation’s exceptional presence has been in question. Plus, there have been more than a couple of events where it looked as though the United States might, at last, destroy itself.
History shows that there have been historical events that divided the country. American disunity crested amid the Civil War. There were also many years of the outrageous division all through the 20th century. Mainly in the 1960s with the rise of the Civil Rights era.
The Great Divide
In January, California wrote a proposal for the state to secede from the United States. The document was presented to the Secretary of State’s Office. During that time, a recent poll had discovered that one in three California residents were more than happy to support a likely withdrawal from the U.S. They were willing to do this on behalf of their hostility toward President Trump.
In 2016, it was President Trump that made the blood of some Americans boil to the point of succession. However, in 1860, it was President Abraham Lincoln. Only 157 years ago, the nation was sectioned off into 18 free states, which were mainly in the north, and 15 slave states that were primarily in the south. In the presidential election of 1860, an attorney from rural Illinois, named Abraham Lincoln gained the mainstream ballots in 17 free states. He barely had any support from the slave states. Votes were few, and Lincoln was not a favorite in the South.
In the eyes of the Southerners, Lincoln was a dangerous opponent. He dared to publicly announce that the country could not remain divided. Once Lincoln was elected, South Carolina wasted no time with succession. However, they were not going alone. Right behind them were Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and finally Louisiana withdrew from the Union. In no time, they came together and produced the southern union known as the Confederate States of America. Despite their declaration of a united South, the other slave states refused to break away from the nation.
Are unwanted consequences for an election favorable grounds for a succession? Californians think so.
In February 2017, they began gathering marks for an appeal to add a submission to the state’s tickets in 2019. On the off chance that the gathering gains enough legitimate marks, Californians will vote on whether to leave the union in two years.
California is already determined to make itself the headquarters for anti-Trump protesters and possibly the first sanctuary state, opposing enforcement of federal immigration law. Months ago, to fight Trump’s immigration policy, leading political figures such as former Assembly Speaker Willie Brown have started muttering threats about launching a revenue war with the president by failing to pass along the tax receipts the state owes the Federal Government.
Trump and the Evangelicals
In the Evangelical world, President Trump is a godsend. To them, he is the answer for a nation that would have suffered grave consequences, had Hillary Clinton been elected. More than anything, a few religious pioneers stated that they feel Trump is battling for them in a social war that has been heading the other way. Michael Pence, an American legislator and legal adviser, who is the 48th and current vice president is cherished by numerous evangelicals.
On a few occasions Trump has brought ministers into the Oval Office for photographs, including some assembled around his seat with their hands on his shoulders. One White House guide said, Trump has cherished the possibility of the photos being out in the open.
A few people who know Trump say he acknowledges that evangelicals have been faithful to him — and he needs to keep them on his side. Zealous Christians have been satisfied with some of his choices. For instance, choosing Neil Gorsuch as a Supreme Court Justice. They also love his eagerness to battle issues, such as abortion, and his position on Israel. In the eyes of many Evangelicals, an America without Trump is a nation doomed to severe consequences. Many Californians and other American citizens, they beg to differ.
Apparently, that does not change the way that Americans remain sharply separated on many issues, regardless of whether it is weapons, abortion or LGBT rights; and with Trump in the White House, some Americans believe things are set to deteriorate.
By Jomo Merritt
Edited by Jeanette Smith
Resources:
Politico: Why evangelicals love Trump
New York Post: Sorry dudes, California ain’t seceding from the US
Salon: America may be more divided now than at any time since the Civil War
Image Courtesy of Fibonacci Blue’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License