Self-determination and Ethnicity in the U.S
Self-determination is the principle that groups of people have the right to govern themselves and pursue autonomy or independence, a concept linked to the founding of the United States and reflected in various international treaties. In the U.S., the ethnic landscape is characterized by significant diversity, yet there has been relatively little movement advocating for ethnic self-determination compared to other regions globally. Factors contributing to this include the lack of geographic concentration among minority populations, a federal system that fosters local political engagement, and a Constitution that protects individual rights and civil liberties. Moreover, Americans often identify with multiple communities—ethnic, religious, and political—diluting the push for ethnic separation.
Despite this, awareness of ethnic identities has grown, particularly during the multicultural movements of the late 20th century, highlighting the distinctiveness of groups such as African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. However, internal divisions within these communities can hinder the emergence of unified self-determination movements. While instances of ethnic violence do occur, the overall democratic framework allows for grievances to be addressed through political discourse, reducing the likelihood of severe upheaval. Nevertheless, some separatist movements, like those in Texas and eastern Oregon, have emerged, driven by historical sentiments and contemporary political issues, though these movements remain isolated and lack broad support.
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Self-determination and Ethnicity in the U.S.
In its traditional usage, the idea of self-determination refers to the right of a group of people to sovereignty, independence, and self-government. The United States made such a claim in its Declaration of Independence from England. The idea has been incorporated into international treaties such as the covenant of the League of Nations and the charter of the United Nations. Since the end of World War II, more than a hundred countries around the world have achieved sovereign statehood through claims of self-determination, many having been former colonies of European states.
However, there are many more peoples and nationalities around the world than there are nation-states. Some countries, such as those in Africa, may have hundreds of distinct ethnic groups, many of which aspire to national self-determination. This often creates conditions of violence and civil war. Even countries that have relatively long-standing, legitimate governments, such as Canada, face claims regarding self-determination from ethnic groups within their borders—in Canada's case, certain elements of the French-speaking population. During the 1990s, the Soviet Union broke up into many republics that in turn faced ethnic groups that wanted to break off and form their own states. In the Balkans, claims to national self-determination led to brutal civil war and vicious policies of ethnic cleansing.
Other notable self-determination movements worldwide include that of the Basque Country between France and Spain, Catalonia in Spain, Chechnya in Russia, Darfur in Sudan, and Kurdistan in the Middle East. In 2008 the Republic of Kosovo declared itself independent from Serbia after a long history of ethnic violence in the region, and in 2011 South Sudan became independent from Sudan. In 2014 the Scottish people voted against Scottish independence from the United Kingdom in a closely watched referendum.
The United States is a country of great ethnic diversity, and yet it has not faced any considerable degree of agitation from advocates for ethnic self-determination. There are several reasons for this. First, unlike many other countries, the United States’ ethnic minorities are not typically concentrated into particular geographical areas. Claims for self-determination are almost always associated with the geographic concentration of minority populations—situations such as that in Canada, where French Canadians are concentrated mainly in southern Quebec. Second, the US federal system encourages much political activity at the state and local levels, which diffuses any wider claim to ethnic self-determination against a too-intrusive national government. Third, the US Constitution affords American citizens a high degree of individual rights and civil liberties and fairly responsive democratic political institutions, which minimizes the growth of minority resentment. Finally, Americans generally are members not only of ethnic communities but also of various religious denominations, interest groups, political organizations, and private associations. The great opportunity for multiple, ethnicity-crossing civic associations tends to dilute the drive for ethnic self-determination.
This does not mean that minority groups in the United States lack any sense of their distinctiveness. The multicultural movement of the 1980s and 1990s underscored the ethnic and racial awareness of many American groups, including African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asian Americans. However, the fact that such ethnic communities are themselves divided along geographical, religious, and political lines has muted their growth into full-fledged self-determination movements. Democratic government offers the hope that any grievances such communities feel can be mediated and addressed through free and open political discussion and action so that revolutionary violence is rendered unnecessary. Ethnic violence sometimes erupts even in the most democratic of countries, as it has in the United States from time to time. However, the wider experience of nations suggests that revolution and civil war result where political grievances are ignored or repressed, thereby further stoking fires of resentment that find ultimate expression in full-scale wars of self-determination.
What separatist groups in the United States lack in popularity, they often seek to achieve in notoriety. In Texas, a self-determination or separatist movement long kept its aspirations alive in hopes of an eventual withdrawal from the US Union. This group is motivated by Texas's former status as an independent republic (1836–1846). Modern-day proponents call their efforts "Texit," modeled after "Brexit," or the British withdrawal from the European Union which transpired in 2020. The group also advocates many positions common to right-wing extremist groups. These include exaggerations or miscategorizations of the US immigration situation and disavowal of the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential elections. A central platform of Texas's separatist groups is their perceived need to withdraw from the United States because the American government is deficient in its efforts to control the entry of immigrants. The fact that immigrant labor is indispensable to several of Texas's key commercial sectors does not figure into the contemplations of these separatist groups.
In 2024, a movement in rural, eastern Oregon promoted its secession from the existing state and its permanent alignment with the more conservative state of Idaho.
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