April 9, 2015. It took a century and a half, but today, the old vow was finally kept. Newly elected President Trent Lott described it as a stirring moment. Mississippi's first secession from the United States, in January 1861, helped precipitate the Civil War. But most Americans seem to have taken this second secession in stride.
Polls show no public enthusiasm for curbing the movement.
Flag vote set the stage The secession movement grew by leaps and bounds after a pivotal vote in 2001 concerning the Confederate battle flag. By an overwhelming margin, Mississippians decided to keep the emblem as part of the state's flag. That vote gave the secessionists ammunition in their push for separation from the United States and a name for their new country. Already, there is evidence of the lengths to which Heritage will go to protect and project its unorthodox view of history. Indeed, the slaves are said to have welcomed slavery.