NEIC Secretary Justin Meyer Photo: Chaiel Schaffel/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — To many, “unamerican” is a cutting insult. To Justin Meyer, it’s dipping a ladle into the wellspring of his true identity.
“There are many times that I don’t really feel like an American. I feel like a New Englander,” he said.
Meyer is one of the handful of leaders of the fledgling New England Independence Campaign, a movement (and newly-minted non-profit) that promotes the concept of New England seceding from the wider United States and forming its own nation. After Former President Donald Trump’s win in the 2024 presidential election, the movement has seen a surge of interest from locals who increasingly see little in common in their unhappy union with deep red states.
At a coffee shop in Hopkinton, he and NEIC Treasurer Maddie Lee talked over the grand plan that would see a new political force in the cradle of the American Revolution.
A Local Call For A National Divorce
“I’ve privately felt this way about this since I was a kid,” Lee said. She described a high school essay where her teacher asked her about her favorite country.
“I was like, my favorite country doesn’t exist yet, but it will, and it will be called ‘The Republic of New England,’” she said.
They point to a culture in New England that they consider distinct enough from the rest of the country to necessitate a national split – including a less pronounced urban-rural divide.
“Almost every volunteer that we have had…come from the suburbs, exurbs and countryside…our culture transcends political party,” Lee said.
“It’s not as polarized as other parts of the country,” Meyer added.
They pointed to certain values – personal liberty, a heavy emphasis on education and fact-based rulemaking, and religious pluralism – that they think define the geographical region here, independent of political boundaries.
Some of her argument is predicated on scholarly work that delineates several distinct American subcultures, notably journalist Colin Woodard’s now well-known book “American Nations.”
Rising Support
Just in the roughly two weeks since the election, Meyer says engagement with the movement has spiked.
“We’ve seen a massive increase so far. We’ve seen the followers on our social platforms increase by 25%,” he said.
Both Meyer and Lee say they’ve heard from many people who have considered the idea, but that those people don’t know there are others who think the same way. “A big part of our purpose is spreading that awareness,” Meyer said. “A lot of people are talking about separation openly now, and we really want to connect with them and tell them that there are a lot of like-minded people.”
“The election was the catalyst for them to actually do something and join a movement, but they’ve been feeling this way for eight, sixteen years,” Lee said.
Didn’t We Fight A War About This?
“The America that people think about romantically, like the ‘spirit of America’ has come and gone. The America that fought to end slavery, the America that fought against authoritarianism in the 20th century, we don’t really feel like that’s here anymore. A big part of the movement is to try to separate and make that our reality again,” Meyer said.
He argued that comparisons to the only other major secession in American history, the American Civil War, are apples and oranges. In Meyer’s view, the South instigated the war by seizing federal assets and attacking Fort Sumpter, forcing the North to act. He said the NEIC movement is a peaceful one, with no desire for bloodshed or warfare with the Federal government.
“Our primary and ultimate goal is a peaceful separation. We recognize that a second war would be disastrous for everyone,” he said.
The leaders I talked to admit that the ultimate goal is a long way off, and that the movement’s short-term goals are to encourage policies that vest power in the local states and wrest it away from the federal government.
Another goal, they said, is to encourage people with New England values to move here – though people with the values they identify with redder states appear to have grown in Massachusetts this election cycle, with gains for the GOP in many towns and statewide.
Asked about potential hurdles in supplying a future country with food, energy, and trade, Meyer said there were answers to all that.
“If 194 countries don’t grow a hundred percent of their own food, I think we’ll be fine,” he said. “Energy self-sufficiency, we’re already seeing massive developments in offshore windfarms, combined with nuclear power. And with water, I believe we’re already pretty close to being self-sufficient,” he said.
What Name Do You Call Yourself?
I asked both Lee and Meyers which political entity they most identified with, be that a country, a state, or a local polity.
“Easy. My nation is New England. Always will be,” Lee said.
“I definitely feel like the entire region is my home, and that I am a New Englander,” Meyer said.
WBZ’s Chaiel Schaffel (@CSchaffelWBZ) reports:
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