Residents In More Than A Dozen States Petition White House To Secede From United States

Residents in more than a dozen states across the country have filed secession petitionsto the Obama administration's "We the People" program, which is featured on the White House website.

A petition filed by Jesse W. (no last name provided) on behalf of Arkansas reads:

As the founding fathers of the United States of America made clear in the Declaration of Independence in 1776:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

"...Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and institute new Government..."

Micah H. (no last name provided) of Arlington, Texas filed a petition that says:

The US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.

The efforts come in the wake of Barack Obama securing a second term in the White House over Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. From New York to South Carolina, the states where residents have filed secession petitions spans a wide range.

Texas GOP official Peter Morrison, treasurer of the Hardin County Republican party,argued for an "amicable divorce" from the United States last week.

"Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government?" he wrote in an op-ed in a Tea Party newsletter, according to the Fort-Worth Star Telegram. "Let each go her own way."

Despite the rhetoric and number of secession petitions, it's unlikely states will be withdrawing from the United States. Robert Wilonsky at The Dallas Morning News points out that secession is not an option for the Lone Star State.

The White House website explains of the review process for petitions that get 25,000 signatures in a 30 day period: "If a petition meets the signature threshold, it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue a response."

States where residents have filed secession petitions include: Alabama, Arkansas,Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi,Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota,Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

(The list above has been updated to include petitions filed by residents in additional states since this post was published.)

Ultimately, secession efforts are nothing new. Below, a look back at previous attempts.