Buckley's book is a pretty good review of pre-Civil War history.
His basic conclusion is America is too big (330 million souls) and big populations have powerful and remote regulators and governors.
But he does not make a sound case as to how and which states might join together to form a smaller and less ideologically divided New Country. Such a case should be made.
He strangely suggests (p. 42) that a reasonable compromise on secession vs. union be sought by seeking judgment from the Supreme Court. A panel of 9, split 5-4? That is unreasonable, unwise and an elitist way to decide the future of America.
His closing recommendations are a dull thud. He has not thought the issue through. In the end, he proclaims himself "a unionist" and further writes "Most of all, I am tired of the haters, especially those who put up 'NO hate' signs in their front yards to annoy their neighbors." In other words, why can't we just all get along?
He should move back to Canada, which has become a land full of diversity wimps!
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American Secession: The Looming Threat of a National Breakup Hardcover – Illustrated, January 14, 2020
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F.H. Buckley
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Print length184 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherEncounter Books
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Publication dateJanuary 14, 2020
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Reading age18 years and up
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Dimensions9 x 1.1 x 6.3 inches
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ISBN-101641770805
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ISBN-13978-1641770804
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“Frank Buckley, Trump supporter, law professor and former Canadian, dares in his new book to assess the pros and cons of what has been in the United States since 1865 the never-to-be-spoken S‑word: secession. As always, he is original, provocative and subversive of long-accepted clichés.”
―Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner and founding co-author of The Almanac of American Politics
“F.H. Buckley is a national treasure. In an era of deep division and distrust, he has offered a comprehensive and wise plan for national reconciliation and progress. This shimmering little volume is a how-to manual for preserving American Greatness and what Buckley calls ‘home rule.’ Only someone as learned and cosmopolitan as Buckley and only someone as gifted with wit, insight, and depth could display such breathtaking common sense. This is a Tocquevillian tour-de-force, of profound and vital interest to both progressives and conservatives, and it just might save the Republic.”
―Stephen B. Presser, Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History Emeritus at Northwestern University School of Law and author of Law Professors: Three Centuries of Shaping American Law
“Buckley is the first to face the reality that, our diversity having morphed into mutual disdain, America can no longer remain a unitary nation. Americans should ponder the alternatives to mounting strife and civil war that he outlines. A must-read book.”
―Angelo Codevilla, senior fellow of the Claremont Institute and professor emeritus of International Relations at Boston University
“Francis Buckley, though often regarded as a conservative, is in fact truly radical. He goes to the heart of the issues he raises, and provides both provocation and genuine insight to readers of all political persuasions. Here he boldly suggests that a country of 330 million people is just too large―not to mention polarized―to be effectively governable. The United States was born in secession from the British Empire, and we should think about secessionist possibilities again today. Buckley’s arguments deserve to be taken seriously, not dismissed because they cut against the grain of a sometimes thoughtless devotion to Union.”
―Sanford Levinson, author of An Argument Open to All: ReadingThe Federalist in the 21st Century
“We can’t go on like this forever. If the Left continues to amp up its mouth-frothing rage at half the country, eventually that half will react. Something’s got to give. Frank Buckley explores one possibility for what that ‘something’ might be. Whether you’re for secession or dead-set against it, the time to start thinking through its implications is now―before it takes on a momentum all its own.”
―Michael Anton, lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale College
―Michael Barone, senior political analyst for The Washington Examiner and founding co-author of The Almanac of American Politics
“F.H. Buckley is a national treasure. In an era of deep division and distrust, he has offered a comprehensive and wise plan for national reconciliation and progress. This shimmering little volume is a how-to manual for preserving American Greatness and what Buckley calls ‘home rule.’ Only someone as learned and cosmopolitan as Buckley and only someone as gifted with wit, insight, and depth could display such breathtaking common sense. This is a Tocquevillian tour-de-force, of profound and vital interest to both progressives and conservatives, and it just might save the Republic.”
―Stephen B. Presser, Raoul Berger Professor of Legal History Emeritus at Northwestern University School of Law and author of Law Professors: Three Centuries of Shaping American Law
“Buckley is the first to face the reality that, our diversity having morphed into mutual disdain, America can no longer remain a unitary nation. Americans should ponder the alternatives to mounting strife and civil war that he outlines. A must-read book.”
―Angelo Codevilla, senior fellow of the Claremont Institute and professor emeritus of International Relations at Boston University
“Francis Buckley, though often regarded as a conservative, is in fact truly radical. He goes to the heart of the issues he raises, and provides both provocation and genuine insight to readers of all political persuasions. Here he boldly suggests that a country of 330 million people is just too large―not to mention polarized―to be effectively governable. The United States was born in secession from the British Empire, and we should think about secessionist possibilities again today. Buckley’s arguments deserve to be taken seriously, not dismissed because they cut against the grain of a sometimes thoughtless devotion to Union.”
―Sanford Levinson, author of An Argument Open to All: ReadingThe Federalist in the 21st Century
“We can’t go on like this forever. If the Left continues to amp up its mouth-frothing rage at half the country, eventually that half will react. Something’s got to give. Frank Buckley explores one possibility for what that ‘something’ might be. Whether you’re for secession or dead-set against it, the time to start thinking through its implications is now―before it takes on a momentum all its own.”
―Michael Anton, lecturer and research fellow at Hillsdale College
About the Author
F.H. Buckley is a Foundation Professor at George Mason University’s Scalia School of Law. He is a frequent media guest and has appeared on Morning Joe, CNN, The Rush Limbaugh Show, C‑SPAN, NPR and numerous other outlets. He is a senior editor at the American Spectator, a columnist for the New York Post, and has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and many other newspapers.
His most recent books are The Republican Workers Party (2018); The Republic of Virtue (2017); The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America (2016); and The Once and Future King (2015). His current project is a book on curiosity.
His most recent books are The Republican Workers Party (2018); The Republic of Virtue (2017); The Way Back: Restoring the Promise of America (2016); and The Once and Future King (2015). His current project is a book on curiosity.
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Product details
- Publisher : Encounter Books; Illustrated edition (January 14, 2020)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 184 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1641770805
- ISBN-13 : 978-1641770804
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Item Weight : 15.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 9 x 1.1 x 6.3 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#281,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #317 in Political Freedom (Books)
- #372 in General Elections & Political Process
- #411 in General Constitutional Law
- Customer Reviews:
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Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2020
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23 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2020
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With all the talk of cultural and political division in America, F.H. Buckley takes a step that is both startling and logical, to consider the possibilities of modern-day Secession. First establishing that secession today would not entail the bloody conflict it did in the past, when it brought on the Civil War, he considers in fascinating detail both the pros and cons of the US becoming a smaller country, with one or more countries carved out from dissenting states in our continental mass. He examines the possibilities from many angles and discusses different levels of separation in the history of other countries that we might potentially follow. I found myself resisting, but I was drawn into more serious contemplation of the implications of our current culture wars.
14 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2020
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The author went to a lot of trouble to come to the conclusion he'd already come to by the last few pages of his book. All the data aside and historical research of past thinkers of nation building missed a main point: Nations/civilizations die. They die, break apart, reformulate into some kind of new configuration and rarely ever make a come back to their former greatness. New America is just around the corner and the process to recombining our corporate DNA will be very messy. New America will be reformatted by traditional outlines of trade, agriculture, natural resources and finance. The question Buckley did not go into was how a reformatted America will compete against a ravenous enemy such as China? Not very well given our current leaders in DC or sitting in state capitols.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2020
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Excellent reasoning and forthright balancing of costs and benefits. Smaller is better when it comes to governance. Buckley could advance his cause by articulating a judicial reform agenda to restrain the Supreme Court from nationalizing the solution to every philosophical and religious controversy.
8 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2020
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The author does a good job of writing about pertinent history relating to when my country broke away from the U.S. He contrasts and compares current events to those in the past as how they would to relate to a current day secession. The author did his research on many levels, it would have been good if he were to have mentioned the AG Jere Black stated he did not see anything in the constitution that forbade the states from leaving the union. If I remember correctly a couple of states did secede for a short period of time during the early 1800's. I think New York and North Carolina were the ones.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2020
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Frank Buckley's AMERICAN SECESSION is a refreshing, intelligent and insightful examination of the deepening divide within our country. He takes the possibility of secession seriously--its happening in other large countries--and presents the pros and cons of splitting up, even offering various solutions. Whether we agree or not that divorce is our fate, bravo to Buckley for bringing us face to face with the reality of our present situation in this brilliant little book.
7 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2020
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Frank Buckley looks squarely at the possibility of the United States splitting into two or more countries—something that seems more likely by the day as our society becomes more polarized. He shows that smaller countries, overall, do better than larger ones. They are more stable; their people are happier. Greater cohesions leads to greater social capital and a higher-trust society.
I agree with him that a renewal of federalism would be preferable to secession. But only one of our political parties would be willing to move in that direction explicitly. It may be that states will tend to ignore federal mandates of which they disapprove, producing a de facto federalism. But I'm not optimistic. That makes secession an option that will seem increasingly appealing to half the country.
The difficulty I see is that we are not divided in any simple way. Urban areas and rural areas have little in common, even in the same states. Perhaps virtual associations will start to replace geographical divisions. Just as neighbors might opt for different insurance coverages, neighbors might opt for different political associations.
In any case, Buckley gives us a lot to think about. Anyone concerned about the future of the country needs to read this book.
I agree with him that a renewal of federalism would be preferable to secession. But only one of our political parties would be willing to move in that direction explicitly. It may be that states will tend to ignore federal mandates of which they disapprove, producing a de facto federalism. But I'm not optimistic. That makes secession an option that will seem increasingly appealing to half the country.
The difficulty I see is that we are not divided in any simple way. Urban areas and rural areas have little in common, even in the same states. Perhaps virtual associations will start to replace geographical divisions. Just as neighbors might opt for different insurance coverages, neighbors might opt for different political associations.
In any case, Buckley gives us a lot to think about. Anyone concerned about the future of the country needs to read this book.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2020
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Personally I think some form of separation is in order. Perhaps the Propertarian solution is best. This books makes the case in, what seems, a safe way to be able to get a publisher to print it. Just barely an interesting read. I found myself wanting it to be over three quarters of the way thru.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
JPDFR
4.0 out of 5 stars
Light read. Enjoyable
Reviewed in Canada on November 16, 2020Verified Purchase
Don't expect a deep historical analysis of socio-economic and political ideological divisiveness in this book.
That said, it is well worth a read, as it is well written and interesting, and a good primer for a Non-American (such as myself) for the current American reality.
That said, it is well worth a read, as it is well written and interesting, and a good primer for a Non-American (such as myself) for the current American reality.

