Conch Republic
Conch Republic | |
|---|---|
| Motto: We Seceded Where others Failed | |
| Status | Not Reconized |
| Membership | 24,768 |
1. The common title is the same as the full title
2. The Normal Currency used is the US Dollar | |
The Conch Republic is a micronation in the Florida Keys, created after some residents of Key West staged a secession from the United States of America as a "tongue-in-cheek" protest -- albeit one motivated by frustration over genuine concerns. Although some perceive that the Conch Republic is not, and never was, a real secessionist movement, many in Key West continue to identify with it. Conch "Independence Day" is celebrated with festivities every April 23 as part of a week-long festival of activities. The organization of the Conch Republic is a key tourism booster for the area. They even issue their own souvenir "passports" and postage stamps (actually cinderellas, stamp-like labels).
History
In 1982, the United States Border Patrol established a roadblock and inspections point on U.S. Highway 1, which runs north from Key West over a series of causeways and is the Keys' only land link to the mainland. Vehicles were stopped and searched for narcotics and illegal immigrants. The Key West City Council complained repeatedly about the inconvenience for people traveling from Key West and said it hurt the Keys' important tourism industry. As a matter of a fact, Eastern Airlines, which had a hub at Miami International Airport, saw a window of opportunity open when the roadblocks were established, and, as a consequence, Eastern became the only airline to establish jet service to Key West International Airport, figuring that travellers from Key West to Miami would rather fly than wait for the police to search their cars at the roadblocks.
After the complaints from the Key West City Council went unanswered by the Federal Government and attempts to get an injunction against the "blockade" failed in court, Key West mayor Dennis Wardlow and the city council declared the independence of the Conch Republic on April 23, 1982. Since the Federal Government had set up the equivalent of a border station as if the Keys were a foreign nation, they said, the Keys might as well become one. Mayor Wardlow was proclaimed Prime Minister of the republic, which declared war against the U.S. (symbolically breaking a loaf of stale Cuban bread over the head of a man in a navy uniform), quickly surrendered (after one minute), and applied for foreign aid (in the amount of six billion dollars). These actions generated great publicity for the Keys' plight. The roadblock and inspection station were removed soon afterward.
The Great Invasions of 1995
On September 20, 1995, it was reported that the 478th Public Affairs Batallion of the United States Army Reserve was to conduct a training exercise simulating an invasion of a foreign island. They were to land on Key West and conduct affairs as if the islanders were foreign. Dennis Wardlow and the forces behind the Conch Republic secession in 1982 mobilized the island for a "full-scale war" (which, in the Conch Republic, involves firing water cannons from fireboats and hitting people with stale Cuban bread), and protested the Department of Defense as to arranging this exercise without consulting the City of Key West. The leaders of the 478th issued an apology the next day, and submitted to a "surrender" ceremony on September 22.
In addition, during the shutdown of the U.S. Government in December 1995, the Conch Republic attempted to "invade" Dry Tortugas National Park in order to reopen it. They had raised private money to keep it running, inspired by efforts of the Smithsonian Institution to keep its museums open by private donations, but could find no one to accept the money and reopen the park. When officials attempted to enter the monument, they were cited. When the citation was contested in court, the resultant case, The United States of America v. Peter Anderson was rapidly dropped in 1996.
The Annexation of Seven Mile Bridge
On January 13,2006, the Conch Republic annexed an abandoned bridge off of the Keys. On the previous January 4, 15 Cuban refugees had reached the bridge, but had been returned to Cuba by the Border Patrol because of a federal decision that declared the bridge not a part of U.S. territory since it had been damaged in a storm and no longer connected to land.
Because of federal disavowal of the bridge, Secretary General Anderson claimed the bridge for the Conch Republic. He expressed his hope to use the bridge to build affordable, ecologically-friendly housing. There was no defense of the territory by the United States when Conch Republic Flags were planted on the structure.
Flag
The Flag of the Conch Republic consists of a conch shell in a sun burst on a field of blue. The flag also includes ten stars, the words "Conch Republic" and "We seceded where others failed," and the date 1982. The flag is commonly seen in the city.
Passport
The Conch Republic government sells passports on its website, offering citizenship to all-comers regardless of residency. However, these are not considered valid travel documents, either by the United States or the Conch Republic itself. That said people continue to buy Conch Republic passports with the mistaken belief that they can be used as a valid travel document.
Trivia
- The Conch Republic is featured in the first volume of the Dallas Barr series of comics.
- Key West, a short lived comedy-drama series on FOX that aired in 1992 had an episode depicting a fictionalized version of the incident. (IMDB entry)