​Secessionist Sentiments at a Time of Political Polarization

The Rockefeller Plaza is lit up in red and blue the day before the 2016 presidential election night, on Nov. 7, 2016. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Commentary

In recent years, families have fragmented and friendships have been fractured by clashing political ideologies and beliefs. What’s happening on the micro level is happening on the macro level, too: Secessionist sentiments are strengthening as American politics becomes ever-more polarized.