Violence in the name of democracy: Justifications for separatism on the radical right

Abstract

Over the last 30 years, figures on the American radical right have sought to justify the use of violence against the national government. This can be seen in three key texts: the charter of the United States Christian Posse Association (1972), the Nehemiah Township Charter and Common Law Contract (1982), and Louis Beam's essay, ‘Revolutionary Majorities’ (1984). All three are characterized by antipathy toward the state, a desire to demonstrate the legitimacy of violence, a sense of membership in an elite, and a fusion of religious and legal fundamentalism.