Back to the Kit

Host Guide

A TEXIT Party runs about two hours. Here's one way to run it. Change anything that suits your house better.

Before the party

  • Hand out invitations a week or two ahead, and ask people to RSVP so you know how much food to plan.
  • A potluck is fine. Ask for side dishes and desserts, and you cover the main dish.
  • Print the trivia sheet and the sign-in sheet.
  • Invite at least a few people who haven't made up their minds. A room that already agrees learns less.

The evening

  1. 0:00

    Arrivals and supper

    Put the sign-in sheet by the door and ask everyone to fill it in. Eat first. People talk more easily once they've eaten.

  2. 0:30

    Welcome

    Thank people for coming. Tell them in a sentence or two why you invited them. Use your own words. Nobody expects a speech.

  3. 0:35

    Texas trivia

    Split into teams by couch or by table. Read the questions aloud and keep score loosely. The point is the stories the answers start, not the score.

  4. 0:55

    The conversation

    Tell the room why Texas independence matters to you. Then ask what they think, and listen. The points below can help, but your own reasons will carry more weight than anything printed here.

  5. 1:25

    The Declaration

    Show the code on this page or on the sign-in sheet. The Declaration is free. It's how a Texan goes on record. Nobody has to decide tonight.

  6. 1:35

    Dessert and goodbyes

    Thank people again. Ask one or two of them whether they'd host the next one.

Open with one question

"If Texas were already an independent country, with its own border, its own money, and its own say over everything else, would you vote to give that up and join the United States?"

Let the room answer before you say anything. The rest of the evening tends to follow from it.

Four points worth making

  1. 1.

    Texas has done this before.

    From 1836 to 1845 the Republic of Texas ran its own government and printed its own money. The United States and France recognized it, and it signed treaties with the Netherlands and Britain. Texas joined the Union in 1845 after a vote of its own people. Leaving the same way would restore something Texas already had.

  2. 2.

    Texas is a nation now.

    A nation is a people, not a flag. Texans share a history and an identity that nobody in your living room needs explained. It's civic, not ethnic: of the men who signed the Texas Declaration of Independence in 1836, only two were born in Texas.

  3. 3.

    Texas can stand on its own.

    As a country, Texas would have about the eighth-largest economy in the world, ahead of Canada and Russia. It already runs its own power grid and its own deep-water ports.

  4. 4.

    The decision belongs to Texans.

    The Texas Constitution says all political power is inherent in the people. Washington holds only the powers the states delegated to it, and the right to decide was never Washington's to give. The way forward is a peaceful vote of the people, the way Scotland voted on independence in 2014 and Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016.

How to talk about it

  • Ask before you tell. People keep the conclusions they reach on their own.
  • Keep it about Washington, meaning the permanent federal establishment that stays no matter who wins an election. Leave parties and presidents out of it.
  • Leave the Civil War out of it. The comparisons that fit are Scotland and Brexit: a peaceful vote.
  • If you don't know an answer, say so and point people to thetnm.org. A wrong fact costs more than "I'll find out."

Questions you'll probably get

"Isn't it illegal?"
No clause in the U.S. Constitution forbids it. The case people cite, Texas v. White from 1869, was a dispute over bonds. Its line about an "indestructible" Union went beyond what that dispute required, which makes it dictum, not binding precedent, and the Supreme Court itself overruled the opinion's bond rule in 1885. The same opinion even allows that the Union can change "through consent of the States." The path TNM is working toward is a lawful, peaceful vote of the people.
"What happens to my Social Security?"
Social Security already pays benefits to people who live in other countries. TNM's position is that every Texan who paid in and is owed benefits gets paid.
"Would I lose my U.S. citizenship?"
No. The Supreme Court held in 1967, in Afroyim v. Rusk, that the government can't take away your citizenship unless you give it up voluntarily. Dual citizenship is common, so a Texan who wants to keep U.S. citizenship keeps it.
"What would Texas use for money?"
It could keep using the dollar. Ecuador and El Salvador use it as their own currency today, and Panama has used it since 1904.
"If you don't like it, why don't you just move?"
Because this is home. Every state answers to the same federal government, so moving changes your weather, not your government.
"Is this a political party?"
No. It's a get-together. There's nothing to join at the door and nothing on a ballot tonight.
"What does it cost?"
Nothing. The kit is free, and so is the Declaration.

Ground rules

  • No candidates speak, and no campaign material goes out. This is about Texas, not an election.
  • No money changes hands. Don't pass a hat or sell anything.
  • People who disagree are welcome. Keep it friendly. You're inviting them back.
  • Don't post anyone's name or photo online without asking them first.

The Declaration. Point a phone camera at the code, or go to thetnm.org/declare.