WEBVTT - What States Failed to Become Part of the U.S.?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff from how Stuff Works, Hey, brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren Vogelbaum here, our fifty nifty United States may have

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<v Speaker 1>had several more siblings if things had turned out differently.

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<v Speaker 1>For Over the past one fifty years, more than a

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<v Speaker 1>few additional states have been proposed, such as tex Lahoma

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<v Speaker 1>and Nikko Jack. The state of tex Lahoma was proposed

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<v Speaker 1>shortly before World War Two. The state would have been

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<v Speaker 1>a combination of rural swaths of northern Texas and western Oklahoma.

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<v Speaker 1>It was pushed for by residents of those areas who

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<v Speaker 1>wanted better roads. The car was becoming ubiquitous at the time,

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<v Speaker 1>but American roads were in terrible condition, especially in the

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<v Speaker 1>oft overlooked rural areas. If tex Lahoma came to be

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<v Speaker 1>citizens reckoned, they could build the good roads their region needed.

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<v Speaker 1>The proposal, designed by Oklahoma a p Sites, did garner

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<v Speaker 1>some attention, including the backing of then Vice President John

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<v Speaker 1>Nance Garner the Fourth but the proposal died when the

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<v Speaker 1>Texans realized it would result in their becoming tex Lahmans

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<v Speaker 1>and losing their identity as Texans was unacceptable. In addition

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<v Speaker 1>to that one, at least two states were proposed during

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<v Speaker 1>the Civil War as protests against the Confederate States of

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<v Speaker 1>America and its push for secession from the Union. Nika

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<v Speaker 1>Jack was one a combination of southeast Tennessee and northern Alabama.

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<v Speaker 1>This area was full of Southern Unionists, poor residents who

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<v Speaker 1>did not own plantations or slaves, and were not in

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<v Speaker 1>favor of secession or the Confederacy. Residents of these areas

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<v Speaker 1>put forth their idea in the hopes of squashing the

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<v Speaker 1>secessionist movement in their states, But after a majority of

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<v Speaker 1>Alabama's and Tennesseeans voted in favor of secession, the nika

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<v Speaker 1>Jack proponents decided it was too dangerous to proceed with

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<v Speaker 1>their proposal, and the matter was dropped. The common folk

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<v Speaker 1>residents of Scott County, Tennessee, also wanted to secede from

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<v Speaker 1>their state leading up to the Civil War, believing that

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<v Speaker 1>joining the Confederacy was neither necessary nor wise. But unlike

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<v Speaker 1>the nika jack Ians, the people here were pro active

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<v Speaker 1>and made a formal proclamation of secession to the state government,

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<v Speaker 1>dubbing themselves the Free and Independent State of Scott. The

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<v Speaker 1>state didn't fight Scott, it simply ignored the proclamation. In

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen eight six, Scott County formally requested to be readmitted

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<v Speaker 1>to Tennessee. The state accepted the request, and even through

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<v Speaker 1>Scott a party and hey ever ponder Michigan's odd shape.

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<v Speaker 1>The midwestern state is comprised of two pieces of land,

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<v Speaker 1>a lower Mitten shaped portion and the Up or Upper Peninsula,

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<v Speaker 1>which is actually attached to the neighboring state of Wisconsin.

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<v Speaker 1>The first whispers of up separating from Michigan to become

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<v Speaker 1>an independent state of Superior came in eighteen fifty eight,

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<v Speaker 1>but the ensuing Civil War quashed the discussion. Yet the

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<v Speaker 1>idea of creating Superior, named after the great Lake that

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<v Speaker 1>the region hugs, has been broached several times over the

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<v Speaker 1>ensuing century. While the initial proposal was for the new

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<v Speaker 1>state to be comprised of the Up and some tracts

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<v Speaker 1>of land in the upper portions of Lower Michigan and Wasson,

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<v Speaker 1>more recent pushes were just for the up to become Superior.

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<v Speaker 1>And meanwhile, speaking of peninsula's, Delaware is comprised of the

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<v Speaker 1>bulk of a small peninsula on the east coast, with

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<v Speaker 1>Maryland and Virginia laying claim too tiny chunks of it.

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<v Speaker 1>Over the years, various proposals have been floated to create

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<v Speaker 1>one peninsular state, with most plans calling for Maryland and

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<v Speaker 1>Virginia to seed their land Delaware, the new state being

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<v Speaker 1>called del Marva. Today's episode was written by Melanie rad

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<v Speaker 1>Zekeie McManus and produced by Tyler Clang. To hear more

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<v Speaker 1>about half baked States, my compatriots Ben Bolan and Noel

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<v Speaker 1>Brown have a whole episode about it over on the

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<v Speaker 1>Ridiculous History podcast The United States That Never Were checked out.

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<v Speaker 1>If you enjoy our show and also not being naked,

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<v Speaker 1>check out our shop online at t public dot com

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<v Speaker 1>slash brain Stuff. We've got a bunch of back to

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<v Speaker 1>school stuff like laptop cases too, and of course for

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<v Speaker 1>lots more on this and other fully baked topics. Thank

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<v Speaker 1>you very much. Check out our home planet, how stuff

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<v Speaker 1>works dot com. H