Origins and Applications of the Conch Republic: Key West, Florida

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Dungy, Kathryn

Keywords

Micro-Nation, Key West, Tourism

Area of Concentration

History

Abstract

In 1982, Key West seceded from the United States of America as an act of protest against the Federal Government, forming the Conch Republic. To this day, residents of the island maintain they hold a dual citizenship, both American and Conch. The motivation and inspiration for this unique form of protest can be found in the island's history and culture. From the island's initial settlement in 1819, the residents of Key West considered their island as fundamentally different from the United States. By extension, they viewed themselves as fundamentally different from the rest of the American population. The island's culture was formed of ethnic diversity, unique economic pursuits, and geographic isolation resulting in a population that not only saw secession from the United States as a means of protest but an assertion of identity. The people of Key West have employed the banner of the Conch Republic regularly since its creation as a tool for further protest and as a unified front for furthering the causes previously pursued independently by Conchs. The Conch Republic is the product of an island people striving to establish and defend their independent culture and interests against an uninterested federal government and the homogenizing factors of modern tourism.

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