Mississippi (U.S. Collapses, First)

The Republic of Mississippi is a country located in North America. It borders Alabama to the west, United States to the north and west, as well as Arkansas.

Mississippi became a U.S. state in 1861, but after the Confederates lost the Civil War, was re-admitted into the Union in 1870. For more than a century, Mississippi would become a U.S. state, and would represent one of the strongest bastions of conservatism in the United States. Beginning in the 1960s, anti-United States and pro-seperatist sentiments boiled in Mississippi.

The Civil Rights movement, Vietnam War, the end of the gold standard and the Water Gate Scandal were the four main catalysts of seperatist sentiments in Mississippi. Two types of secessionist groups formed, one was based on the old remnants of Confederate nostalgia, marked by white supremacy and a Christian-based law. The other were black nationalists, who wanted to form their own nations in the South.

The Water Gate Scandal was the last straw, and in 1972, Governor Bill Waller gave one last order as governor: take down the American flag in the state capitol. He abolished the State Governor position, and replaced it with an actual Presidency position, followed by a Vice Presidency position. For the while, Bill Waller served as the Interim President while a president was still to be elected.

Ethnic Groups
Whites constituate 47% of the country's population. Most of the Whites are of Anglo-Celtic descent, and claim to be as such. However, other traces of European ancestry, such as Italian, Finnish, Russian, Greek, Swiss and Central European ancestry such as German and Austrian, can be found among the White population.

Russian descent is found, among those Russians who were opposed to the communist regime of the Soviet Union.

As for the blacks, who constituate the second largest population at 40% - it is often hard to determine, as the blacks have, to a certain extent, been assimilated into the Anglo culture. African Mississippians predominantly inhabit western Mississippi, where they dominate the political and religious landscape.

Other races include Hispanic, Jewish and Filipino.

Ethnic discrimination and racism has been a huge problem in the Republic of Mississippi. The cultural sphere of Mississippi often tends to favor and be biased and welcome towards the white races, and welcoming to white European immigrants but outwardly hostile to all else. In a 2014 poll, Russian, Greek, Bulgarian, British and German migrants all reported being treated fairly and with hospitably in Mississippi.

However, migrants from Mexico, the Middle East and Africa reported being victims of frequent discrimination and racially-motivated harrassment.

Although segregation was outlawed in the 1868 Constitution, it is a very common and prevelant practice among both whites and blacks, and attempts at integrating the races are often met with fierce opposition.

Overseas Filipinos in Mississippi were denied their request to build a branch of the Iglesia ni Cristo. People speaking their native languages in Mississippi often face harrassment in the public. Baptist churches catering to Filipinos and Mexicans often had to deal with protestors carrying signs with xenophobic slurs.

Religion
Though the Republic of Mississippi has no official "state religion", its de facto state religion is Christianity, Southern Baptist in particular. Southern Baptists constitute a good 40% of Mississippians, about another 32% are Black Baptists. The rest include Roman Catholic, Orthodox (Greek, Russian and Armenian), as well as other Protestant sections such as Methodist and Lutheran, as well as independant Evangelical churches, Filipino Baptist churches, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists and Judaism. Despite the Constitution of Mississippi, which is based off of both the United States, Confederate and the 1868 Constitution gauranteeing Freedom of Religion, the Republic of Mississippi considers itself a Christian nation.

Islam was banned in 2001, after the September 11 attacks. In addition, other faiths such as Satanism, Wicca, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Shamanism are banned. Practices and activities often associated with those faiths, such as meditation and yoga, are often heavily regulated and restricted in the country. In addition, Black Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses and to a lesser extent, Seventh-Day Adventists and Roman Catholics, are often victims of discrimination.

There have been attempts by hardline Baptists and Evangelicals to ban the Jehovah's Witnesses from the nation.

Christian and Biblical morals heavily influence public social policies, as well as the lifestyle of Mississippians, as well as other Southern nations such as South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. Same-sex marriage, abortion, birth control and pornography are illegal. While not a law of any sort, men are encouraged to work while women are often encouraged to stay at home take care of the children. Marriage is encouraged. Alcohol and tobacco sales are prohibited on Sundays.

On Christmas and Easter, public facilities, with the exception of emergency services, are closed.

Politics
The Republic of Mississippi considers itself a "Constitutional Republic", and bases its legislature off of the Confederate Constitution and the 1868 Mississippi Constitution. It reflect heavy American influence. Like the United States and its other Southern neighbors, Mississippi's Head of State is the President, followed by the Vice President. It also contains a Secretary of State. Mississippians enjoy similar and near-identical rights as Americans, such as the distinct Right to Bear Arms.

Economy
Contrary to popular belief, Mississippi is actually a very wealthy nation with a high standard of living. Citizens of the republic enjoy a liberal econony, free-market capitalism, very low taxes and minimal government regulation of bussinesses.

Armed Forces
The Armed Forces of Mississippi consists of the Army, Air Force and Navy. It was carved out of the National Guard of Mississippi, once a branch of the United States Army. Those who had wished to stay in the newly-formed Republic of Mississippi became part of the armed forces, while those who chose to migrate went to the United States.