As we enter 2017 and America recovers from the recent 2016 Presidential Election a certain word is on the lips of many Americans: Secession.

With California, Texas and Florida having legitimate political thoughts on leaving the United States of America a question is popping up on everyone's mind. Could these States function as Sovereign Nations? Could my State? How would they do so?

In this 50 part series we explore each State in terms of it that State could survive as a Nation by looking at how that State currently fairs and could hypothetically fair in the terms of three categories:

Economics-This looks at how much money that State is making compared to how much it spends, what it exports and imports and how it would impact the world on an Economic scale.

Political-The Political standpoint of the State is taken into account to try to grasp an understanding on how that State would be governed as an independent Nation. The method of Government can have massive impact on the Economy and foreign affairs so it is essential to consider.

Sociocultural-What would the society and culture of this Nation look like based off of the State it is formed from? The Social and Cultural ideologies of a Nation ultimately can decide not only the role it will play to the World, but also how long it will last.

Snuggled in between Rhode Island, New York and Massachusetts lies little Connecticut. Connecticut played a pivotal role to the fight for Independence that led to the United States of America forming. More than 200 years later, what would it look like if Connecticut decided to embrace sovereignty again, this time from America?

Connecticut as a State

Connecticut is one of the oldest of the States, with it having been one of the original 13 colonies. It takes great pride in being one of the key players in the American Revolution and is one of the most patriotic States. Despite it being very small (the third smallest State to be exact) it has the 29th largest population, with over 3 million people calling Connecticut home. The Capitol of Connecticut is Hartford and it also serves as the State's largest metro area. Connecticut also has the fourth largest population density of all the States due to both its small size and the majority of its people living in the many large cities of the State. Connecticut is very strongly associated with its neighboring States and cities, particularly New York City.

Economy

It is easy for many to assume just from a glance that Connecticut is not very economically powerful. These people are hilariously wrong. Despite its size, Connecticut is a powerhouse of finance. It is one of the least dependent of the 50 States and it would not lose this economic edge when it became independent. Connecticut has a strong industrial sector with it producing electronics, computer equipment, military products and Firearms. The Service Sector has been especially kind to Connecticut. Real Estate and Insurance Agencies list it as one of their greatest financial centers. Several world famous casinos and resorts line the beaches of the Southeast part of Connecticut. It is also to important to remember the location of Connecticut, right in between Southern New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. All of these areas are homes to massive cities such as New York City, Boston and Providence. Connecticut gains much of its business from these neighboring metros. Agriculture and mining are Connecticut's greatest weaknesses as it is heavily urbanized. Tobacco is still prominently grown though and sands/gravels are mined.

Political

Connecticut is very liberal, especially in its major cities. Usually this would mean that it would probably take the Democratic Socialism route and follows in the footsteps of European Nations in forming its independent government. While this is very possible, I think that something a bit different would happen. Connecticut is different from these other liberal Nations in the fact that it is very closely tied to its neighboring areas and the Service Sector. It also happens to have a very large industry based on Resorts and Casinos. Because of this, I believe that due to this Connecticut would actually push away from the idea of big government and instead focus more heavily on the New England Town way of governance. The New England Town is a form of local governance that many New England States such as Connecticut already follow, but an independent Connecticut would take it a step further. Instead of this system functioning just to easily divide local governments based on townships, these townships would have more power over local laws and liberties that best fitted them. This method would allow more Conservative areas to be able to have their own laws to befit their lifestyles and the same for Liberal areas. This would allow Connecticut to be able to efficiently function as a united Nation despite large cultural divides between the rural and urban populations and give more power to areas with resorts and casinos to create inviting places for tourist from New York and other neighboring areas. Parts of Connecticut would function as Las Vegas strips of the Northeast, places where laws less stringent and people can come just to have some fun.

Sociocultural

There would not be many large changes for the people of Connecticut when they became independent. The main impact would be lifestyles based on the government transition to follow the New England Town plan so strongly. Citizens would find themselves playing larger parts in their local governments due to the new freedoms granted to towns/cities. This could lead to either widespread hatred of the system for those who see it as failing to regulate the Nation effectively or to Nationalism as it would grant many new freedoms to like minded communities. Jobs for those in Connecticut are already heavily tied to the various resorts, institutions and corporations of the area and changes to create better environments for these establishments would in the long run aid the people of Connecticut.

Could Connecticut be a Country?

The odds of Connecticut surviving on its own as a Nation are not impossible, but they are seriously unlikely. The reason that I believe this is not because Connecticut is not strong enough to say survive on its own, though this does play a part. Connecticut to put it simply is just far too tied to America. It is financially extremely dependent on its neighboring States and it becoming independent would cause so much hassle for the Service industry. Even with a plan like the New England Home, the factors would have to be absolutely perfect for this system to save the Nation. Add this to the fact that Connecticut is not very self-sufficient, as it lacks a large agricultural industry or a fuel supply that is not provided by other countries. The closest Connecticut could ever come to Independence would be if it functioned as a Territory or some other semi-sovereign principality to the United States. Maybe that is fitting though. Connecticut played a massive part in creating the United States, and leaving it now would just leave them both in shame.