Texas Nationalist Movement President Daniel Miller will address a national conference next month examining the Declaration of Independence’s true meaning—and why its principle of self-determination still matters 250 years later.
The Abbeville Institute’s “Declaration and Decentralization” conference takes place March 20-21 in Montgomery, Alabama. Miller speaks Friday evening, March 20, at 7 PM alongside some of America’s leading scholars on federalism, nullification, and state sovereignty.
The timing is deliberate. July 4, 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration—but establishment celebrations will miss the document’s core message. As the conference description notes: “For many Americans, the Declaration symbolizes the ‘proposition nation’ that ‘all men are created equal.’ But the real key to understanding the Declaration is the final paragraph which established thirteen ‘free and independent States.'”
That’s the principle TNM has been defending for years. The Declaration wasn’t about creating a centralized empire. It was about thirteen separate nations asserting their right to self-governance. Texas did the same thing in 1836.
Miller will make the case that Texas independence isn’t radical—it’s foundational. The same natural law right that justified breaking from Britain in 1776 justifies Texas reclaiming sovereignty in 2026. When the federal government operates without the consent of the governed, that consent can be withdrawn.
The conference brings together heavyweight thinkers on decentralization. Historian Brion McClanahan, who has written extensively on the compact theory of the Constitution, delivers multiple sessions. Mike Maharrey of the Tenth Amendment Center discusses nullification. Philosopher Don Livingston, founder of the Abbeville Institute, closes Saturday evening with his analysis of empire versus federalism.
Miller’s inclusion signals growing national recognition that Texas independence isn’t just a regional movement. It’s part of a broader awakening that the centralized federal system has failed. From Quebec to Alberta, from Scotland to Catalonia, regions worldwide are asserting their right to self-determination. Texas stands among them—not as rebels, but as nations reclaiming what was always theirs.
The union is fracturing. Scholars see it. State leaders see it. And now, at this conference, they’re asking the question Texas nationalists have been asking for years: if the federal government no longer serves the people, what’s the alternative?
Miller will answer: independence. Not chaos. Not anarchy. Not civil war. Just a peaceful, democratic vote allowing Texans to decide their own future. The same process Quebec used twice. The same process Scotland used in 2014. The same natural law right the Declaration proclaimed 250 years ago.
Conference registration is open at the Abbeville Institute website. The fee covers lectures, meals, and the Montgomery tour. Attire is business casual during the day, coat and tie for evening sessions.
For Texans who can’t attend, Miller’s message will echo back home: the Declaration’s 250th anniversary isn’t just history. It’s vindication. The principle of self-determination isn’t outdated. It’s eternal. And Texas has every right to exercise it.
Support the movement for Texas independence at tnm.me.
