Term Limit riots
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The Term Limit riots, also known as the Catalyst riots, were a series of riots and demonstrations against growing authoritarianism in the United States that began nationwide on March 22, 2031. The unrest was ignited by the passage of the United States Term Limits Act, signed into law by President JD Vance a day earlier. This controversial legislation amended the 22nd Amendment to allow presidents to serve more than two terms, an unprecedented move that many critics perceived as a step toward authoritarianism. The public outcry was immediate, with initial demonstrations breaking out in Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, and Boston before rapidly spreading nationwide. These protests resonated internationally, sparking solidarity movements in Canada and Mexico, though the bulk of the unrest remained within U.S. borders. The Term Limit riots are generally considered to be the "straw that broke the camel's back" of the American Splinter, thus being alternatively named the Catalyst riots.
The Term Limit protest movement began only hours after the law was signed, with the first protests emerging in cities such as Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, and Boston, and eventually spreading nationwide. These riots spread nationwide to over 2,500 cities in the United States and over 700 worldwide, mainly in Canada. Polls in the summer of 2035 estimated that nearly 41 to 53 million people had participated at some point in any demonstrations or riots, or about 9% of the total U.S. population in 2031, making the Term Limit riots the largest series of demonstrations in U.S. history, nearly tripling the amount of participants in the George Floyd protests of 2020. The protests further divided the political scene of the United States, as conservative counter-protestors often were engaged in altercations with anti-Vance rioters.
While initially intended to be peaceful demonstrations, the protests quickly escalated into rioting, looting, and clashes between civilians and police. By April 2031, over 300 cities had imposed curfews, and 41 states activated their National Guard or state defense forces to quell the unrest. Vance further escalated the situation by deploying federal law enforcement and military forces to 22 cities, marking the largest military operation other than war in Reformed States history. Prior to October 19, 2031, over 36,000 people had been arrested and 41 people had been confirmed to have been killed. Approximately $3–4 billion worth of property damage had been recorded prior to October 19, making the riots the costliest civil conflict in United States history, surpassing the George Floyd protests and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.
The federal government's aggressive response drew sharp criticism from state leaders, most notably then-Governor of California Mike McGuire. In September 2031, McGuire openly defied federal authorities, condemning Vance's actions as "an unprecedented assault on state sovereignty." This standoff marked the beginning of California's secessionist movement, which culminated in the state’s formal declaration of independence on October 19th. This triggered a formal response from Washington, D.C., as the federal government declared the Second American Civil War merely hours after. The unrest further escalated when New England declared its independence in November, giving way for Oregon and Washington and Hawaii to declare their independence months later.
The United States's leadership faced growing threats as a result of ever-growing civil unrest and political dissatisfaction. On March 15, 2032, JD Vance was assassinated while at a rally in Columbus, Ohio by Anthony Schafer, a Californian nationalist and anarcho-communist; this marked the first time in American history that two consecutive presidents died in office. As the seceded blue wall states did not hold United States elections (other than Maine, whose electoral votes were invalidated), Ron DeSantis and his running mate Tim Scott easily secured victory over Catherine Cortez Masto in the 2032 United States presidential election. This outcome, deemed illegitimate by many in both the Free States and contested regions, fueled further protests and counter-protests, prolonging unrest. Although most riots and demonstrations ended in October of 2033, protests and counter-protests in the Free States extended until the end of the war, with the signing of the Treaty of Carson City.
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