Buzz
While conspiracy theories can emerge globally, they have become deeply ingrained in American culture and history. The very foundation of the nation is shrouded in conspiracy, particularly the belief that King George III aimed to strip the colonies of their liberties. Distrust in the government is almost a hallmark of American identity, especially given how many of these theories prove to be accurate.
10. The US Government Used Its Citizens as Collateral
This theory, promoted by the “redemption movement,” claims that in 1933, the US government abandoned the gold standard and used its citizens as collateral to continue borrowing funds. Allegedly, this action transformed every American into an unknowing pawn of international Jewish bankers.
As Roger Elvick, the movement's leader, elaborated, whenever a new citizen is born, the government allegedly creates a “straw man,” or a duplicate entity, and assigns it a hidden bank account valued at $630,000. He further asserts that individuals have the legal right to access these accounts by executing specific legal procedures.
Naturally, those who tried to tap into these secret accounts often faced legal consequences. Elvick himself spent much of the 1990s in prison for issuing over $1 million in fraudulent checks and submitting falsified IRS documents. He encountered legal issues once more in 2005, facing charges of forgery and extortion.
9. The North American Union
Another far-fetched conspiracy theory tied to the New World Order suggests that shadowy forces are secretly working to merge the US, Canada, and Mexico into a single superstate known as the North American Union (NAU). This system would mirror the European Union and ultimately pave the way for a global government.
Followers of this theory argue that the conspiracy involves constructing a massive highway extending from Yukon to the Yucatan, introducing a unified currency known as the “amero,” and establishing Spanish as the dominant language. They also point to organizations like the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Council on Foreign Relations as evidence that the formation of the NAU is already underway. The alleged masterminds behind this plan are said to be industrialists, who would reap the greatest benefits from a borderless market.
8. Black Genocide
Considering the centuries of oppression and discrimination faced by the black community in the US, this theory was almost inevitable. It alleges that the US government has systematically sought to reduce or eliminate the African-American population through various medical and social tactics. These include enforcing harsh socioeconomic conditions, promoting birth control, performing abortions and sterilizations, and enabling lynchings and murders targeting the black population.
The term first emerged in the 1950s when the Civil Rights Congress submitted a petition to the United Nations, accusing the government of sponsoring genocide against black people. It gained wider recognition following the introduction of the birth control pill and the subsequent legalization of abortion. Since then, it has become a rallying point for activists and conspiracy theorists whenever systemic persecution of the black community is perceived.
7. The US Government Operates Under Maritime/Military Law
Advocates of this theory, including the controversial “sovereign citizens movement,” argue that a grand conspiracy transformed the original government, which functioned under common and constitutional law, into one governed by maritime/military law. Unlike the former, which granted citizens absolute freedom, the latter allegedly stripped them of their rights, offering only privileges that foster dependence on the government.
They also claim that the judicial system has been fully aware of these covert changes but remains silent to perpetuate the subjugation of the populace. The presence of gold-fringed US flags in courthouses and federal buildings is cited as evidence of this collusion. Theorists argue these flags signify military authority, a claim the Flag Research Center has debunked. This bizarre belief has often led to legal confrontations, sometimes with fatal outcomes.
6. The Constitution Has Been Suspended Since 1933
Eugene Schroder, a notable figure in the patriot movement, asserts in his book *The Constitution: Fact or Fiction* that President Franklin Roosevelt effectively suspended the Constitution by signing the Emergency Banking Relief Act in 1933. This act amended the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917, granting him extensive authority to regulate trade and gold movements, even in peacetime.
Schroder argues that Roosevelt, who later banned gold-hoarding, essentially waged war on his own citizens, using the new law to benefit a hidden group within the White House. Subsequent presidents allegedly expanded federal executive powers further, leveraging World War II and the Cold War as justifications. Consequently, the government now wields unchecked control over the economy. Schroder further claims that since Roosevelt never relinquished these powers, Americans have unknowingly lived under martial law for decades.
5. Corporations Engineered the Prohibition of Cannabis
Late cannabis advocate Jack Herer alleged that influential figures with economic interests orchestrated the prohibition of marijuana in the 1930s. He identified key players such as William Randolph Hearst, Lammont DuPont, Andrew Mellon, and Harry Anslinger, the Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner.
Hearst and DuPont reportedly feared that hemp, as an affordable alternative for paper and other goods, would threaten their industries. To prevent its widespread use, they colluded to lobby government officials and politicians while launching a public campaign to discredit the plant. Mellon, whose bank had ties to DuPont and who served as Treasury Secretary, aided the effort by appointing his future son-in-law, Harry Anslinger, as FBN commissioner. Herer argued that this conspiracy led to the enactment of the “Marihuana Tax Act” in 1937.
4. The Two United States of America
Right-wing conspiracy theorists claim that Congress divided the United States into two entities with the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871. By altering the “Constitution for the United States of America” to the all-caps “CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES FOR AMERICA,” Congress allegedly established a corporate entity distinct from the original states. This, they argue, rendered the federal government an unlawful authority over the states.
Proponents of this theory suggest that the scheme originated from a covert pact between Congress and international bankers after the Civil War. Needing funds for post-war reconstruction, Congress allegedly struck a deal with bankers to create a new constitution, granting them significant control over the nation’s economic affairs.
3. Agenda 21 Is a Scheme to Establish the New World Order
While Agenda 21 was ostensibly developed by the UN and global governments to encourage sustainable economic and environmental growth, conspiracy theorists like Tom DeWeese and Glenn Beck argue it harbors a secret motive: the establishment of a New World Order. They claim that the US, which signed the agreement in 1992 under President George H.W. Bush, risks losing its sovereignty to the UN, allowing the latter to control its land and resources, effectively turning citizens into trespassers in their own nation.
Though it may sound far-fetched, given that Agenda 21 is entirely voluntary and lacks legal enforcement, the theory has sparked real-world repercussions. For instance, Alabama enacted a law prohibiting its implementation in 2012, and numerous politicians have publicly denounced it. Even neo-Nazi groups have joined the fray, alleging that Agenda 21 is a Jewish conspiracy to achieve global control.
2. Jews Engineered Political Correctness to Undermine American Culture
Among the many outlandish conspiracy theories targeting Jewish people, this one alleges that European Jews from the Frankfurt School of critical theory, who migrated to the US in the 1930s, introduced political correctness to the country. The theory claims these individuals aimed to undermine traditional Western values like nationalism and morality, making Americans more open to leftist ideologies.
Their tactics supposedly included promoting pessimistic modernism in the arts and shaping the anti-authoritarian counterculture of the 1960s. The ultimate goal was to foster a decadent culture that would lead to societal collapse. This theory, which originated with Michael Minnicino in the 1990s, is fervently endorsed by right-wing figures like Pat Buchanan and David Duke, as well as Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik.
1. Mexicans Are Planning to Invade the US
A conspiracy theory embraced by both anti-immigration groups and Chicano activists is the idea of “Reconquista,” a purported Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwestern states lost to the US over a century ago, aiming to reestablish Aztlan, the legendary homeland of the Aztecs. This envisioned nation would stretch as far as Wyoming, including parts of Kansas and Oklahoma.
The notion of a Mexican invasion originated from the Plan Espiritual de Aztlan, a manifesto drafted by Chicano activists in 1969. While the document did not explicitly advocate for armed rebellion, instead encouraging Mexican Americans to embrace their cultural identity and explore their heritage, this has not deterred either side from interpreting it as a rallying cry for conflict. Anti-immigration proponents cite the growing Mexican population in the US as evidence that the invasion is already in progress.
