Northwest Territorial Imperative

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The Northwest Territorial Imperative was an idea popularized within white supremacist and white separatist groups in the United States in the 1980s, in which adherents to these groups were encouraged to relocate to a five-state region of the Northwestern United States, including Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. The intent was to eventually declare the region an "Aryan" homeland. The primary proponent of this idea was Richard Girnt Butler, leader of Aryan Nations.

The idea inspired a number of hate groups, Ku Klux Klan leaders, and Christian Identity churches to set up shop or relocate to the Northwest. It was allegedly one of the inspirations motivating Robert Jay Matthews and his group, The Order, to embark on a spree of robbery, murder, and counterfeiting in the region.

Since the dissolution of Aryan Nations as an organization, the idea fell out of favor among white supremacists and has gotten little attention in recent years.

The Northwest Territorial Imperative is unrelated to (and indeed is regarded with near-universal hostility by) other secessionist movements in the Northwest, such as Cascadia and Ecotopia, which are largely motivated by environmental or Green concerns.