I certainly know how you feel. What a catastrophe, and I hope we all live through it! Without being put in prison.
I think it's not QUITE gone that far as post-America, if only because there isn't yet movement of organized troops. Or a huge symbolic change, as when South Carolina and the six other Southern states seceded immediately after the election of 1860 and all their congressmen packed and left Washington. I think when America splits up it will be clear, like when the Berlin Wall went down and the Germanies reunited, and when Russia dissolved with Yeltsin on the tank, it was real clear, at least within the week.
I think we'll know. I don't think it will be doubtful. Like when Charles I had his head cut off: that was ---- clear.
A polity may continue a long time past when a terrible deterioration of society may have happened, like all the public burnings alive of so many Catholics and Protestants both in England for nearly a century. And they changed churches twice or three times and they had many, many wars, and there was seriously fascist interference with people, and torture galore and executions and people were very afraid and unhappy, BUT --- the body politic of England, the reign of their monarchs, never broke up. On the other hand, July 14, 1989 Paris: kablooie. And everyone knew their whole system had just blown up. Same with July 4, 1776. When it goes, I think we'll know. Not with a whimper, but a bang.