Okay, here goes nothin'. This first part is short, but I'll edit it later.
Franklin made his way up to the coffin. He looked upon the face of General George Washington for the final time. The tall, handsome Virginian lay in state in a Philadelphia Episcopalian Church. Martha was crying again, as she had for days since... it... happened. Jonathan Erlenmeyer had planned for over a year to fire the fatal shot. A disgruntled colonial farmer, Erlenmeyer had supported the British during the War for Independence, his son even fought in the King's Royal Regiment of New York and was killed during an insignificant skirmish with minutemen. Erlenmeyer had found his chance finally when Washington went to a military parade on April 10th, 1786, in New York City. While standing on a balcony with Franklin and Madison, Erlenmeyer fired two long rifles, hitting Washington in the chest and Madison in the neck. How Franklin remembered that day. Madison was dead as soon as he hit the ground. Washington was alive for long enough to say some last words, which the government had engraved on a statue of the Great General.
"To think, Mr. Franklin, I and Madison lived through the entire war! To live through a thousand battles, two wars, be called the 'Invincible General' by my beloved men... All to be killed by an assassin. Take care of the country; do not let her fail. Tell the Army I was proud of them till my last breath and loved them like sons."
Ben wiped a tear from his eye as he mourned over the body. "Come now, don't break down. Mustn't upset Martha." He looked one more time and then turned around and started back to his seat. The spectacle-wearing fellow walked down the aisle with the help of his silver-handled cane. He was not known for being religious, but he took part in every part of the funeral that he possibly could. Six months later, Franklin would be dead.
Notables from all over the country were present to see their hero for the final time. Outside were thousands of Americans mourning over the death of the closest thing they had ever had to a leader.
Franklin sat down next to Hamilton. Quietly he said, "What a pity. If only they could have lived through the Foundation! I fear for the country now, Mr. Hamilton, I fear for her life. I can tell I shall be gone soon, too; take care of the country, sir, take care of it."
Alexander nodded. "Take care of it I must, or they will," he murmured to himself, casting a glance at several prominent Anti-Federalists sitting in another pew.
By the next year, Hamilton, Adams, and Jefferson were the leading politicians in the country. They led the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where Jefferson was heavily silenced by the power Adams and his "monarchists" wielded. Had Washington, Madison, or Franklin been alive during the Convention, Jefferson was sure he would have been victorious. After a year of debate, the Constitution was rejected and the Articles of Confederation remained the law of the land.
AMERICAN KING
Franklin made his way up to the coffin. He looked upon the face of General George Washington for the final time. The tall, handsome Virginian lay in state in a Philadelphia Episcopalian Church. Martha was crying again, as she had for days since... it... happened. Jonathan Erlenmeyer had planned for over a year to fire the fatal shot. A disgruntled colonial farmer, Erlenmeyer had supported the British during the War for Independence, his son even fought in the King's Royal Regiment of New York and was killed during an insignificant skirmish with minutemen. Erlenmeyer had found his chance finally when Washington went to a military parade on April 10th, 1786, in New York City. While standing on a balcony with Franklin and Madison, Erlenmeyer fired two long rifles, hitting Washington in the chest and Madison in the neck. How Franklin remembered that day. Madison was dead as soon as he hit the ground. Washington was alive for long enough to say some last words, which the government had engraved on a statue of the Great General.
"To think, Mr. Franklin, I and Madison lived through the entire war! To live through a thousand battles, two wars, be called the 'Invincible General' by my beloved men... All to be killed by an assassin. Take care of the country; do not let her fail. Tell the Army I was proud of them till my last breath and loved them like sons."
Ben wiped a tear from his eye as he mourned over the body. "Come now, don't break down. Mustn't upset Martha." He looked one more time and then turned around and started back to his seat. The spectacle-wearing fellow walked down the aisle with the help of his silver-handled cane. He was not known for being religious, but he took part in every part of the funeral that he possibly could. Six months later, Franklin would be dead.
Notables from all over the country were present to see their hero for the final time. Outside were thousands of Americans mourning over the death of the closest thing they had ever had to a leader.
Franklin sat down next to Hamilton. Quietly he said, "What a pity. If only they could have lived through the Foundation! I fear for the country now, Mr. Hamilton, I fear for her life. I can tell I shall be gone soon, too; take care of the country, sir, take care of it."
Alexander nodded. "Take care of it I must, or they will," he murmured to himself, casting a glance at several prominent Anti-Federalists sitting in another pew.
By the next year, Hamilton, Adams, and Jefferson were the leading politicians in the country. They led the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where Jefferson was heavily silenced by the power Adams and his "monarchists" wielded. Had Washington, Madison, or Franklin been alive during the Convention, Jefferson was sure he would have been victorious. After a year of debate, the Constitution was rejected and the Articles of Confederation remained the law of the land.
Part I
Dark Days:
President Adams
Adams was known for admiring the monarchic system of government, and within six months had already made permanent enemies. He alienated France through several Francophobic statements. He publicly upset thousands in the Northwest Territory by calling them "hicks." He immediately vested much power into one of the Federalists' pet projects, the Bank of the United States. From then on out, the economy was to be heavily centralized, something that bothered states even more. Already, there was talk of secession in the Carolinas.
The government took the Articles very seriously. When it said that "Paupers, Vagabonds, and Fugitives" could not pass freely from one state to the other, they followed it to a letter. A crackdown on the poor was almost immediate. Taxation was illegal. However, the government could "request" money from the states, and those who granted the "request" got the public works projects they desired. Those who did not grant the request were essentially punished by the Federal government. Alexander Hamilton, as Lord Secretary of the Treasury, was a wheeler-dealer who rewarded political favors with money and the other way around. Say, when the state of Maryland answered the call for 20,000 dollars for the army, Hamilton saw to it that Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer's bank account was "enlarged."
Another problem was that the government could not control trade. The states did as they pleased, i.e. New Jersey had a trade route with Sweden while North Carolina did not, thus leading to poverty for some states while others prospered.
Meanwhile, the Adams President's Castle, a building which had been constructed in Philadelphia and was not actually a castle, faced a new crisis. According to the Treaty of Paris (1783), the British were to leave occupied forts in the Northwest Territory. They were still there. Reports were arriving of the executions of Americans inside said forts. Federalist War Hawks cried out for combat. New England, New York, and Pennsylvania rallied behind the Stars and Stripes, but the South and, most importantly, Virginia, was divided. The South had always been more pro-British than the North, and Virginia, though patriotic, thought it had lost enough sons in the Revolution. The North decided to go ahead anyway. On August 9th, 1789, an army crossed into the Northwest Territory and fell upon numerous forts and outposts with lightning speed. All over the North, it was said that the South had missed out on a roaring victory. Secretary of War Henry Knox recommended seizing British territory in Canada. Adams weighed his options, and did as Knox wished. The army crossed the Canadian border and met the actual British forces for the first time. Within a month, the army was on the retreat. Without the South's help, the army, already feeble due to poor training, could not fund enough supplies.
The British were not stupid. Once they had the Americans on the run, they chased them. Canadian sharpshooters waited in the wooded paths and picked off officers. Militiamen engaged small, separated units and massacred them. On January 5th, 1790, the Union Jack flew once more on American soil.
The South joined in only on the term that the war would end once the redcoats were driven out. The North begrudgingly agreed. On July 17th, 1790, the British signed the Treaty of 1790 with the US. The two sides mutually agreed to stay out of each other's territory. Each side was given a set of small debts to pay, and they tried to put it behind them. Britain was only interested in keeping Canada, and was much more wrapped up in the unfolding French Revolution. However, they also warned America to stay out of their affairs or face the consequences. Thus, the War of 1789 reached a most neutral conclusion.
Claiming a quasi-victory over Britain by capturing the western forts, and blaming Knox for the poorly-planned and terribly executed invasion of Canada, Adams turned to other pressing matters. The First Grand Convention of the States, the only way for the Articles to be amended, was being held in Annapolis, Maryland. The Federalists dominated once again, and shouting matches erupted between Jefferson and Hamilton as tempers flared.
The main results of the First Grand Convention were these:
#1: The President was granted power to exile or deport "enemies" of the country during wartime.
#2: If one hailed from a country currently at war with the US, the President was granted power to deport them.
#3: States were forbidden from printing their own currency. Federalists claimed it made economic matters far too confusing. There was huge opposition to this, but it narrowly passed.
#4: A new Military System was adopted. Incredibly numerous uniform regulations were imposed on the states. Each state was to have blue uniforms with a state-specific trim color for most all unit types. Only specific units were permitted to deviate from the system, such as Georgia's brown uniforms and South Carolina's grayish ones. This new law was mainly intended to modernize the army, now a relic of a past era. Also part of the new system were the large importations of Prussian and Swedish military experts.
#5: It was declared illegal to publish "false, scandalous, or malicious writing" against the government.
As mentioned above, some special units deviated from the norm of the new system. For instance, Pennsylvania boasted the Governor's Own Regiment of Foot, sporting red jackets with blue trim and the latest military fad, the bicorn. Other "special" regiments included the French-speaking French Expatriate Regiment of Foot with white coats and green trim, made mostly of nobles fleeing the French Revolution, and the all-German Saxon Grenadiers, with fur hats and canvas-colored uniforms.
Adams continued going about his duties as President. On November 2nd, just a day after the amendments, Adams signed orders for the arrest, imprisonment, and/or deportation of 5 "Enemies of the States."
Fidel Mendez, a Spanish-born priest who incited slaves to revolt in Georgia, was apprehended by the Georgia 5th Dragoons while fleeing across the border into Florida. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. He died after serving serving half the term.
August Addams, a private citizen in New York, was caught by the militia operating a "scandalous" publication called the "Republican Star" in his cellar, where he printed numerous articles calling President Adams a fool. He was fined $300 dollars and was sentenced to two months in jail.
James Hector Smith, a British-born banker, was accused of spying, though no absolute proof was found. He was exiled to Europe.
Johannes von Bulow, formerly a Hessian soldier who fought in the Revolution, had become a farmer. However, after saying he wished that Britain still controlled the US in a letter to a friend, the "friend" reported him to the local Maryland militia. He was fined $100 and sentenced to three months in jail. Later, upon his release, he said he regretted nothing and called Adams a "pea-brained idiot." He was fined $500 and exiled.
Martin Fitzgerald was arrested for printing an anti-government pamphlet in his print shop. He was fined $400 and sentenced to two months in jail.
As the government's power suddenly doubled, civil unrest started to break out.
After a brief skirmish at the North Carolina border, in which the rebels suffered 12 casualties, they ran. Within a month, the capital of Greeneville was under Federal Control once again, with the North Carolina flag firmly planted on the capitol building. While many laughed at the swiftness of the victory and thought the rebels idiots for actually rising up, others resented the government for interfering with the plight of a state. Cries from the seemingly permanent minority, the Democratic-Republicans, rose up against Adams, calling him a tyrant. They also said the Articles should be amended so that the public could choose their leader, instead of "representatives" from the people choosing. The Federalists ignored them.
Adams' cabinet suggested being more lax and allowing a little more freedom, for fear of uprising. Adams, by that time, was already too thoroughly intoxicated with his power to relinquish it. He rejected their ideas. Hamilton started trying to find a new candidate for president. He found exactly what he wanted in Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Not only was the man a Federalist, but he was also a native of South Carolina, a state that was possibly the most unstable. The 1792 election was looked forward to by almost everyone. Adams became a hated figure.
The United States sent an official letter of approval when, on July 14th, 1790, France celebrated the Fête de la Fédération. King Louis XVI had agreed to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. To most, the French Revolution was over, and the monarchy remained in power. All the world sent congratulations to the French people. In England, William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox said it was a great step toward liberty.
It was also a great step toward focusing on America again. With the threats of war with France greatly decreased, thousands of British troops headed back across the Atlantic into Canada. Forts sprang up all along the border with the US, and the British were wary of revanchist states going on the attack once again into Canada.
Thomas Jefferson was growing increasingly disgruntled. He continued his plan to run for president, though he knew his effort was likely damned from the start. Other Democratic-Republicans were in full support of Jefferson, with some even considering a coup at the President's Mansion. Henry Knox secretly met with Jefferson in mid August to discuss the possibility of having the army remove Adams. While the coup against Adams never happened, when this information came out years later, it was titled The August Conspiracy.
Adams basically kept to himself for the next year, tending to his duties. He finally succeeded in getting Vermont to join the Union, but Rhode Island refused, saying they wished no involvement with a failed experiment. Finally, with only two months left in 1791, slaves on Saint-Domingue revolted against their French royal masters. Massacres ensued, with multiple reports of cannibalism. The United States was mortified by the possibility of uprisings in the South. Georgia immediately raised a larger militia and cracked down hard on abolitionists. Anyone who suggested freeing the slaves could legally be punished. After French troops were driven from the island, and while France tried to decide what to do next, America announced that it would support France if possible and might even send troops. Spain, and most importantly, Florida, also pledged support to crush the uprising. After a small war, The Saint-Domingue Intervention, the three countries solidly defeated the uprising, and ensured white control. The French did not just profit off the joint venture, but rather rewarded America and Spain for their help by giving them two sections of the island. America received a small section in the northernmost area and Spain received the westernmost area, as agreed upon in the Treaty of Port-de-Paix. Port-de-Paix then became an American colony under the total control of the federal government. Needless to say, the US marine garrison was brutal. Also part of the treaty was the resolving of the Georgia-Spain dispute over Southern Georgia. Spain dropped all claims to it and agreed to stay in Florida.
Dark Days:
The Adams Presidency
President Adams
The year 1789 was of monumental importance. It was the year America would get its first leader. Through a vote in the Congress, John Adams was chosen as President of the United States of America. An ominous cloud was hovering over the newborn country.
Adams was known for admiring the monarchic system of government, and within six months had already made permanent enemies. He alienated France through several Francophobic statements. He publicly upset thousands in the Northwest Territory by calling them "hicks." He immediately vested much power into one of the Federalists' pet projects, the Bank of the United States. From then on out, the economy was to be heavily centralized, something that bothered states even more. Already, there was talk of secession in the Carolinas.
The government took the Articles very seriously. When it said that "Paupers, Vagabonds, and Fugitives" could not pass freely from one state to the other, they followed it to a letter. A crackdown on the poor was almost immediate. Taxation was illegal. However, the government could "request" money from the states, and those who granted the "request" got the public works projects they desired. Those who did not grant the request were essentially punished by the Federal government. Alexander Hamilton, as Lord Secretary of the Treasury, was a wheeler-dealer who rewarded political favors with money and the other way around. Say, when the state of Maryland answered the call for 20,000 dollars for the army, Hamilton saw to it that Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer's bank account was "enlarged."
Another problem was that the government could not control trade. The states did as they pleased, i.e. New Jersey had a trade route with Sweden while North Carolina did not, thus leading to poverty for some states while others prospered.
Meanwhile, the Adams President's Castle, a building which had been constructed in Philadelphia and was not actually a castle, faced a new crisis. According to the Treaty of Paris (1783), the British were to leave occupied forts in the Northwest Territory. They were still there. Reports were arriving of the executions of Americans inside said forts. Federalist War Hawks cried out for combat. New England, New York, and Pennsylvania rallied behind the Stars and Stripes, but the South and, most importantly, Virginia, was divided. The South had always been more pro-British than the North, and Virginia, though patriotic, thought it had lost enough sons in the Revolution. The North decided to go ahead anyway. On August 9th, 1789, an army crossed into the Northwest Territory and fell upon numerous forts and outposts with lightning speed. All over the North, it was said that the South had missed out on a roaring victory. Secretary of War Henry Knox recommended seizing British territory in Canada. Adams weighed his options, and did as Knox wished. The army crossed the Canadian border and met the actual British forces for the first time. Within a month, the army was on the retreat. Without the South's help, the army, already feeble due to poor training, could not fund enough supplies.
The British were not stupid. Once they had the Americans on the run, they chased them. Canadian sharpshooters waited in the wooded paths and picked off officers. Militiamen engaged small, separated units and massacred them. On January 5th, 1790, the Union Jack flew once more on American soil.
The South joined in only on the term that the war would end once the redcoats were driven out. The North begrudgingly agreed. On July 17th, 1790, the British signed the Treaty of 1790 with the US. The two sides mutually agreed to stay out of each other's territory. Each side was given a set of small debts to pay, and they tried to put it behind them. Britain was only interested in keeping Canada, and was much more wrapped up in the unfolding French Revolution. However, they also warned America to stay out of their affairs or face the consequences. Thus, the War of 1789 reached a most neutral conclusion.
Claiming a quasi-victory over Britain by capturing the western forts, and blaming Knox for the poorly-planned and terribly executed invasion of Canada, Adams turned to other pressing matters. The First Grand Convention of the States, the only way for the Articles to be amended, was being held in Annapolis, Maryland. The Federalists dominated once again, and shouting matches erupted between Jefferson and Hamilton as tempers flared.
The main results of the First Grand Convention were these:
#1: The President was granted power to exile or deport "enemies" of the country during wartime.
#2: If one hailed from a country currently at war with the US, the President was granted power to deport them.
#3: States were forbidden from printing their own currency. Federalists claimed it made economic matters far too confusing. There was huge opposition to this, but it narrowly passed.
#4: A new Military System was adopted. Incredibly numerous uniform regulations were imposed on the states. Each state was to have blue uniforms with a state-specific trim color for most all unit types. Only specific units were permitted to deviate from the system, such as Georgia's brown uniforms and South Carolina's grayish ones. This new law was mainly intended to modernize the army, now a relic of a past era. Also part of the new system were the large importations of Prussian and Swedish military experts.
#5: It was declared illegal to publish "false, scandalous, or malicious writing" against the government.
As mentioned above, some special units deviated from the norm of the new system. For instance, Pennsylvania boasted the Governor's Own Regiment of Foot, sporting red jackets with blue trim and the latest military fad, the bicorn. Other "special" regiments included the French-speaking French Expatriate Regiment of Foot with white coats and green trim, made mostly of nobles fleeing the French Revolution, and the all-German Saxon Grenadiers, with fur hats and canvas-colored uniforms.
Adams continued going about his duties as President. On November 2nd, just a day after the amendments, Adams signed orders for the arrest, imprisonment, and/or deportation of 5 "Enemies of the States."
Fidel Mendez, a Spanish-born priest who incited slaves to revolt in Georgia, was apprehended by the Georgia 5th Dragoons while fleeing across the border into Florida. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison. He died after serving serving half the term.
August Addams, a private citizen in New York, was caught by the militia operating a "scandalous" publication called the "Republican Star" in his cellar, where he printed numerous articles calling President Adams a fool. He was fined $300 dollars and was sentenced to two months in jail.
James Hector Smith, a British-born banker, was accused of spying, though no absolute proof was found. He was exiled to Europe.
Johannes von Bulow, formerly a Hessian soldier who fought in the Revolution, had become a farmer. However, after saying he wished that Britain still controlled the US in a letter to a friend, the "friend" reported him to the local Maryland militia. He was fined $100 and sentenced to three months in jail. Later, upon his release, he said he regretted nothing and called Adams a "pea-brained idiot." He was fined $500 and exiled.
Martin Fitzgerald was arrested for printing an anti-government pamphlet in his print shop. He was fined $400 and sentenced to two months in jail.
As the government's power suddenly doubled, civil unrest started to break out.
PART II
The Storm Gathers:
1790
1790
General Anthony Wayne with a regiment of Pennsylvania Infantry on patrol in the "Free State of Franklin." Note the red trim on the jackets, which was part of the new Military System
The first use of armed force against the Federal government in an attempt to secede came from the Free State of Frankin, a small, self-declared republic just west of North Carolina. North Carolina had laid claim to that territory and was outraged that they had a rebellion on their hands. The Federalist governor of North Carolina, Richard Dobbs, immediately requested Federal aide in crushing the frontier uprising. South Carolina sent in a regiment, but was half-hearted. South Carolina had made threats of secession themselves, and was not big on crushing like-minded people. Virginia donated a few supplies, but mainly stayed out of it, though they genuinely supported North Carolina. New England and the other upper states were totally dedicated to assisting Dobbs. General Anthony Wayne marched 5000 Pennsylvania regulars down South. Another 3000 came from New York, and 1000 from New England.
After a brief skirmish at the North Carolina border, in which the rebels suffered 12 casualties, they ran. Within a month, the capital of Greeneville was under Federal Control once again, with the North Carolina flag firmly planted on the capitol building. While many laughed at the swiftness of the victory and thought the rebels idiots for actually rising up, others resented the government for interfering with the plight of a state. Cries from the seemingly permanent minority, the Democratic-Republicans, rose up against Adams, calling him a tyrant. They also said the Articles should be amended so that the public could choose their leader, instead of "representatives" from the people choosing. The Federalists ignored them.
Adams' cabinet suggested being more lax and allowing a little more freedom, for fear of uprising. Adams, by that time, was already too thoroughly intoxicated with his power to relinquish it. He rejected their ideas. Hamilton started trying to find a new candidate for president. He found exactly what he wanted in Charles Cotesworth Pinckney. Not only was the man a Federalist, but he was also a native of South Carolina, a state that was possibly the most unstable. The 1792 election was looked forward to by almost everyone. Adams became a hated figure.
The United States sent an official letter of approval when, on July 14th, 1790, France celebrated the Fête de la Fédération. King Louis XVI had agreed to the establishment of a constitutional monarchy. To most, the French Revolution was over, and the monarchy remained in power. All the world sent congratulations to the French people. In England, William Pitt the Younger and Charles James Fox said it was a great step toward liberty.
It was also a great step toward focusing on America again. With the threats of war with France greatly decreased, thousands of British troops headed back across the Atlantic into Canada. Forts sprang up all along the border with the US, and the British were wary of revanchist states going on the attack once again into Canada.
Thomas Jefferson was growing increasingly disgruntled. He continued his plan to run for president, though he knew his effort was likely damned from the start. Other Democratic-Republicans were in full support of Jefferson, with some even considering a coup at the President's Mansion. Henry Knox secretly met with Jefferson in mid August to discuss the possibility of having the army remove Adams. While the coup against Adams never happened, when this information came out years later, it was titled The August Conspiracy.
Adams basically kept to himself for the next year, tending to his duties. He finally succeeded in getting Vermont to join the Union, but Rhode Island refused, saying they wished no involvement with a failed experiment. Finally, with only two months left in 1791, slaves on Saint-Domingue revolted against their French royal masters. Massacres ensued, with multiple reports of cannibalism. The United States was mortified by the possibility of uprisings in the South. Georgia immediately raised a larger militia and cracked down hard on abolitionists. Anyone who suggested freeing the slaves could legally be punished. After French troops were driven from the island, and while France tried to decide what to do next, America announced that it would support France if possible and might even send troops. Spain, and most importantly, Florida, also pledged support to crush the uprising. After a small war, The Saint-Domingue Intervention, the three countries solidly defeated the uprising, and ensured white control. The French did not just profit off the joint venture, but rather rewarded America and Spain for their help by giving them two sections of the island. America received a small section in the northernmost area and Spain received the westernmost area, as agreed upon in the Treaty of Port-de-Paix. Port-de-Paix then became an American colony under the total control of the federal government. Needless to say, the US marine garrison was brutal. Also part of the treaty was the resolving of the Georgia-Spain dispute over Southern Georgia. Spain dropped all claims to it and agreed to stay in Florida.
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