These United States: the Story of Two Congresses

[President Benedict Arnold]

This idea came from the this thread: https://www.alternatehistory.com/fo...ired-early-usa-question.396915/#post-13020256

Point of Divergence:
Alexander Hamilton arrived in Boston in 1772. He would go on to join the intellectual elite of the city, becoming a student of people such as Samuel Adams and John Adams. This helped shape his worldview, making him a fiery speaker and, eventually, an avid Revolutionary and Federalist. He would go on to become a close friend of George Washington and serve alongside him during the Revolutionary War. His most lasting impact was the famous Federalist Papers, which would circulate around Massachusetts in the lead up to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

Table of Contents:
Part I: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the Aftermath
Part II: The two Presidents of the United States
Part III: The Whiskey Rebellion
Part IV: A Federal(ist) Response
Part V: A Crisis of Statehood
Part VI: The New Foreign Policy
Part VII: The War that was Promised
Part VIII: The New Commander-in-Chief and the Second Declaration of Independence
Interlude I: Division of American Territories and the First Look Around the World
Part IX: The Changing Tide
Interlude II: The Irish War of Independence
Part X: The Fall of Aaron Burr and the Rise of Dearborn
Interlude III: The French Civil War
Part XI: The Reluctant Federalist and the Decade of Reform
Part XII: The Haitian Revolt
Part XIII: The Mississippi States and Latin Kingdoms
Part XIV: The Monroe Presidency and the American Doctrine
Interlude IV: British Troubles
Part XV: The Rise of the Republicans
Interlude V: The Latin Republics and the Republican Coalition Overview
Part XVI: Internal Affairs
Part XVII: The Truest Patriots
Interlude VI: Rhineland Strong
Interlude VII: Ideologies of the West
Part XVIII: The President Who Was Never Meant to Be
Part XIX: "Quite shocking indeed" - Henry Clay
Part XX: Crimson Cahokia (coming soon)

Part I: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 and the Aftermath
At the convention, delegations from all of the thirteen now free colonies, except for the forever rebellious Rhode Island, would arrive to discuss the issues of the Articles of Confederation and how to fix them with a new Constitution of these United States of America. The United States Constitution that exits this convention, creating three branches of government and a bicameral elected body serves as the Congress. This Constitution is criticized by many as a Federalist document meant to create a powerful federal government to rule the states like Britain had. It is ratified by Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey before the end of the year. Georgia, Connecticut, and Massachusetts ratify it before the end of that winter. Maryland ratifies it in April of 1788 and South Carolina in May of the same year.

New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Rhode Island all refuse to ratify the Constitution, seeing it as overly Federalist and opposed to what they think these United States of America should be. While the states that ratified the Constitution anxiously wait for one of them to break, New Hampshire, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Rhode Island are dominated by avidly anti-Federalist elements and continue to only recognize the authority of the Articles of Confederation. Accepting the Constitution is debated and voted on in the state legislatures of New York and Virginia in 1788, with both votes failing. Rhode Island and New Hampshire don't even vote on it, with the opinion so overwhelmingly against, in the words of Governor John Collins of Rhode Island, "Hamilton and Madison's new government order."

North Carolina is far more divided than the rest. While popular sentiment is anti-Federalist, there are strong elements of Federalists among the state legislature. After much heated debate and a close vote, the state votes to ratify the Constitution in September of 1789, over a year after the other Constitutional states joined. The states that are still under the Articles of Confederation show open contempt for this move and, by this point, the Constitution in general and will not join. Their strong anti-Federalist rhetoric is popular and causes a near revolt in western North Carolina. Confederation Representative George Clinton of New York called what happened in North Carolina "a grotesque subversion of our great republic’s functions" and called for a reversal of the decision.

As protests and riots broke out all across the state, North Carolina Governor Samuel Johnston brokers a deal with David Caldwell, a representative from western North Carolina and anti-Federalist leader, and Alexander Martin, the chosen representative of North Carolina for the Constitutional Convention. The solution they arrived at was to divide North Carolina in two, with the eight western counties of Rutherford, Burke, Wilkes, Surry, Rowan, Lincoln, Guilford, and Randolph breaking away to form a new state, the State of Franklin and having David Caldwell serve as its first governor. Franklin was officially admitted into the Confederation Congress in March of 1790, defusing the situation for now and avoiding any kind of national crisis.

There are now nine Constitutional States, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, and North Carolina, and five Confederation States, New York, Virginia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Franklin. Tensions are high and will get even worse during the first election for President of these United States since the adoption of the Constitution by most of the states.

 

[Analytical Engine]

 

[NHBL]

This looks interesting The states under the Articles might need to meet to make some revisions in the Articles to keep things glued together.

A President of the United States would have no authority in the States governed under the articles, and the states could claim that the Constitution is ilegal, as it changes--or rather, replaces--the Articles without the required unanimous consent.

Some time ago, I considered a similar timeline, and the compromises that it might require. I'm posting it here, and you can use or not use whatever portions you see fit. The dynamics may be different, since I'd chosen different states. Use if you want, ignore if you want--I have no plans to work with it any further, and hope it's worthy of providing some thought:


Confederation and Constitution



The States of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire hereby accept the decision of the rest of the Several States to withdraw from the Articles of Confederation and conduct their affairs under the Constitution of the United States, and forever renounce all rights to oblige them under law to remain under the Articles of Confederation, thus satisfying Article XIII requiring all of the states to agree to any modification of these articles.



<Alternative>



The States of Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina withdraw from the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, with the consent of the States of New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. Should the States of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, or Massachusetts ratify the Constitution, separately or jointly, by the first day of July, 1795, such states’ withdrawal from the Confederation shall require no further approval by the Congress of the Confederation. (This covers the requirement that any changes in the articles be unanimous.)



Each portion of the United States shall govern its own affairs, and maintain its own militia, pending reconciliation of the rights and responsibilities of the states under the respective forms of governance.

(Approved in Boston, June 17, 1790









Being a document for the coordination of the respective governments of the United States under the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union and the Constitution of the United States.



Revision to the



The States that have ratified the Constitution of the United States are hereby released from the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, to take place as soon as the Governments of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts ratify such release. (Renders the Constitution legal, since changes to the Articles of Confederation require unanimous approval.)




Articles of Governance of the United States of America under the combined Constitution of the United States and Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.



Preamble:



We the people of the United Sates of America, in order to retain the unity of the country despite the differences of government under the Constitution of the United States and the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty, do ordain and establish these Articles of Combined Governance.



Article One:



The States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina withdraw from the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, with the consent of the States of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Should the States of New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts ratify the Constitution, separately or jointly, by the first day of July, 1795, such states’ withdrawal from the Confederation shall require no further approval by the Congress of the Confederation. (Note 1)



Within the states that have ratified the Constitution of the United States, known as the Constitution Stares, that document shall be the supreme law of the land. Within states that have not so ratified, known as Confederation States, the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union shall be the supreme law of the land.



Article Two (Legislature)



The Confederation States shall each allocate two senators, to sit in the United States Senate. Confederation Senators may not vote, but have debate privileges equal to the privileges of other senators.



Each of the Confederation States shall have one observer in the House of Representatives, who is permitted debate privileges equal to other members of the House of Representatives, but may not vote.



Each of the Constitution States shall be entitled to send a delegation to the Congress of the Confederation. Such delegation shall have privileges of debate equal to the delegation of one of the Confederation states, but may not vote.



Any law affecting both governments or the territories and people thereof shall be enacted by both governments before it shall take effect. No such law my impose obligations on a state that would not be permitted under the form of government which it subscribes to.



Article Three (Judiciary)



Each government shall establish such court systems as it sees fit, such courts having no jurisdiction within states not subject to their own government system. (Note 2)



Article Four (Military)



The President of the Constitution States shall serve as Commander in Chief of the United States Army. The Commander in Chief of the United States Navy shall be designated by the Confederation States. Both appointments may be changed by joint resolution of the legislatures of both governments. (Note 3)



The Confederation States may not allocate funding for the army for any duration longer than the Constitution States may, however, appropriations for a duration of up to two years shall always be permissible. (Note 4)



Article Five (Interstate Commerce)



No state my collect tariffs on goods which are not destined for said state. Neither national government shall impose tariffs on good from the other national government’s states and territories greater than the tariffs imposed on like goods from abroad. (Note 5)





Article Six: Territories of the United States.



Any possession of the United States, not qualifying as a state, nor a possession of a state, shall be governed under the Constitution of the United States, unless provisions in law or treaty should be made otherwise. Should a territory become a state, it shall be incorporated into the Constitution States, unless the Constitution States do not accept it and the Confederation States do, unless provided otherwise by treaty or law passed by both governments. Should a possession of a state become a state in its own right, it shall be incorporated into the government of the original owning state.



Should a territory petition for admission solely into the Confederation States, and decline to seek admission into the Constitution States, it requires the consent of the Senate of the Constitution States. (Note 6)



Expansion of the nation:



Any possession of the United States, not qualifying as a state, shall be governed under the Constitution of the United States, unless provisions in law or treaty should be made otherwise. Should a territory become a state, it shall have the right to choose which government it should be incorporated into, provided both governments should be willing to incorporate it, unless provided otherwise by law or treaty.



Any law governing the entire nation must be approved by both Congresses, and must not infringe on the rights each state has under its governing charter.





Notes:

1. The Articles of Confederation required unanimous agreement between the states to be changed. This makes the Constitution legal, and allows any of the other non-ratifying states to come under the constitution with no further agreement needed under the Articles of Confederation.
2. Both sets of laws require extradition—which may result in severe problems down the road when fugitive slave laws become a factor.
3. This allows both parties a fair amount of control of the military, and, with New England having a seafaring tradition, the navy was a logical choice for them. The provision allowing for other arrangements to me made in time of need may or may not be relevant.
4. The Constitutional prohibition against long term funding of the army was intended to keep a check on its power. This provision is intended to prevent the military from working around it.
5. This allows free passage of goods through any state, hopefully encouraging trade, and is intended to reduce the possibility of economic struggle, while not infringing on the rights of confederation states to collect tariffs on out of state goods.
6. This is a major provision, almost guaranteeing that most new states will be part of the Constitution government unless agreed otherwise. In exchange, New Hampshire’s claims to Vermont are recognized, and it shortly thereafter becomes a Confederation State, and Massachusetts and Connecticut keep their Western lands, except the part that became part of New York.

(State names and agreements will need changing; I posted as originally written.)

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

I'm loving the replies so far. Considering I have a backlog of six of these already written over the course of the last day, I'm going to be posting somewhat frequently, but expect a slow down within the next day or two.

Part II: The two Presidents of the United States
In April of 1790, just as the crisis of the North Carolina-Franklin Compromise was dying down, a new one was just beginning. George Washington, American Hero and the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army had just been elected as the first President of these United States under the new Constitution. However, he was not the president for over one-third of Americans. Thomas Jefferson was. The Confederation Congress had voted to have Thomas Jefferson serve as President of these United States for the year of 1790 while Washington had been voted in by the Constitutional Congress. While tensions were high, it was considerably worse for both sides that their respective presidents did not like each other at all. The Confederation Congress remained in Federal Hall in New York City, forcing the Constitutional Congress to move to another hall on the same street. Some New Yorkers at the time claimed it felt like the beginnings of a civil war on days that the Constitutional Congress and Confederation Congress adjourned around the same time, but historians dispute these claims.

The anti-Federalists, now more often referred to as Confederationists, honored Washington as a war hero, but mocked his entire Cabinet as a clear showing of Federalism run rampant. His Vice President was the infamous John Adams, his Secretary of State was the writer of the Federalist Constitution, James Madison, the Secretary of the Treasury was the hated Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of War was Henry Knox, and the Attorney General was Edmund Randolph. All known Federalists, all hated by the Confederationists. Jefferson surrounded himself with people like James Monroe, Patrick Henry, and the man who would become the face of Confederationists in the years to come, George Clinton.

In an open attempt to pressure the states that did not ratify the Constitution into joining, the Constitutional Congress decides to adopt the war debts of all nine states that ratified the Constitution, taking them on as federal costs, and leave the five states of the Confederation out of it. To prevent this from causing the smaller states to fold, Jefferson orders the creation of a temporary pool fund to pay for the war debts of all five Confederation states. Franklin is in the need of the most help. Despite only being a state for six months and only having been a small part of the state of North Carolina, they were left with half of North Carolina’s war debts. Jefferson worried that the state would crumble under the debt. Alongside George Clinton, he proposed splitting up Franklin’s debt among the other four Confederationist states, proportional to population. Delegates from New Hampshire and New York were furious with this idea, with little enthusiastic support among the other states. They couldn’t imagine taking on even more debt than they already had, and for a Southern state on top of that. When it was put to a vote, in August of that year, it was overwhelmingly defeated. In November of 1790, the state of Franklin declared bankruptcy and it looked as though the rebellious Confederation would lose out to the Constitution after all. The Constitutional Congress cheekily set up a place for the delegation of Franklin to sit in the back of their hall, nametag and everything.

Little did the Federalists know that they would end up facing an equally damaging threat that would tarnish their claim as being the true government of these United States. Ironically, debts from the war would be also be the cause of it.

 

[MrBill]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Do you have Washington, who is from Virginia, as President of the United States (Constitutional) but Virginia is not part of the government? Does the President have to be a citizen of the country? Or has he changed his state of residence?

Thanks,
MrBill

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Correct me if I'm wrong. Do you have Washington, who is from Virginia, as President of the United States (Constitutional) but Virginia is not part of the government? Does the President have to be a citizen of the country? Or has he changed his state of residence?

Thanks,
MrBill

That's actually a great question and just further explains the confusion of the whole thing. Both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are separate governments that claim to be the government of the same country. It's like a civil war without any violence (or at least violent conflict between the two governments). Despite Virginia not having a place within the Constitutional Congress, it is considered a US state under the jurisdiction of the Constitutional government (which will actually come up a bit in the next chapter) and thus somebody from there can become president.

 

[Sir Prizing]

I am left wondering what will happen to the USA(s). Will they unite under one or the other government? Will they disintegrate into the constituent states? Will a further charter or constitution rectify and replace the current situation?

It's a good thing I've put this timeline on 'Watch Thread' huh?

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Part III: The Whiskey Rebellion

Alexander Hamilton, who has been absolutely instrumental in the formation of the Constitution and the overwhelming dominance of the Federalists in most of New England, but one move he made almost cost the Federalists everything. Following the bankruptcy of Franklin, the Constitutional Congress and the Federalists who controlled it were riding high on George Washington’s popularity and their continued persistence on being the only legitimate government of the United States. Hamilton was the one responsible for the alcohol tax. The cursed, disastrous alcohol tax.

Hamilton’s alcohol tax was part of his plan to help pay off the war debts incurred by the states and federal government, which the Constitutional Congress had taken on the vast majority of since its inception. This seemed perfectly sensible in the environment that Alexander Hamilton lived in, surrounded by stuffy aristocrats and social conservatives who wanted to create a “sin tax.” In reality, this would be a disastrous mistake and a great failure of Hamilton’s that would stain the rest of his political career.

Along the western frontier of Pennsylvania, this was an unacceptable move. Whiskey was the de facto currency of the region and tax collectors descending on them seeking their cut felt just like the British that they had fought a war against in the previous decade earlier. There was resistance from the beginning, but no arms were risen for the first two years. Tax collectors were often attacked by these protestors, with the goal of chasing them off. More kept coming, oftentimes with soldiers close at hand to deter resistance. This only provoked further conflict. It reached a point where there wasn’t much else the Western Pennsylvanians could or wished to do. Only one course of action became logical to them, rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion, as it would originally be called, or the Pittsburgh Revolt, as it would come to be known, really got going in 1793. The bulk of the revolting forces were Revolutionary War veterans and, the eventual leader of the revolt, David Bradford, had been a captain in the Continental Army. The revolt spread like wildfire throughout northwestern Pennsylvania, claiming control of most of the region within a few months while southwestern Pennsylvania struggled to get the rebellion off the ground.. The revolt quickly gained national attention. They were universally condemned by Constitutional state officials, with most Confederation state officials remaining silent on the matter. Between this and the widespread sale of arms and large number of volunteer militiamen pouring in from over the border in Virginia, many of the Whiskey Rebels believed that they could repeat what the people of the State of Franklin were able to achieve. The Whiskey Rebels organized into a single army just outside of Moon, Pennsylvania on July 29th, 1793. They were now a real fighting force, headed by Commander David Bradford. They marched down the path towards Pittsburg and took the city after three days of fighting in the streets. Around 700 people were killed altogether.

After meeting with several local mayors and other local public officials, Bradford declared the new Free State of Pittsburg with himself as acting governor in a speech just outside of the city on August 4th, 1793. A delegation, lead by Herman Husband was sent to the Confederation Congress with a petition for statehood.

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Starting with the seventh or eighth part, these are going to start getting longer. I've wanted to make them longer since last night but with the backlog I have it'll take a bit for that to be apparent.

Part IV: A Federal(ist) Response

Many wonder what would have happened if the Confederation Congress had swiftly denied the rebellion’s application for statehood. While they would eventually come to reject this request and support Washington’s response to the rebels, it took them nearly two months to come to that decision. During the intermediate time, their counterparts down the street were dealt disaster after disaster. Washington was livid when he heard that the “frontier rabble rousers” that Hamilton had talked so lowly about had successfully taken control of Pittsburg and had declared themselves a new state, with the hope of joining the Confederation Congress on top of it all. He, along with the Federalists of his Cabinet, began to fear that the Constitutional government was coming apart at the seams over the continued existence of the Confederation. At home and abroad, it seemed to many as though the implementation of the Constitution was a bad move, especially without having completely replaced the old system. In secret, some state legislatures, namely New Jersey, South Carolina, and Connecticut created exploratory committees to see if there was any legal way they could return to the Articles of Confederation. All came up negative.

Washington decided the only way to deal with this situation was to respond with force. He was not about to let his position as President of the United States be subverted like this, especially with Patrick Henry, an ally of Thomas Jefferson, holding the same title over a rival Congress and residing in the same city. While Attorney General Edmund Randolph tried to convince him to solve this through diplomacy, Washington knew that if he negotiated with these rebels without a show of force, they would be unwilling to negotiate. He attempted to raise a militia in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia. He received little support, with most believing that the situation would go the same way as Franklin did. He only received about 7,100 recruits, with only five hundred from New Jersey and fourteen from Virginia. Most Virginians who were approached or who Washington’s men attempted to draft would argue that “he isn’t my president.”

Washington’s men marched on Pittsburgh in June of 1794. They surrounded the city and ordered the surrender of the rebels. The leaders in Pittsburgh were not willing to outright surrender but were willing to negotiate, especially after Commander James McFarlane threatened a mutiny if action was not taken quickly. Self-declared Governor Bradford and his delegation met with representatives of the Constitutionalist government who brokered a deal with them. All of the land from the 41st Parallel to where the New York-Pennsylvania border sharply curved along with the Connecticut Western Reserve would be formed into a new state called Erie. Erie would become a Constitutionalist state, but would be exempt from any and all federal imposed luxury taxes. With this deal reached, the rebels finally stood down, with everyone pardoned by Washington. The Constitutional Congress would deliberate on accepting the terms of this deal until that October. It seemed as though they would vote against it until Washington himself gave a speech advocating for this deal as the “only solution,” in his second appearance at the Congressional Hall in the entirety of his presidency. The deal was passed and, in November of 1794, the state of Erie joined the Constitutional Congress.

While this move was applauded by Federalists as a great showing of moderation and compromise, the Confederationists saw something very different. They saw weakness. As did the American people.

 

[ToaKraka]

Eire

Is this supposed to be "Erie"?

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Is this supposed to be "Erie"?

My bad.

I guess I had the Irish name for Ireland on my mind.

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Part V: A Crisis of Statehood

As one major conflict after another seemed to be overcoming the Constitutional Congress, Kentucky County and the Vermont Republic decided to hold off on any application for statehood. So far, the only states that had joined either Congress had been formed directly from a pre-existing state's territory. Only expansions had ever taken place, such as when Franklin’s western border was extended roughly 100 miles westward in March 1793, approved by both Congresses. The Vermont Republic, lead by Governor Thomas Chittenden, finally decided to apply for statehood as a member of the Confederation Congress in January of 1795. Their application was accepted in April of the same year, resulting in the United States’s fourteenth state joining what most of its states believed was an out of date body. If there were people out there who had not been questioning the legitimacy of the entire Constitutional government as the absolute authority of American politics, they were now. Nobody would have imagined that this was just the beginning.

John Jay, a New Yorker and avid Federalist with a colorful career behind him, returned to the United States from Great Britain. He had been sent to deal with the growing issue of British impressment of American sailors into the British Navy. Jay had instead returned with a treaty that, while resolving longstanding issues such as the British’s continued occupation of forts along the western border of the United States, did nothing to solve the issue of impressment.

The reaction by the American people was overwhelmingly negative. Protests and riots broke out across the entire country. One of the largest protests, as well as one of the most peaceful, was right outside of the Congressional Hall in New York City. There had been a strong sentiment among the Constitutional Congress to move the capital to somewhere outside of major cities but, mainly due to the headache that dealing with the continued existence of the Confederation Congress brought, it had fallen down on the list of important things to do. As the weeks went on, the protests didn’t go away, they became bigger. Worse, they seemed more tense and, if given time, could turn violent. Most of the hatred was leveled at John Jay, most notably in the rally call: “Damn John Jay! Damn everyone that won't damn John Jay! Damn every one that won't put lights in his window and sit up all night damning John Jay!” The entirety of the Constitutional government was opposed by the American people. They were seen as horrifically incompetent and completely uninterested in the wants and needs of the American people. Washington knew that desperate actions needed to be taken. He called for the complete end of the alcohol tax nationwide and to move the Constitutional capital to somewhere far from New York City. The removable of the alcohol tax was easily done, although it resulted in the Constitutional government defaulting on most of their debts. Picking out an alternative capital was far more difficult. Within the Constitutional Congress, two voting blocs were emerging, the Northern states, composed of Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Eire and the Southern states, composed of Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Due to occasional Northern-leanings within Delaware and Maryland, the Northern Bloc usually controlled the Senate while the Southern Bloc controlled the House of Representatives, due to the Southern states being much larger. Each of the two houses, which were generally uniform in their actions, kept strongly opposing the other’s choice for a capital, going on for months.

It took until September of 1795 for a decision to finally be reached. Three tiny villages along the Maryland-Pennsylvania border would be taken from the states and turned into the new capital for the Constitutional Government. The villages chosen were the village of Fawn Grove, Pennsylvania, the village of Delta, Pennsylvania, and the town of Street, Maryland. Congressional Hall was completely cleared out before winter of that year.

There are now ten Constitutional states and six Confederation states. The ten Constitutional states are: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Eire. The six Confederation states are: New York, Virginia, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Franklin, and Vermont. While the Constitutional government was reeling, the dominant forces of the Confederation Congress were preparing for one of the only events that could ever be interpreted as a coup in American history.

 

[Minchandre]

I just want to remind everyone that the Articles of Confederation pre-approves Canada for statehood

Article XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and adjoining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this Union; but no other colony shall be admitted into the same, unless such admission be agreed to by nine States.

 

[MrBill]

Question about the House of Representatives, is the 3/5th rule for slaves in effect? I did not see it the outline above.

In the first congress (OTL) the representation was as follows for the ATL Constitutional states with the 3/5 rule in effect.

Northern States:
Connecticut 5
Massachusetts 8
New Jersey 4
Pennsylvania 8*
Total 25

* Assuming Erie is included in the OTL numbers.

Southern States:
Deleware 1
Georgia 3
Maryland 6
North Carolina 5
South Carolina 5
Total 20

I don't see how the Southern Bloc can control the House, unless slaves are included 100% for representation even though they are not citizens and the House delegations for the Southern states are larger because of that. Would the Northern states accept that?

Thanks
MrBill

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Question about the House of Representatives, is the 3/5th rule for slaves in effect? I did not see it the outline above.

In the first congress (OTL) the representation was as follows for the ATL Constitutional states with the 3/5 rule in effect.

Northern States:
Connecticut 5
Massachusetts 8
New Jersey 4
Pennsylvania 8*
Total 25

* Assuming Erie is included in the OTL numbers.

Southern States:
Deleware 1
Georgia 3
Maryland 6
North Carolina 5
South Carolina 5
Total 20

I don't see how the Southern Bloc can control the House, unless slaves are included 100% for representation even though they are not citizens and the House delegations for the Southern states are larger because of that. Would the Northern states accept that?

Thanks
MrBill

Since slavery was mostly legal even in the North at the time, I think that it could be reasonable for the South to have gotten a higher fraction of slaves counted towards their number of representatives. New England delegates proposed a 3/4 ratio for the amount of slaves counted and had that gained enough support, I could see that passing (especially since it emerged from the North). If my math is correct, that would make it so the South would have 25 delegates. There were some elements of the North that were avidly pro-slavery. As an example, John Jay was the son of the man who owned the most slaves in New York. Perhaps, like Delaware and Maryland Senators swaying towards the North, Northern members of the House of Representatives often sway more towards the South.

It's going to be interesting in a few parts as the North and South both expand but in different ways.

EDIT:

I just want to remind everyone that the Articles of Confederation pre-approves Canada for statehood

Yeah, this could become important later (hint, hint-nudge, nudge).

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Part VI: The New Foreign Policy
Ever since the Constitutional Congress had begun, it had been the dominant force of government within the United States. The Confederation Congress never made any attempts to supersede their authority in regards to foreign policy. The entire world recognized President George Washington as the Head of State and nobody had ever directly challenged him on that. That is, until Thomas Jefferson’s re-election to the Presidency of the Confederation in 1796. President Jefferson had spent the six years since his last term speaking with foreign dignitaries and traveling as an American diplomat across Europe. He wished to gain as much experience as possible before he went through with his plan to enact the New Foreign Policy.

The New Foreign Policy was a clean break from George Washington’s neutral position in Europe and the events surrounding the French Revolution, seeking out an alliance with France. Jefferson justified this move by claiming that the revolution had gone beyond the radical events, with the Reign of Terror being well in the past, and that France was the United States of America’s only natural ally in Europe. The alliance was also to serve as a threat to Britain over their impressment of American sailors.

Washington and the Federalists were infuriated by this move. Hamilton was one of the most staunch critics. Using unpopularly strong language, he declared it “a coup in everything but name against the legitimate government of the United States.” Tensions were high, but the Constitutional government, having little popular support, did nothing to stop it. France and the United States began to negotiate an alliance, with the stipulation that France had to end the impressment of American soldiers, forgive the Constitutional government’s defaulted debts, and could not call the United States into the ongoing War of the First Coalition.

France agreed to this, on the condition that the alliance would not include any offensive wars by the United States where their sole enemies were American Indians and that the United States could not declare a war while France was already fighting on, which the American delegation agreed to. This aspect of the deal with criticized by both Federalists and Confederationists, but there was nobody really set up to challenge Jefferson on it. Washington and his Cabinet had felt as though his hands were tied. Secretary of State James Madison is quoted saying “Jefferson’s treaty with the French gives America nothing but a promise, a promise of war,” but there is actually no written record of him having said that. No Confederationist would express too much opposition to the writer of the Declaration of Independence and sitting President of the Confederation Congress.

The deal passed and was celebrated as a major victory by the Confederation states, who viewed this as a true sign that they could become the primary government of these United States once again. There were those among them who started to use very extreme language when describing the Constitutional government. Language that would have been heavily criticized only a year early, but now had become acceptable. They began calling the enactment of the Constitution “an illegal break from the Articles of Confederation” due to the lack of unanimous support. Many took this to the logical conclusion that the Constitution was infact an illegal document that founded an illegal government operating on American soil. This language was popular among the public, in Constitutional and Confederation states, and became a commonly held belief among those who were still angered by the Jay Treaty.

Jefferson knew little of the corruption, undemocratic nature, and lack of public support for the French Directory, of which he had just signed an alliance with, and knew little of the disastrous turn of events this would lead to. For all of his travels, he only had a vague idea on the situation in Europe, receiving all of his information from written documents released by the government of France and revolutionary leaders, neither of which were without bias. The New Foreign Policy would earn America mixed results, but it certainly would put a nail in the coffin for the dreams of any Confederationists who believed they could ever completely replace the Constitutional government.

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

So this is the last of the shorter ones, meaning that I will be posting significantly less frequently. If you want more people to see this, please comment on how you feel about the story so far, any potential criticisms, and what you think is going to happen in the near or distant future. Thank-you and enjoy!

Part VII: The War that was Promised

In hindsight, it had been obvious that what had come to be known as Jefferson’s Treaty, which went into effect March 29th of 1796, would have lead the United States into a major military conflict. Aligning oneself with a government that was at war with two of the strongest nations in the world would do that to you. Despite the alliance that was signed explicitly stating that the United States would play no part in France’s current war, Britain had other ideas. Britain did not care, believing that whatever happened, it was inevitable for Britain and France to end up in another war, this time with America at its back. Without a declaration of war, Britain gathered their 32,000 soldiers in British North America and simultaneously invaded New York, Vermont, and the District of Maine in Massachusetts.

The news of what had happened did not spread that quickly, with it only being reported to the Confederation Congress a week later, by which point the British began establishing forts, supply lines, and plotting how to advance further south. This move took Jefferson completely by surprise. He had expected the alliance to deter Britain taking moves against America, not inviting them to commit acts of war. It was James Monroe who proposed a declaration of war on Britain, which was swiftly enacted, bringing the United States into the War of the First Coalition, called the Great European War in America.

Without the ability to raise a national army, Jefferson called upon all American states, not just those in the Confederation, to raise militias to fight off the British. New York was the first to respond, with the most powerful support for the call, raising a militia that was 29,000 strong, but mostly composed of aged veterans and inexperienced young men, and lead by Aaron Burr. They were deployed along the front lines of British controlled territory in New York and Vermont where they dug in to prevent further advances. Massachusetts was one of the few Constitutional states to raise a militia at all, mainly due to their own state being invaded. The Massachusetts militia was lead by Henry Dearborn and was deployed to the District of Maine. The Legion of the United States, the 5,000 man strong standing army of the Constitutional government, was also sent up North, being sent to assist in fighting the British in Vermont and Massachusetts’s District of Maine.

Even though they had strongly opposed Jefferson’s Treaty, the Constitutional government decided that they must rally behind Jefferson’s call for arms and, only days after the Confederation Congress declared war, the Constitutional Congress did as well. British officials found the idea of two governments existing in one country, declaring war and generally operating separately, laughable and a sign of a weak and unstable republic. The United States would use this underestimation to their advantage. The armies and militias of the Confederation and Constitutional Congresses were well organized and communicated with each other as though they were under one authority, at least at the beginning of the war. After the initial invasion, the British paid little mind to the United States at first, focusing almost all of their efforts on France for the next year.

At that moment, America seemed strong and united by these two systems. Even though the war had been started by moves that the Confederation Congress made, the Constitutional Congress was there to assist. This would all come to a new crisis in December of 1796, just after the Confederation Congress voted to extend Jefferson’s term. His term length went from one year to four years and, with one year already having been served, end in 1800.

 

[Analytical Engine]

Well, that went exactly as planned, didn't it...

 

[Minchandre]

Well, that went exactly as planned, didn't it...

John Jay arranged it with the British during his visit. A small failed invasion by the British would provoke a response and catalyze the cooperation of the Confederationalist and Constitutionalist states, show the need to unity, and show the Confederation that ultimately the Constitutionalists had no hard feelings. The resulting unified state is a natural ally of the British, while there will be short term dislike for the British, in the long term the US will come to resent Jefferson and the French for dragging the US into the war in the first place

 

[President Benedict Arnold]

Sorry this took a while. I hope the next one won't take as long. Enjoy!

Part VIII: The New Commander-in-Chief and the Second Declaration of Independence

Jefferson now seemed to be the unquestionable leader of the United States. Foreign dignitaries would fraternize with him and his political allies in New York City, preferring that capital over the Constitutional one in the middle of nowhere. Foreign diplomats stopped visiting Washington in the Federal District and American diplomats abroad began to report to Jefferson instead of to the man who had appointed them.

The Constitutional government had been down for the count for a long time at the beginning of 1797. It had been all of the way back in 1790 that they had last felt as though they were on top and opposing a weak, old-fashioned government. Now they had been hammered down by crisis after crisis and, even though they had chosen to move themselves to a rural area far from the goings on of major cities, it felt more like an exile. To top it off, the Constitutional government was about to hit another, inevitable blow. Washington’s term ended that March and he had not sought reelection. Alexander Hamilton and John Adams had both sought the presidency, but the Constitutional Congress smartly went for Edmund Randolph, due to his name not yet being tainted beyond repair among the American people. It was a miserable time to be a Federalist in these United States, but there was one small victory that they could use against Confederationists. The war was not going well.

New York and Massachusetts had been able to hold the line against the British army that had invaded their northern borders, but Vermont could not. The failing of the Confederation Congress’s decentralized military structure had begun to show when Virginia, Rhode Island, Franklin, and New Hampshire collectively sent out ten thousand men to assist in the war. This measly number of soldiers were untrained, mostly unequipped or under-equipped and were spread out across Massachusetts, New York, and Vermont. They hardly made any positive impact on the war and Jefferson knew he had to act fast if he wanted to keep his position as the Head of Government.

On January 16th of 1797, Jefferson published the shocking document that would circulate throughout the United States and abroad. The Second Declaration of Independence. Although laughable now and in some social circles back then, the Second Declaration of Independence was important in that it changed the narrative of the war and helped Jefferson with his other shocking and radical move. The war’s narrative was now no longer that Britain had invaded the United States due to them allying with the greatest enemy of the British. It was that the United States was fighting to shake off the last vestiges of British power over the United States. It also served as a propaganda tool against the Federalists, calling out Jay’s Treaty, referred to by its official name of the Treaty of Amity, Commerce, and Navigation, Between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, as “an illegitimate government of Patriotic Americans begging for British forces to evacuate territory that is not theirs and was never truly theirs.” It described and exaggerated the cruel act of Americans being impressed into the British Navy and declared that this was “a crime so erroneous that the only suitable course of action is to do everything in our power, as a nation and a people, to drive the corrupting influence of the British Crown from our great shores and finally bring peace and freedom to our great continent.” Publicly, the Second Declaration of Independence was met with universal praise. James Monroe said it was “a mission statement that presents the only clear and moral course of action, push the British forces all of the way across the Atlantic.”

Jefferson’s other major move in the first month of 1797 was also a rehash of the American Revolutionary War. He called upon a new Continental Army and declared New York Representative and former Lieutenant Colonel Aaron Burr as the new Commander-in-Chief of the United States. This was met with mixed reactions from both the Confederationists and the Federalists. Washington was infuriated by this and, even after leaving office, would refuse to refer to Burr as anything but “the Confederation’s Chief.”

Nevertheless, these moves were adored by the American public. By May of 1797, 68,000 young men signed up to be in the new continental army. In parts of the country, it became popular for businesses to put up quotes from the Second Declaration of Independence outside of their store. “We will fight for our rights and our children's rights as Americans, the mighty citizens of America, now and always” and “We will liberate every corner of this great continent, bringing freedom and independence to all willing to seek freedom for themselves.”

Gathering his forces near Kingston, New York, the state capital, Burr made his now infamous “A Dream of a Continent United” Speech. The speech highlighted many goals of the Confederationists of this war: their desire to push the British off the continent, but also calling for all European powers to abandon their positions on the North American mainland, and calling for each and every one of those countries to “Become states as a core part of these United States. A core part of the Confederation of these United States.” These statements ruffled the feathers of Constitutionalists, which saw this as an inappropriate declaration to try to antagonize political rivals, and Spain and France, the nation’s allies in Europe, who saw this as a direct threat to their territories.

After making such controversial statements, Burr marched northward to face off against the entrenched British soldiers. Burr wanted to make this war a series of major battles with swift victories. The goal was to make the British surrender, and he believed that this could be achieved by marching through to Quebec City and, from there, securing the rest of mainland British North America. To achieve this, he decided to simply overwhelm the British from their position with bodies. Burr’s 68,000 men joined the 29,000 New York Militia to lay waste to the British in northern New York. He successfully routed the British there and chased them across the border into British territory. Before continuing, Burr repeated his “A Dream of a Continent United” Speech in Plattsburg, New York, to mixed reactions, before crossing the border himself. Ignoring requests from commanders in Vermont and northern Massachusetts, requesting an encirclement of the British there, Burr continued further north until he controlled up to Boucherville along the Saint Lawrence River where he began plotting a way to siege the Island of Montreal.

While Commander-in-Chief Burr was far from popular among other officers, and hated by the Federalists, he maintained popularity with the American people and would, for a time, be more beloved than even George Washington. That would all come to an end very soon and Aaron Burr’s name would gain the reputation it has maintained to this day. The reputation of either an incompetent fool or a traitor.