And now, update time. I heard that y'all like chaos, so I brought some with a brand new crisis creator: The Constitution.
“It was the general opinion of ancient nations, that the divinity alone was adequate to the important office of giving laws to men…”
--John Adams
On July 23rd, the delegates from the Constitutional Convention departed Philadelphia to return to their home states. With this, the secrecy on the Constitutional Convention was lifted, and over the next few weeks, copies of the new constitution spread across the Union to a nervous people. Much to the surprise of many of the American people, the new Constitution did not provide for an absolute leader which had been a rumor that was spread by several newspapers across the Union. Instead, the general reaction across the Union was one of cautious optimism.
In New England, the reception of the proposed Constitution was far warmer than expected. The smaller, northern states had always been suspicious of any proposal to bring the states together, and had it not been for Article IX, it is likely that New England would have rejected the Constitution in its entirety. However, with Article IX (especially the provision giving most governing powers to the states), and memories of the Regulator Rebellion still sharp in the minds of New Englanders, the Constitution was received decently in New England.
Of the three main regions of the Union, the middle states received the proposed Constitution the best. The majority of these states had middle to large populations, and under the new Constitution, they would have increased power. The idea of a unified currency and trading laws was well appreciated by the middle states. In addition, the idea of an armed Federal government that would help any rebellion in the middle states was welcome. Despite neither the Regulator rebellion, or the Slave Revolt occurring on any territory of the middle states; the middle states had suffered a large economic and military burden assisting the unstable states, and keeping the flames of rebellion from erupting in their territories.
Due to the Slave Revolt, the general attitude of the southerners was largely one of ignorance to the very existence of the new constitution. However, the governments in exile of the Southern states appreciated the new constitution, and if anything were frustrated by the relative weakness of the proposed new government. They wanted a new government that would smash the slave rebels, and some in the governments in exile were afraid that the new Constitution wouldn’t provide for such a thing.
Despite the general success of the Constitution, there was one detail that caused worry amongst the American people. The monarchical provisions in Article III were troubling to many, to say the least. However, over the next two months, the general nervousness was put at ease by pamphlets and newspapers; each claiming that no state would vote for a monarch, it was effectively a moot point.
And then, on October 2nd, the South Carolinian government in exile voted on the Constitution. Technically, this was illegal, but this was forgotten in the outrage over what they voted for. South Carolina, the first state to vote for the Constitution, had voted for monarchy. Then, on October 3rd, the Georgian government in exile voted for monarchy, followed on October 5th by the North Carolinian government in exile. Three states were now pushing for monarchy.
To say that there were problems, was to put it lightly. Across the Union protests rocked the nation. Americans from Dover to Richmond began to write pamphlets, join clubs, and fly banners in support of either a Republic, or a Monarchy. On October 29th, the first meeting of the Athens Club, a republican society, occurred in Boston. Two days later, the Purple Club, a monarchical society, met for the first time across the street. However, of all the actions in the protests, one of the longest lasting occurred in New York on October 17th. A group of pro-republic protesters carried a republican banner, consisting of a white-black-red horizontal tricolor with the words REPUBLIC OR DEATH inscribed on it. It was the first instance of the American Republican Tricolor ever known to have been created.
EVERY MAN A KING, BUT NOBODY WEARS A CROWN!