America the Fallen
A Timeline
By Grant Hurst(aka IchBinDieKaiser)
A Timeline
By Grant Hurst(aka IchBinDieKaiser)
Part One: Torn Asunder
"A considerable number have prevailed upon him to enter into a new covenant against us, and have torn asunder and cast behind their backs the good old covenant which their ancestors and ours entered into, and took strong hold of"
from the Journals of the Continental Congress
In May of 1787, after the failure of the convention of Annapolis, Maryland, it was decided that a new gathering would be required. They chose to have this gathering in Philadelphia, the birth place of the nation.
As the delegates began to arrive at the Pennsylvania State House, onlookers swarmed the building as the demigods congregate. Though summer was nearly in full in full swing, they still board the windows shut and armed men guard all the doors. The delegates of this young and fragile nations feared the unrest that this meeting could stir. This was no ordinary meeting of the Congress of the Confederation. This was a gathering of ideas to "Fix" the their constitution, or if need be, discard it and start anew.
Many famous and popular names appear in this convention such as James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and Benjamin Franklin. Even Patrick Henry, who was not going to attend out of fear of Monarchism. When George Washington could not attend due to ill health, Patrick Henry changed his mind. Washington would die of Tuberculosis in October of 1787. His last words were, "I regret not having been present... I fear that I am responsible for the fate my country befallen".
Other great names could not attend this summit, such as John Adams, who along with John Jay, had been crisscrossing over Europe as the Minister of Britain and the Minister of Foreign Relations respectively. Even more devastating, the author of Independance, the father of American Freedom, has been taken by death's cold grip. While in Paris as Minister to France, he caught Pneumonia, dieing in late 1786, not even having the chance to be invited.
The convention began in mid May. All the delegates debated what they hoped would become the new constitution of the United States of America. Tensions between the states, even between delegates of the same state, would divide the congregation into two camps; The Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton, and Patrick Henry leading the Anti-Federalists. While the Federalists argued for a strong central government, while the Anti-Federalists desired the States to hold the power.
The Federalists struck first with a plan developed by James Madison, and presented by the Virginia governor Edmund Randolph. They wished for a strong Federal government dominated by the Legislative branch. This plan would have the large and more populous states dominate the government.
Another faction of Federalists countered this plan with one of their own, the New Jersey Plan. This plan would still make the central government more powerful, but leave the balance of power equal between all states.
The issue of slavery was another complexity that the states had to address. Though most Virginians found slavery to be objectionable and immoral, they still practiced it. Northern delegates wanted to abolish the slave trade from Africa. This alarmed the Carolinas and Georgia, the only states that still allowed the Slave trade. Allied together, the Carollinas and Georgia attempted blocking the abolishing of the Slave trade, which would have their southern agriculturaly based economies.
Benjamin Franklin, the sage of Philadelphia, attempted to create a compromise between the small states and large states with his plan of a bicameral legislature that took the Ideas of the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan and put them together. This plan was not received well by the Virginians. New York and Virginia refused to sign on to this part of the constitution.
By September 7th they had a document that the delegates could vote on. The fifty-five delegates would decide for each of their states whether they accept this constitution. They needed three-fourths of the states to vote yes on this. With Rhode Island refusing to participate, only 9 of the 12 states that showed up needed to accept it.
Virginia's vote came in first with a resounding No. Only John Blair and James Madison voted in favor of it.
The next vote was Pennsylvania, who unlike Virginia, voted with an resounding Yes.
Despite the anti-slave trade measures in the constitution, South Carolina voted yes.
New Jersey also voted yes with only one delegate not signing the document being William Houston, who left the convention early because of ill health.
New York nearly abstained from voting because two of its three delegates left the convention, and each state required at least two delegates to vote in the convention. These New York Anti-Federalists, Robert Yates, and John Lansing Jr. were convinced to stay by Virginian Anti-Federalists; Patrick Henry, and George Mason. Despite the leader of the Federalists representing New York, his state would vote no.
The vote for North Carolina was very close. Richard D. Spaight and Hugh Williamson both voted yes, while William R. Davie, and Alexander Martin, a federalist, voted no. This left the vote up to William Blount, a known advocate for state's rights, who also had a desire for a stronger central government. He was eventually worn down and decided to vote no.
Maryland was a close call as well. Being the Middle State, the bridge between North and South, was a state to be watched. It ended in a 3 to 2 vote in favor of the constitution, with Luther Martin and John F. Mercer voting against.
When it came for Massachusetts to vote, their delegates were deadlocked 2 to 2. This resulted in Massachusetts vote being abstained. Now only 8 votes were needed to pass the Constitution. Thee were currently 4 in favor, and 3 against, and 4 states left to vote. New Hampshire, Connecticut and Delaware would all vote yes.
This left the score at 7 infavor and 3 against, leaving Georgia as the final and deciding vote. If Georgia voted No the constitution would fail, if it voted yes or abstained the vote would pass. Georgia had 4 delegates, two of them William Houston and William Pierce voted no, while John Dickonson voted yes. This left it up to Abraham Baldwin, the Georgia Delegate from connecticu. Baldwin waited untill September 12th to make up his mind. For his own personal reasons, he voted no.
The constitution did not pass, the convention had failed. Delegate Alexander Hamilton called for another convention to be held in New York in November, but it was to late. One of the most important states, Virginia, refused to attened any future conventions.
Unlike Rhode Island who had refused to attened the convention, Virginia WAS important. Being the most populous state, they could not afford to have Virginia not attened. It was too late. Virginia's delegates refused to attened any more conventions, and so began the disolvement of the union.
Virginia seceded from the confederation in October of 1787, followed by New York in December. Georgia seceded in February of 1788, followed by North Carolina and Maryland in March. Delaware would secede in April along with South Carolina and New Jersey. And in May, Pennsylvania seceded. Being driven out of Philadelphia, only Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts remained in the dwindling American Confederation. These states would no longer remain the United States of America.
The United States is no more, they have been torn asunder. What will the fate of this broken nation be? What conflicts will arise from this catastrophe?
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