Challenge: Monolithic USA

There are threads galore with alternate North Americas, in particular, with alternate United States. But relatively seldom, the structure of a union and its member states is touched.

So what would it take to make the Thirteen Colonies into the single Republic of North America?


Of course, I know that nationwide polls would be complicated in the days of independence. And of course, every country needs lower and finer levels of administration. So you may, for instance, leave the electorial college as it is, but you should prevent that states can make their own laws.
 
given that it's the 1770s and the size of the country a pure federal government is unworkable, but much weaker state governments, no electoral college no Senate....... I like this idea, more like the French today with a PM (or Speaker as we'd say) and a President :)
 
OK, not many people would imagine that :( - in a way, that was why I asked.

Black Angel, it is an interesting observation to link the figures of speaker and prime minister. Although the speaker is a prominent personage inside the legislative, and a PM is (in France) the second-to highest office of the executive, the reference makes sense since the French PM is highly dependant on the parliament.

My challenge/question was independent on whether the figure of the president would be more or less powerful than IOTL; but I was asking for a more powerful federal level - whatever institution gets which share of the cake I stole from the states.
 
I guess have them governed by Britain as one unit. If you could create some sort of viceroy of America or something, maybe they'll think of themselves as a single unit as opposed to various groups working in (badly out of tune) concert.
 

Skokie

Banned
The French, mixed model is fairly recent. Before the '50s, they alternated between powerful autocrats and ineffective parliaments.

Perhaps if the US took Jefferson's advice and had a new revolution or constitution every generation or two, we'd probably have ended up with a centralized republic once or twice.
 
No or delayed Glorious Revolution... James' Dominion of New England comes to encompass the entire Atlantic Seaboard.
 
OK, you're right. There are various PoDs well before the indepence movement which would do the trick.

But again, wouldn't it be possible to let the revolutioneers propose a more centralistic structure?
Was there so much identification with such an entity as a colony?

For sure not too much to make a joint upheaval and the foundation of the union possible ...
 
There only way I could see this happening, is if there's some kind of Federalist coup during the War of 1812 that makes Alexander Hamilton president for life. The idea of strong central government was unpopular to most Americans, who often identified as Virginian or Pennsylvanian more than they did American.
 
There only way I could see this happening, is if there's some kind of Federalist coup during the War of 1812 that makes Alexander Hamilton president for life. The idea of strong central government was unpopular to most Americans, who often identified as Virginian or Pennsylvanian more than they did American.

:rolleyes: Presuming A.H. avoids or survives his 1804 duel w/Aaron Burr.
 
How well were the colonies tied together by transport? If it was easy to move between the colonies then a more mobile population encompases a larger view of what is their area. In this case a person can easily identify with someone two or three states over and a larger political identity can form.
 
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