alternatehistory.com

Intro

I've been lurking on here for the last few months, and I've decided to try making a timeline. In this, Martha Jefferson's death is delayed for a few years, meaning that Thomas Jefferson doesn't become the ambassador to France because of family obligations. Because of this, Jefferson is able to attend the Constitutional Convention.

Excerpt from an article in The Richmond Advocate, January 27, 2015

We may finally have the answer to the centuries-old question of what President Thomas Jefferson's wife, Martha, suffered from in the years before her death in 1793. While reading through records at Jefferson's plantation, Monticello, historian Jeremiah Stillwell found mentions of constant thirst, weakness, blurry vision, and, in her last few months, constant pain and numbness in her abdomen. While he hasn't been able to discuss these findings with a doctor yet, Stillwell speculates that Martha Jefferson may have had diabetes.

Excerpt from The Philadelphia Conference, by Jan Koenig

By 1787, it was clear that the Articles of Confederation had failed. The national government was bankrupt due to the refusal of the states to give it money, the country had suffered large amounts of violence by dissidents, most notable during Shay’s Rebellion in 1786, and the states were unwilling to allow Congress to regulate trade with other countries. Even the strongest supporters of states rights knew that the Confederation could not go on.

In May, delegates from each state met in Philadelphia to revise the Articles. Early on it was obvious that that would not happen, and that the Articles would be replaced in their entirety. When the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention realised that, they began to divide themselves into two distinct groups. The Federalist faction, led by George Washington and James Madison, joined by most Northern delegates, supported a strong, centralised government. The Anti-Federalist faction, led by Thomas Jefferson and supported by most Southern delegates, supported a weak central government and strong states rights.

The Federalists championed the Virginia Plan, with a strong central government whose bicameral legislature would have a lower house elected by proportional representation based on the states' populations, and an upper house elected by the lower house from candidates nominated by the states. The federal executive would be elected by the legislature for a single term. The Anti-Federalists, on the other hand, proposed a government similar to the one established by the Articles of Confederation, called the New Jersey Plan. Congress would be unicameral, with one delegation elected by each state, and would elect an executive yearly.

Another proposed plan that should be noted is Alexander Hamilton's. While Hamilton is best known as the first Prime Minister of New England, his role in the Constitution Convention should not be understated. He proposed a system of government modelled off of that of the United Kingdom, with an executive elected for life with an absolute veto, a directly elected lower house, and an upper house elected by electors.

The Convention finally decided on a modified New Jersey plan, in large part due to Jefferson's success in marshalling both Southern and small state delegates. Rather than the proposed unicameral legislature, a lower house would be appointed by the people of each state proportionally to population and an upper house would be appointed equally by each state. The federal government would only have power over defence, trade, foreign relations, and solving disputes between the states, while all other powers would be exercised by the states.

Description of the Government of the USA

  • Each state appoints a recallable delegation of 2-7 delegates to the Senate. The delegates of each state vote as one bloc, and each state gets one vote. Delegates serve until they're recalled by their state.
  • Every male property-owning citizen who is at least 21 years old elects a representative to the House of Representatives. Representatives are apportioned to states according to the number of free people plus three fifths of slaves. Representatives can serve unlimited terms of two years.
  • Congress elects the Executive Council every four years in a joint session of both houses. The Executive Council is made up of Secretaries and headed by the President of the Executive Council, who is elected from the Executive Council by the other Secretaries. The President is just responsible for leading the Executive Council, and doesn't have any special powers and is still the Secretary of a government department.
  • The Executive Council nominates Tribunes to the Supreme Tribunal to be approved by the Senate. The Supreme Tribunal is the highest court and has the power of judicial review.
  • Congress has sole power over the military, foreign trade, international relations, interstate commerce, and resolving disputes between the states. All other powers are held by the states.
  • The Constitution can be amended by a two thirds vote of each House of Congress and the ratification of three fourths of the states, or by a constitution convention called by two thirds of the states.

The 1788 Election

The 1788 election in the USA happened without parties, so every Congressman was nonpartisan, although they were informally divided into the pro-administration and anti-administration factions.

Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War and President of the Executive Council: George Washington
Secretary of Justice: Edmund Randolph
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