Empire of Freedom: The History of the American Empire

EMPIRE OF FREEDOM
HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE



I: THE WINTER DREAM



"The Christmas Eve of 1777 was one of the most important nights of American history, for it was on that frozen night in Valley Forge that an soldier and an angel changed the fate of America, forever."
-Alexander Gerald Smith, Harvard Historian, 1977
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Washington looked, seeing only the white of the snow and fireplaces set by his soldiers, who grouped around them in an attempt to survive the winter. He walked around the soldiers on his horse, attempting to raise the morale, but it was hard when his own was low. He has been begging the Congress to approve funds and supplies for his army, but it couldn't even have the States agree on a constitution or even the delegates to show up for voting. The weak congress had its hands tied by uncooperation of the delegates who wasted time with interstate disputes, about border tariffs and territories. Seeing the bickering was frustrating to Washington, but it made him sick when he saw the toll it was leaving to his men. There were many without sufficient clothing, and many more dying of sickness and frostbite, hunger was also common due to the supplies never being able to reach the lines thanks to the Congress.

Reaching the end of the camp lines, Washington was about to turn around, when he saw a single soldier. He had dropped his musket and was sitting on the cold ground with his back against the tree, he was still alive appearently not for much longer. Washington saddled out of his horse and went to the man, getting into one knee in front of him, holding an gas lamp. Now with the light and the closer look, he saw that the man looked to be on his 20s, with his lips blue and snow on his hair. He barely could look up to his General, he was with hypothermia, his feet and fingers even had gangrene.

"S-Sir ?" He said with a weak voice, almost a whisper.
"Soldier, what are you doing out here in the cold ? You are going to die out here." Asked Washington in a calm but alarming voice.
"M-My partner and I... went scouting... redcoats... he didn't make it... I got s-shot... I'm g-gonna die S-Sir..."
"You are too young for that, you have your whole life in front of you, soldier. I will get you back, come."
"It's t-too late sir... just... tell me it wasn't in vain... t-tell me that... America will have a b-bright f-future... p-promise me p-please..."
"Soldier, I promise you that as long as I breathe, I will do whatever it takes to assure that our children and their children after them will live in a better future. I promise you, I will do whatever it takes for this nation."
"T-Thank... you... sir..." And then his eyes closed. History would never know the name of that man, but would remember Washington's promise.

Seeing such a young lad breathe his last was enough for Washington, he went back for his horse and rode back to his tent. He would go to sleep after it, and then he opened his eyes to an explosion sound, the camp was under attack.
"General Washington ! The camp is under attack by redcoats sir !" yelled Nathanael Greene, Washington's most trusted officer, as he slammed the door open desperately.
"General Greene, have our supplies arrived ?!"
"No, sir, the congress couldn't get enough delega-" An explosion knocked out Washington, he would wake up disoriented in a dark place, seeing a light form in front of him.
"George Washington, I have something to show you." Said the voice in a calm authoritarian manner, Washington couldn't believe what he was seeing, he walked towards it and saw himself on the clouds.
"Is this... Heaven ? Am I dead ?"
"No, fear not for the Lord has given you a chance." The light revealed itself to be an Angelic figure, Washington knelt before it, and saw that down the clouds there was a city. It was a city with clean streets, a river of pure water and buildings of marble, with a closer look, Washington saw that there wasn't one that wasn't smiling, there was no disease or hunger, and all lived in perfect happiness.
"What is this place ?"
He was then transported to another place, seeing the opposite of that previous city. It was a slum, with decadent buildings, streets of dirt and the river was black of dirt. There wasn't one smiling, people had leper, smallpox, and all diseases known to man, there was infighting and screams of pain and suffering.
"Rejoice, for you have been given a chance to save your nation, the first one is what America can be if you are its leader. But the latter is the America led by the corrupt and evil, one destroyed by vice and sin. For the Lord has anointed you as Prince of these people, like Solomon, David and all Princes of Israel. You shall lead America as another chosen people like the sons of Abraham, you shall lead a great nation that shall rule above all others, from sea to sea. But if you so desire to abandon your duty to the Lord, so will the Lord abandon the American people. You shall be given triumph over the British as a signal, of God's favor, the future of your people on the eyes of the Lord is in your hands."

Washington woke up, sweat on his head, it was a dream of course, but for Washington it was a vision. He promised the dying man to do whatever it takes for the future generations and America to have a better life, and as the Angel showed him, he had to be the ruler. He was chosen to redeem his people and save America from the hands of the corrupt and evil, whatever the cost may be.

And just like that, the history of America and the World would change forever.

 

II: THE NEWBURGH CONSPIRACY



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Years after the dream at Valley Forge, Washington's dream seems to have been prophetic, with his victory over the British in Yorktown on the 19th of October of 1781 ending the main British force in the continent. But ever since then, the Continental congress did what it did best: Nothing. It was the 15th of March of 1783, the Treaty of Paris was being signed and several States didn't see the need to keep an National Army with the peace arriving. The Congress was broke, it couldn't issue taxes on the States, and the Superintendent of Finance, Robert Morris, resigned after failing to pass an National Import Tax. The Army was months without payment and it was believed that the pensions would never be paid, an conspiracy started brewing to end the weak central government once and for all.

Several army officers wrote an petition, threatening the congress in case the army wasn't paid or was disbanded. When George Washington discovered it, he called a meeting of officers, he made an impassioned speech reminding them about all they went through and how the Congress abandoned them in times of need like in Valley Forge. The officers cheered, and an unanimous declaration by the Continental Army officers, including George Washington, was made and sent to the Congress, threatening of "harsh consequences" if those men who fought for the independence didn't receive their due payments. One congressman, Alexander Hamilton, was frustrated by that. He had been warning the Congress about the consequences of not paying the Army, and now his warnings were proven true.

Alexander Hamilton
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Upon receiving the Army's demand, the Congress finally went to work to avoid a civil war, and Hamilton managed to get funds from the States to pay Washington's Army on the 12th of April. An military coup was averted, but the Congress became increasingly divided about the "Military Issue", with a group led by Thomas Jefferson supporting the disbandment of the Army. Claiming that the British threat was over, and the army was an dangerous institution made up by snakes that could turn against the Republic at the Republic at any moment, instead, they supported that State Militias would make up the defense force of the nation. To oppose them, came Alexander Hamilton and an increasingly number of deputies that considered the army's complains legitimate, arguing that the Articles of Confederation were too weak to keep the integrity of America, instead they proposed a constitution with a strong Executive, with many even supporting a Monarchy. With the payment of the Army arriving and the Treaty of Paris signed, George Washington announced his retirement, but he didn't plan to stay out of politics. Instead he would use the time away from the army to enter in contact with Hamilton and his group, raising slowly a group of supporters of the idea of an American Monarchy.

North America after the Treaty of Paris (1783)


Thomas Jefferson
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Between 1784 and 1786, the Articles of Confederation would show its weakness. On the 12th of April of 1785, Benjamin Franklin, one of the main Republican supporters in America, died by being stuck by electricity during his experiments. His death would be mourned in America as one of the Great founding fathers, but his death also removed one of the main critiques of the Monarchical idea in America that was already taking roots, especially on the "Hamiltonians". The Congress meanwhile was attempting to organize the Western territories taken in the Treaty of Paris. There were many states like Virginia that claimed rights to annex the new territory, while the smaller ones like Maryland and Rhode Island feared that it would make the Congress dominated by the Southerners. The Congress stepped in and took the Northwestern territory as "Federal Land", open for settlements for the creation of new States. Of course this little victory for the congress would be overshadowed by its failures, states like Maryland and Pennsylvania were literally engaging in border skirmishes for territories and other states were creating tariffs and taxes against other states, it seemed like the United States of America was less and less "United" by the day.

And on the 29th of August of 1786, the last straw blew up in the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts.

 

III: SHAYS' REBELLION AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION


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On the 29th of August of 1786, an rebellion would break out in the State of Massachusetts. On the 27th of May of 1785, the Governor John Hancock would leave office, with James Bowdoin taking his place in the State leadership. Hancock was known to be a relaxed man when came the time to pay taxes, his populist policies to the commons on tariffs and taxes made him popular but threw the State into debt, with the war debts still unpaid. Bowdoin was the opposite, he wasn't charismatic like his predecessor, he was an bureaucrat focused on paying back the Massachusetts massive debts, and for that he looked to the ignored taxes and put his hand on them. Demanding the resumption of the payments for the taxes and debts, but Bowdoin seemed to have an amnesia problem, because as the British discovered, the people of Massachusetts HATED taxes.

Governor James Bowdoin​

Led by the Revolutionary War veteran, Daniel Shays, a rebellion was organized in the State to overthrow the Governor. With over 4,000 rebels spread around Massachusetts, Shays attacked the Springfield Armory on the 29th of August, overwhelming the garrison and seizing the weapons and gunpowder of the armory. The news of a Second Revolution in Massachusetts would mobilize the State, with protests and riots for the resignation of the Governor in Boston, the State Guard was not capable of dealing with the unrest and the revolt that was now taking the countryside including Petersham and Sheffield. Governor Bowdoin would appeal to the Continental Congress, begging other States to send support against the rebellion. But the typical congressional inefficiency was in the way, and the Congress argued that the Articles of Confederation didn't allow other States to intervene in the affairs of another, at that moment Alexander Hamilton saw an opportunity.

The showing of weakness of a constrained congress prevented it from interfering where it was necessary, Hamiltonian ideas of having an new constitution were swaying the deputies after the failure of the congress to intervene in the rebellion, even Thomas Jefferson considered that an new constitution was becoming not a matter of if, but a matter of when. George Washington took the matters to his own hands, sending letters to General Horatio Gates, the commander of the Continental army after his retirement, to prepare the men. He came out of his Estate and back to the army, he made a speech that the "If the gentlemen in congress are not able to save one of it's members from falling apart, it is the Army's duty to do so". Washington took back his command and marched North into the burning countryside to crush the insurrection.

Daniel Shays knew he was doomed, his men made a last stand in Springfield, he and 120 of his rebels died while the others surrendered, begging Washington to negotiate a deal with the Governor to prevent harsh reprisals. General Washington meet Governor Bowdoin, and after a day of negotiations in Boston, an amnesty was given to the rebels, the debts were pardoned and new elections would be anticipated to 1787. Washington came back as a hero for both sides, being both an agent of Law and Order, but also an friend of the common people. He was now even more popular than he was, being called "The Father of the Nation", and both him and Hamilton would use the new peak of popularity of the General.

With the failure of the Congress to crush the rebellion, in contrast to the efficiency of George Washington and the Continental Army, Hamilton called for a Constitutional Convention on the 25th of May of 1787 to discuss an new constitution. Delegates from all States would come to see the Historical debates between Hamilton and Jefferson, with George Washington chosen as President of the Convention. For the next months, the shape of America would be form, and would see the rise of the American Empire.

Constitutional Convention of 1787
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Alexander Hamilton would propose the "New York Plan": The Plan argued for the creation of an strong executive led by an Monarch, with a Bicameral house with an elected lower house and an appointed upper house. The Lower house would be divided in proportion to the population of each state, while every state would have 2 seats in the upper house for equal representation. There would also be a Supreme Court formed by 9 Judges appointed for life by the Monarch. Opposing it came the "Virginia Plan" of Thomas Jefferson, proposing instead an stronger congress instead of an executive power, formed by an Unicameral house with equal representation to each State, and the Supreme Court being appointed in a Congress voting. The debates would rage for months, each side showing their arguments, while the Jeffersonians claimed that "America didn't get rid of a King to have another one", Hamilton replied "It's not a king we need, but an Emperor".

There would be other proposals like the "New Jersey Plan", who argued for an elected president serving 6-year terms instead of an Monarch, but keeping the rest of Hamilton's plan unaltered. Division also came from the Hamiltonians: George Washington had no Biological sons, and since he was the obvious choice for a Monarch, America would have a succession crisis within a few years. Hamilton and Washington brainstormed for ideas, and then they reminded themselves of the European precedent: The Holy Roman Empire. Hamilton proposed that "If the Monarch is to die heirless, the Senate (Upper House) shall vote, after an mourning period, on an new House to lead it.

By the 17th of September of 1787, the debates were finished, with the "New York Plan" being approved as the new American constitution. The Convention would vote for the first Emperor of America, and the unanimous vote was for General George Washington unsurprisingly, with him becoming the First Emperor of America. It would still take 2 years for all States to rectify the Constitution, but finally it would be signed on the symbolical 4th of July of 1789, beggining the American Empire.

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IV: EMPEROR WASHINGTON I


Emperor George I visiting Valley Forge
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On the 4th of July of 1789, George I Washington would be crowned Emperor of America. The title of Emperor was inspired by a quote by Washington himself to Hamiltonians of the convention: "America is a nation larger than Western Europe, from the swamps of Western Florida, to the forests of New England, to the vast lands to the west, such a vast nation of many peoples and Commonwealths, deserves the title of Empire, anything less would be unfitting for America". Technically, that placed George I Washington above George III of Britain and Louis XVI of France, which personally irritated the Hannover monarch.

George I went in a chariot along the streets of Philadelphia, waving to the crowd of over 60,000 Americans from all the Commonwealths (The name of the States after the Constitution). The chariot stopped in front of the Philadelphia State House, the same place the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were signed, Washington left the chariot hailed by the people, he then went to the top of the building, on the clocktower. He put his hand on the Bible, swearing to protect the Empire and its citizens, uphold the American Constitution and values. He then knelt and was crowned by the President Bishop of the Episcopalian Church William White (Much to the protests of Jeffersonians), future Emperors would have different church leaders, Washington is reported by historians to have become much more religious after The Valley Forge experience, abandoning the Freemasonry and joining back his childhood church. Then he would make a 7-minute speech to the crowd, that would usually end the ceremony and create the precedent to be followed by future coronations.

William White
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The First congress elections would mark the beggining of the Party system, much to Washington's frustration. The old division of Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians would have the official names of "Federalist Party" and "Whig Party". The Federalists were led by Alexander Hamilton, controlling 61% of the House and 60% of the Senate, they supported an strong Federal government, closer relations with Britain, the creation of a National Central Bank, Protectionist tariffs and an strong Imperial Army. The Whigs were led by Thomas Jefferson, controlling 35% of the House and 30% of the Senate (the rest was composed of Independents), they supported the autonomy of the Commonwealths, closer relations with France, opposed tariffs, and many had Republican symphaties, even if they wouldn't say it publicly due to Washington's popularity. It was set a system that would dominate US politics for years, the "First Party System".

Washington's first act was to head to Valley Forge, he went to the place where the unknown soldier died and said a prayer alone. He would carve an cross in the tree and came back, going back to Philadelphia where he sent his first decree to the Parliament: The construction of an New Capital by the Potomac, reminding himself of his vision and seeing the Potomac as the river of clean pure water, the city would be called "Columbia" named after the romantic name of the American Empire. The congress approved the transfer of the capital by a large margin including most of the Whigs (since an city built closer to the south would reduce the fears of abolitionism).

Washington started to organize the government, appointing the 9 Justices of the Supreme Court, with John Jay as the first Chief Justice, the appointments were mostly considered fair and neutral by both sides. He also approved the creation of protectionist tariffs to incentivize the growth of the domestic manufacturing and the recent industrial sector. And in 1791 was created the "Imperial Bank of America" (IBA), the first central bank of the Empire, with the Federal government assuming the debts of the Commonwealths. Washington also invested in the Armed forces, expanding the Imperial Army to 40,000 men and approving the creation of the Imperial Navy in 1793 to combat pirates. Revolutionary War Admiral John Paul Jones would oversee the creation of the first ships. By the end of George I's reign, America would have 6 Ships of Line and 20 Frigates, led by the IAN (Imperial American Navy) "Valley Forge", one of the most impressive ships of the world in his time.

John Jay​

In foreign policy, Washington's reign would see the French Revolution arising. He knew that America would eventually be drawn into the conflict in some way or another, with both Britain and France pressuring the newly-born nation. Washington would follow the suggestions of Prime Minister Hamilton, forging closer ties with the British by signing the "Jay Treaty" in 1793, negotiated by the Supreme Justice John Jay. The Treaty solved some disputes concerning the Treaty of Paris, with the last British forts finally withdrawing from the Northwestern territory, the AE (American Empire) gained trade rights into British Caribbean in return of limiting Cotton exports and also the Anglo-American border in Canada would be settled via international arbitration. The Treaty would be what Hamilton hoped to be the reconciliation of America and Britain, while the Whigs opposed the Treaty, their opposition wasn't enough to prevent the Emperor's approval.

George I also had some difficulties, in 1791, in an attempt to raise money to pay the debts (and influenced by his vision), Washington created an tax on destilled beverages, especially Whiskey. The frontier farmers of Western Pennsylvania would refuse to pay those taxes, and fabricated their own illegal Whiskey. In July 1794, with the continued refusal to pay the taxes, the District Attorney sent American Marshal David Lenox to crack down on the farmers, and led by Revolutionary War veteran James McFarlane, the farmers formed a minutemen militia and fought against the police forces. The militia defeated the law forces and attacked the house of General John Neville, the Tax collector managed to escape and pleaded the Emperor for help. George I would take command of the Imperial Army personally, going with 6,700 men to crush the revolt. The militia didn't stand a chance, with their leaders arrested and the rest of the men dispersing, ending the small farmers' revolt in Pennsylvania. The Emperor pardoned many leaders, assuring them that no reprisals would happen if the taxes were paid, reinforcing his image of having a heavy but fair hand. It is usually considered the ending of the first half of his reign.

The Emperor inspecting the Army during the Whiskey Rebellion​

 

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