Redcoats on the Red Clay Soils: An America Without Washington

[ETGalaxy]

Thanks so much! It means a lot to hear praise on a more experimental timeline of mine. The Revolution, by and large, is more Northern-focused for the Patriots, but soon they'll have their eyes back looking at the South.

Cool! Does this mean that the post-Revolution United States will also be more northern focused as well (without Washington and with faster abolition, I doubt we’re going to see an alternate Virginia Dynasty anytime soon)?

I also just realized that if anyone knows who George Washington is ITTL, he’ll be remembered as just another loyal colonial soldier who fought for the British Empire, which is pretty amusing.

 

[Oliveia]

Cool! Does this mean that the post-Revolution United States will also be more northern focused as well (without Washington and with faster abolition, I doubt we’re going to see an alternate Virginia Dynasty anytime soon)?

The United States is probably going to be a bit more northernly focused, but the South will have far more chances to diversify its economy sooner. That, and when the cotton gin gets invented (pushed further back for reasons that I'll describe following the Revolution), it'll definitely become a magnet of immigration.
Essentially, a secondary purpose of this timeline is to fuck with demographics as much as possible.

The Virginia Dynasty is not going to be a thing. Although I'm not sure on who will be the first POTUS (it's not going to be Ward - I was thinking it might be Madison but not 100% sure yet), I do know that it won't be a universally agreed-upon candidate, nor that they will all be Virginians.

 

[Oliveia]

Chapter 6:
Southron Smoke: AKA, Redcoats on the Red Clay Soils, Part 2
---
"[Lord North is] the blundering pilot who has brought the nation into its present difficulties ... Lord Chatham, the King of Prussia, nay, Alexander the Great, never gained more in one campaign than the noble lord has lost—he has lost a whole continent."
- Charles James Fox

​

It was mid-September, 1777. This was, for better or worse, an intense period of the American Revolution. For the British, Lord North was an embarrassment - a man who, previous to the American Revolution, showed himself to be a masterful diplomat. Despite this, however, it appeared that he severely underestimated the stubbornness of American patriots. He had figured that, giving the colonists a few months of little interference up north, that they would eventually come to realize the error of their ways, and mild significantly; or, otherwise, fall into significant infighting. However, as the war continued to progress over the course of years, North's visions failed to occur: he had lost New England to the revolutionary cause, as well as not insignificant chunks of the Middle Colonies (including the Chesapeake Colonies). Though his platform of "secure the spice" had died down by the end of winter in 1777, his new offensive maneuvers, though certainly both laudable and an improvement on earlier policy, were neither enough to win major battles against the colonists, nor enough to regain the trust of his peers.

However, this British disdain of Lord North reached its boiling point in the Transylvania Crisis. It began with a request by the Colony of Transylvania for a detachment of British troops, citing a multitude of Cherokee raids into settlements, often leading to brutal massacres or the burning of these settlements. A British general, hearing this request, sent letters of permission to the then-Secretary of State for the Southern Department, Thomas Thynne. In response, the Marquess of Bath responded with the following letter:

"...It is, frankly & Truly, of absolute No Concern to me the State & Affairs of those Impoverished Souls in the Colony of Transylvania. The Consensus here in Britain is that the Cheroke [sic], being far more Affluent and additionally, as Indians, far more At Peace with other peoples Akin to them, are more Important to us Brittons [sic] than any Transylvanian Colonist."

However, much to the detriment of both Thynne and North (whose ministry hosted Thynne as the Secretary for the Southern Department), this letter was leaked. How it got leaked is still a subject of debate among scholars, but the common consensus was that, somewhere along the chain of letter delivery, there was a Patriot spy who leaked the letter to incentivise revolutionary behavior in the Transylvania Colony. Regardless of how the letter came to public attention, it caused an eruption in the colony. Several weeks after the affair, on May 2nd, 1777, the Colony of Transylvania declared itself independent of the United Kingdom, and sent representative John Sevier to the Continental Congress. Sevier had been sympathetic to the Revolution, but upon the de facto annexation of the Watauga Association (an autonomous community formed in 1772) into the Colony of Transylvania, Sevier saw it more fit to try to hold neutrality for the sake of the colony. Now that the colony had severed itself from the Crown, he saw to it that he would try to take charge of Transylvanian affairs.

John Sevier
​

The creation of this new "Free State of Transylvania" saw with it cries of outrage from the British. The Parliament, the heart of this outrage, pushed for a motion of no-confidence on Lord North. On September 15th, 1777, it was voted, overwhelmingly (298-151), that the House did not have confidence in both Lord North and his ministry. As a result, the Government was disbanded. This disbandment, though, served as a poor decision for the British in the long run.

Upon the realization that the North Ministry had been dissolved, and while King George III chose who would form the next government, the British military in the Thirteen (now Fourteen) Colonies rejoiced. For some, such as Henry Clinton, the resignation of the North Ministry saw with it a window of opportunity, and after a day of festivities, his soldiers partook in what was called "Clinton's March" - a series of violent attacks on important coastal cities in the Southern colonies. The most violent of these attacks were in Virginia, who saw many of her coastal cities ravaged and burnt.

The Burning of Suffolk, 1777
​

However, a majority of Clinton's men (including Clinton himself), were killed before they could successfully attack Williamsburg, Virginia. Several miles outside of the city, Major General Lee intercepted the troops with his own army, and were successful in their mission to kill or otherwise disrupt as much of Clinton's army as possible. Furthermore, Lee and his men were invigorated by their victory, and planned their next choices of action:

The American Revolution was headed southward, far after much of the North was secured.

---
A/N: Finally out! Was feeling some burnout, but hopefully it wasn't too bad!! There are a couple of... well... convenient things that are going to go well in America's favor in the coming chapters (but hopefully not too many!), including an early trashing of the Articles of Confederation. That will probably be within the next couple chapters. Beyond that, I should gladly welcome another real quote! Been awhile without one. Added a few more pictures to this one, too.

 

[Oliveia]

Redcoats Announcement!!:
Alright, so we're at the point where there are a couple of options for what Chapter 7 could be on, and as such I want to know what you - my readers - would want to see out of Redcoats! If you need further explanation, just ask.
Thanks in advance!!
---
RESULTS:
(Note: Roles of some figures in the poll -- mostly Hamilton -- will probably have changed roles than what they were advertised as.)

 

[Oliveia]

The polls have spoken (and I 100% agree with you guys), I'll try to start next chapter tomorrow: The American Miracle (The Continental Convention of 1778-79) is on its way!
Thanks for participating, everyone!

 

[Oliveia]

Chapter 7:
The American Miracle, Part 1
---
"That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government."
- Thomas Jefferson, "The Declaration of Independence"
.
"We are within a Broken System -- the Articles of Confederation, as they now stand, are Nothing More than ideals. They are the Birthchild of Thinkers and Philosophers, not Politicians. Due to this, Our Nation is doomed to fail -- It is NECESSARY for a Convention to be held, not to aid Virginia, nor North-Carolina; nay, this is a Convention necessary to aid the Union itself."
- Patrick Henry, First Governor of Virginia, "A Petition for Amending"

Flag of the United States of America, as decided in the Constitutional Convention of 1779.
​

Patrick Henry sighed, rubbing his temples. The southern half of Virginia was a smoldering pile of ash, and nothing was happening. He had petitioned the Continental Congress for the Congress (as an organ of the Articles of Confederation) to collect taxes that would go into the restoration of Virginia and North Carolina, a state which was in a similar situation as Virginia, though on a far grander level. While cooperating with Governor Richard Caswell of North Carolina, they waited for their financial aid to come. The response they received was the lingering smell of burning cities accompanied by the pathetic jingle of spare change: that is to say, they received little pay. And it wasn't because of a lack of signatures to the Articles of Confederation -- though many states were hesitant on signing, the Articles had attracted ten signatures (with New Jersey and Transylvania beginning the process of ratification). Of these ten states, only South Carolina and Georgia sent any aid towards the cause, and this aid was (mostly due to the effective British control of the regions) inefficient. This inspired a fervor in both Henry and Caswell, who traveled to Philadelphia to address President Henry Laurens.

The Presidential Palace -- formerly owned by the Penn Family, it was eventually repurposed as housing for the President of the Continental Congress.
.

Fifth President of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens
​

The June heat was nothing short of miserable. Men, horses, and the street sweated. Henry and Caswell stood in the doorway of the Presidential Palace, knocking on the door. The two men had never shared a close bond, but the solidarity over both the destruction of important cities and the lack of financial aid in said situations had united them. Henry wiped his forehead, though he knew sweat would reappear almost instantly. "Mr. Caswell," he began, "how do you think this meeting will go?"

"I have, with all due respect, no ideas in this matter. Believe me, this is far from the first time I've had to debate a gentleman."

"Do you believe it will come down to that? A debate?"

Caswell offered a short shrug, giving a quick chuckle. "Was this what you expected to do, one day down the road, all the way back when those first shots fired?"

Henry sighed, turning to sit on the steps of the Palace. "I'm... not sure, to be frank. It is easy, I feel, to give some form of support. It is easy to say 'give me liberty or give me death' when we were stuck in a system that did not want us. The British, no matter how hard they try to grapple for their dominance in America, it feels obvious that they do not want us in their system."
"And how, if I may ask, is that related to this predicament?"

"We are no longer in such a plainly obvious system -- well, we are: the redcoats still cling to the South and to New York -- but this is a more divisive system. This is a system outside of two options; this is no longer a choice between Liberty and Death, instead between liberties. We are now going to have to ask, I believe, how much liberty is required."

"I believe I see where you are coming from. But what do you mean by how much liberty? Surely the answer is 'all,' is it not?"

"I suppose, but," Henry pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing a bit. He thought silently for a moment, before continuing: "people deserve liberty -- they deserve Freedom, most assuredly, but... they also have obligations, no? Maybe that's the damned problem with this new system we've crafted ourselves: permanent liberties without authority to enforce the obligations that come with those liberties."

Both men heard some stirring from behind them, and turned to see President Laurens in the open doorframe. He looked knowingly at the two men, "Men, I believe you found for yourselves the problem with all of this. Come inside."

---

The meeting between Patrick Henry, Richard Caswell, and Henry Laurens eventually spiraled into widespread debate in the Halls of Congress. The Continental Congress was, to some degree, best described as a lovechild of unrelenting philosophers. These thinking men would, almost constantly, butt heads in an attempt to show ideological dominance. This meant that, while blood was spilt in Manhattan or in the Carolinas, words flew between Congressmen. Over the remainder of the year, the Congress began to squabble over the many "ifs" of a complete renovation of the Articles of Confederation -- some decried such amendments as necessary, others as evil, and still others with neutrality. New Jersey and Transylvania stalled their ascension into the Confederation, and on the early days of January 1779, the representatives prepared to vote.

Voting as per the Continental Congress was a relatively simple affair -- every state had but a single vote, and unanimous consent was needed to hold a convention. Miraculously, over the course of approximately a week, the votes trickled in:

Agreement to amend the Articles of Confederation was unanimous, with all ten votes being to hold the convention.

---

A/N: I'm going to have this be, for lack of a better term, the "part one" to this series of chapters (going to be two-three chapters). This is a bit of a new style, though I like it a bit better. Apologies for splitting this chapter up, I did it mostly for convenience's sake: Let the political discourse of the Continental Congress begin!!

 

[Oliveia]

Many apologies!! Put this on the backburner for awhile too long. Chapter 8, A War of Words (The American Miracle, Part 2) will be coming out soon! Here's some miscellaneous graphics to keep y'all sated.

The Presidential Manor, 1799.

Presidential Manor in 2007.

Emergency Capital, located in what is now known as Liberty Fort, a federal territory in New Jersey. 1800.​

 

[Oliveia]

Chapter 8:
A War of Words (The American Miracle, Part 2)
---
"Men, we have ourselves the foundations of a true Republic, if we remember to play our pieces correctly."
- Benjamin Franklin, First President of the United States and a Major Author of the United States Constitution
.
"There are Two types of Countries -- Those for unthinking Dogs and those for Men who may Think. I shall write a constitution for Those who Think."
- Thomas Jefferson, First Vice President of the United States and a Major Author of the United States Constitution

​

The Constitutional Convention was designed to address the lackluster appeal of the Articles of Confederation. And, due to the fact that states within the Continental Congress hadn't ratified the Articles of Confederation, an odd system appeared where states that were not part of the Confederal Government were playing major roles in the Constitutional Convention. This, naturally, led to infighting between the many delegates. Some of these disputes were territorial -- the ongoing dispute between New York and her neighbors (especially Vermont), for example. Other disputes, however, were fundamental.

The Constitutional Convention saw rise to two "cliques," for lack of a better term. These being the Virginianites and the Jerseyites. The former proposed a complete scrapping of the Articles of Confederation, instead creating a more parliamentarian system in which the importance was placed on population. The Jerseyites were moderate, insisting on amending the Articles of Confederation, giving the legislative branch more power and insisting on the principal of one vote per state. The higher-populated states tended to gravitate towards the Virginianites, while lower-populated states tended to be Jerseyites. However, neither side allowed the other to succeed, until the Connecticut Compromise was reached -- a system which proposed a bicameral legislature using the elements of both cliques (a population-based lower house, and a two-vote-per-state upper house). Additionally, there was to be an executive position which was relatively independent of the legislative branch, and a judiciary branch removed from both (as per the beliefs of Montesquieu). With the rough frameworks of a new America set in place, it became time for the drafting of the new constitution to bind the states.

For the job, a small council of various writers assembled. Numbering no more than a dozen, there were four major individuals charged with the writing of the new document -- Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, John Adams of Massachusetts, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia, and his prodigy, James Madison of Virginia. Though multiple other writers contributed to parts of the Constitution, these four esteemed individuals were responsible for most of the writing. Perhaps the most important of these being Madison, who pushed for the Bill of Rights.

"It is necessary!" cried Madison, producing a pamphlet from a coat pocket, "for our people to be free of a marauding government! The only way to do that is to outright declare what can or cannot be done by the intrusive State. I have seventeen rights that are necessary--"

"Seventeen is too many," Franklin said simply, grabbing the paper and examining it closely. He squints and makes noises that are, likely, based off of thoughts of his. "I daresay, you could combine a fair portion of these."

"I-I see, Sir. Thank you," Madison said simply.

And, of course, he did amend these. What was seventeen eventually became twelve, through a mixture of personal amendment and, later, amendments through the Congress.

---

EXCERPTED FROM: Constitutional Articles Study Guide:

1. Seating of the House of Representatives: Establishes the number of citizens that one representative will represent. There cannot be more than 100 Representatives in the House at any one time, and the number of citizens a representative will represent will increase when the current ruling makes more than 100 seats.
2. Pay Raise: Any legislature affecting the pay of Congress will take effect in the next Congress.
3. Five Freedoms: Separation of church and state, freedom of speech, press, and assembly, and the right to petition government.
4. The Right to Bear Arms: It is the right of the people to bear arms in order to help protect the United States.
5. Prohibition of the Bordering of Soldiers: In times of peace, soldiers cannot be quartered in citizens' houses without express permission from the legal occupants.
6. Freedom from unreasonable search and seizure: Further defines that search and seizure is only reasonable when issued a warrant by a judge or magistrate, being issued with probable cause. Parties involved in searching and seizing must describe where they are searching, and who and what will be searched and seized.
7. Rights of the Accused: Any person accused of a crime do not have to incriminate themselves. Further denies the government from other shady legal tactics, such as double jeopardy.
8. Right to speedy and fair trial.
9. Trial by jury in civil cases.
10. Prohibition of excessive bail and freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.
11. Rights of the People: The rights of the citizens of the United States are more than what are initially listed in the Bill of Rights -- further states that future Articles of the Constitution are allowed to be drafted.
12. Rights of the States and Citizens: Anything not held at the federal level, but not barred from the states by the federal government, is the responsibility of the states and their citizens to uphold.
...

---

A/N: Alright, that took... longer... than I was hoping for. Many apologies! I'm starting to think ahead and am super excited to write stuff about the post-Independence America. So, if it seems like I'm rushing to that point...
It's probably because I am, heh.
I might go back to extend this chapter, if people want that. If not, then I'll try to push out Chapter 9 before next week. Thanks for being patient!

Next chapter will be about Hamilton, New York, and what the American Revolution looks like as the Constitutional Convention begins (and by that I mean I'll finally supply you all a map!).
Thanks again, Bennett!

 

[Gentleman Johnny]

Interesting how they have written the constitution before the war is over, unlike our TL. I'll admit I'm a little disappointed how similar this constitution is to ours. The OTL constitution was written with it being in mind that Washington would be the first president, that way they felt comfortable with having a single executive that they could trust. Without a Washington-like figure in mind, I'd expect the Founding Fathers to instead have a sort of Executive Committee or at least multiple executives (more than 1). Anyway, I don't mean to rat on your TL as I really do like and think it has great potential, but just thought I'd put my own thought process out there if that's alright.

Also, with Jefferson being around to this constitutional convention (in OTL he was in France while the constitution was being written) I'd expect that he'd have some of his own ideas on things. Anyway, lemme know what you think. Just thought I'd throw some things out there.

 

[Oliveia]

Interesting how they have written the constitution before the war is over, unlike our TL. I'll admit I'm a little disappointed how similar this constitution is to ours. The OTL constitution was written with it being in mind that Washington would be the first president, that way they felt comfortable with having a single executive that they could trust. Without a Washington-like figure in mind, I'd expect the Founding Fathers to instead have a sort of Executive Committee or at least multiple executives (more than 1). Anyway, I don't mean to rat on your TL as I really do like and think it has great potential, but just thought I'd put my own thought process out there if that's alright.

Also, with Jefferson being around to this constitutional convention (in OTL he was in France while the constitution was being written) I'd expect that he'd have some of his own ideas on things. Anyway, lemme know what you think. Just thought I'd throw some things out there.

I by and large agree, but at the same time it makes me feel a little less pressured to come up with a radically different system, and then think up literally every small aspect about the USA.
In universe, I'll just blame John Adams.

 

[Gentleman Johnny]

I by and large agree, but at the same time it makes me feel a little less pressured to come up with a radically different system, and then think up literally every small aspect about the USA.
In universe, I'll just blame John Adams.

Haha, sure.

 

[Oliveia]

Chapter 9:
Noveborac
---
"New York is a land of extremes -- the richest of elites in the City compared to the poorest of the poor in the North; the most corrupt politicians birthed from Tammany Hall to the most honest men in the valleys of Adirondack... The only thing tying these men together is the Hudson River. To control the Hudson River is to control all of New York."
- President DeWitt Clinton, "A Case for the Erie Canal"
.
"I have but one life to give for my country, but I have many bullets to fire in her defense."
- Alexander Hamilton, prominent military figure and future Vice President (under President John Adams)

​

New York was one of the last major British holdings south of Canada and north of the Southern Colonies. They clenched the Hudson River so tightly that it seemed impossible to liberate outside of through peace treaty. And so, following the original attempts by Ward and Old Put to capture New York City from the Redcoats ending in failure, the Continental Army scarcely touched the city. Near the end of the failed invasion, a fire -- likely arson -- ravaged the city, destroying a quarter of the city. As a result, the British officials forcibly occupied the upper-class housing, as soldiers set up infirmaries and barracks out of non-Anglican churches and places of worship. The citizens of the city were often bossed around sharply by the Redcoat occupiers, but the loyalists -- those who said "God Save the King" to the soldiers who stood, steely-faced and gripping their muskets as if their lives depended solely on the possession of them; those who sat in Anglican Church singing whatever Anglican hymns did or didn't exist; those who gave the soldiers expensive beers for cheap -- got let off the hook, as it were.

And this was the loophole that some Yankee sympathizers discovered.

Hamilton absolutely adored men like them.

Alexander Hamilton -- the bastard son discarded in the West Indies -- was a man of many things, but his most favorite title was that of a talented soldier, able to easily climb the ranks. And this was just what he did in New York. Skirmishes and skirmishes added on more and more recognition: he was smart, cunning, quick on his feet and quick to give orders. He had the voice of a politician, flame-like and explosive, and a mind of a philosopher -- sharp, quick, and insatiable in its search of knowledge. He had continued to fight for New York when America stopped, forming a partisan regiment calling themselves The Corsicans. However, when spoken about on the streets, it was to be referred to solely as "The Company" -- similar, but not identical to The Corsicans.

Oh, yes, hits had been placed on Hamilton many times, but that was the fun of it, was it not?

But yes, oh yes, espionage was a constant for The Corsicans. It was the seeing-eye-dog for the practically blind partisans. The City was connected by a large web of spies, central of which was Hercules Mulligan.

Hercules Mulligan
​

Mulligan was an Irish tailor, and through a series of circumstances, eventually came to persuade the conservative Hamilton to become a revolutionary. Mulligan was among the first Sons of Liberty, and was, as a charismatic tailor, the thing of respect with the British. Thus making him a perfect spy. He also acted as a key figure in the Reclamation of New York, in the summer months of 1780.

---

Mulligan was in his tailor's shop as a healthy party of Redcoats walked into the establishment, sharing stories and laughing.

"How many buttons do you have?" asked one man in the party, his calm blue eyes looking at the assortment of stuff laid upon Mulligan's desk.

"Ah..." Mulligan said, thinking. "I'd say... four dozen and then some. How many does this handsome battalion need?"

The man gave a chortle, counted the men in his party, and then did some math with his fingers. "Hmm..." he said, his eyes darting to the ceiling to think through his calculations. He gave a swift nod and said: "Forty should do the trick -- five per man here. Expect yourself some more company though, I reckon."

"Ah?" Mulligan said, "Why would that be? His Majesty's Men going to take on the Yanks?" he asked, as another soldier requested an watchcoat. Mulligan obliged, taking the soldier's measurements as he continued the conversation.

"Ah-ha! You could say that, Mr. Mulligan!" the blue-eyed man said with a laugh. "Head officers are requesting majority of the men stationed here go march off to the rebel capital -- Philadelphia, if I recall," he said, as another man in his party affirms the capital's name.

"How much of the good soldiers here will be off? And when will they depart?" he asked, conjuring the fake explanation of needing to make sure that he had enough sewing articles for the number of men that would be coming.

"Aye, aye, I getcha," the soldier said. "They figure we'll be out of here within the fortnight. They'll keep detachments out in the city, but three-quarters of the men will be off to Philadelphia," he explained. A sort of nervous energy crept over the men in the party, seemingly remembering that there was a heightened chance that they could very well die trying to stomp out the rebellion.

"I see," Mulligan nodded, holding the watchcoat for the soldier, counting out the buttons they had requested, and calculating the price. As they started paying, Mulligan gave a patriotic "Well, glad to hear that the good men are being mobilized at last! Best of luck to the lot of ya!" and sprinkled in a "Godspeed" as they left.

As soon as the men were well on his way, Mulligan gave a loud cry for his slave -- "Cato!!"

"Yes'm?" asked Cato, an important accessory to Mulligan's espionage. "What d'ya need me t'do, massuh?"

"Need you to go out to the company," the Irishman said, "and tell them that most of the guests won't be able to show for the party in a fortnight. Counted, and it was almost exactly three-fourths, reckon." He then gave a quick chuckle. "Most of the ones skipping out are right asses," he joked, "so I doubt the company will care too much."

Indeed, the Corsicans didn't seem to mind the absence of so many guests. By the middle of August, more Redcoats had come, more had reaffirmed the plans told on that night. Following Cato's relaying of this to Hamilton, he was sent south to Philadelphia, to warn the Congress of the impending attack.

That wasn't, in truth, the full concern of Hamilton... yet. For now, he fought in and for New York, and once New York was mostly liberated, then he would worry about the affairs of the other states. And indeed he did fight, for on the 23rd of August, the forty-third mayor of New York City, David Mathews, opened his doors to the sound of a clamor. Upon seeing the glint of rifles in the early morning, he fell back and lifted his hands in surrender. This was preluded by a series of sweeps by The Corsicans into the barracks of troops, forcing surrenders with threats of death. It was on that day that New York City was officially liberated; with the mouth of the Hudson River secured, Hamilton wished to ensure that the British began the process of fleeing to the South.

By the end of August, Yankees from New England sat on patrol in the streets of New York City, ready to defend against British attempts to recapture the city. Many of the Loyalists of New York had fled for the Province of Quebec, bringing with them merchants and other wealthy men, as well as slaves and soldiers. The houses of these merchants were filled, eventually, by merchants from New England and Philadelphia and the South, including some freedmen from all directions. In this sense, New York was allowed its continued existence as the city of diversity.

The Corsicans declaring the Liberation of New York, 1780.

---

The United States on the Eve of the Liberation of New York, including the borders of the USA in blue-gray, the Transylvania Free State in Purple (plus the full extent of the charter in dotted purple lines), as well as the Proclamation Line of 1763.
---​

A/N: Woo! I think this is the fastest I've ever made a chapter from another. For reference, Noveborac was a pseudonym used to refer to New York by some newspapers (due to Parliamentary sessions being illegal to leak, the newspaper in question simply pretended it was a fantasy world, filled with Lilliput and Iberia and Columbia. I'm pretty proud of how this one came out, and also that I was able to place in some "sneaky" hints about some stuff coming up -- speaking of, I finally decided the first eight-odd POTUSes, so that's fun!! Excited to write about them!​

 

[Oliveia]

Interlude 1:
Halftime!

Marquis de Lafayette and Baron von Steuben, among the most prominent of foreign generals in the American Revolution.
​

Perhaps by a divine form of trickery, or through the laziness of the author, the recruitment of both Lafayette and von Steuben still occurred during the American Revolution, at the behest of a bedridden and ill Artemas Ward. Continental General Ward, through request, asked for a simple thing: a universal book to aid in the training of a rookie revolutionary army. Both of these men would fight in decisive battles, but an odd little trickle-down of the writing of a universal military training manual (often colloquially called the Blue Book) was the creation of a prominent American sport -- Burnball.

In both Germany and France, there had existed a long lineage of sport that directly fed into Burnball -- perhaps the most prominent of influences coming from German Brennball, a North-German and Scandinavian sport that closely resembles American Burnball. In it, there are two teams. who alternate between being a catching team and a batting team. Unlike burnball, there is no pitcher, and instead the batter hits his or her own ball, and the game continues from there. There are four bases, and the batting team must attempt to get as many batters through all four without getting burned -- if the ball gets caught while someone is running between the two bases.

In correspondence between Lafayette and von Steuben for the effectiveness of playing simple games to build strategy and morale, Lafayette suggested adding the position of pitcher -- who may throw the ball to the batter. If the batter swings but misses, he gets an out. After a set number of outs (almost universally three outs), then the batter must go to the end of the queue -- losing his turn. This, Lafayette explained, would help create sharper minds -- batters would now have to, in a few short seconds, identify where the ball was coming from, if they could hit it, and recognize if they can or cannot, and swing or not swing accordingly. This, of course, shaped into the modern sport that much of America loves to this day.

American Burnball is a professional sport in the 21st century, and has been since the tail-end of the 19th century. Many local organizations run their own competitions, but the sport is mostly popular on the East Coast. A national organization -- the Burnball American Organization (BAO) -- does exist for the sport, but it is an odd entity in that it is, also, technically an organ of the United States military. Each state of the Union has its own state team -- each comprised almost entirely of training soldiers. These include teams like the New York Corsicans, the Massachusetts Yanks, the Ontario Wildmen, etc. Interestingly, very little has changed about the sport since the writing of the Blue Book. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- its simplicity, Burnball is a popular East Coast American sport.

Batter of the New York Corsicans, 2007.
​

---

A/N: Fun fact! I... really don't care about sports. At all. Regardless, though, sports are an important aspect of culture, and as such I figured it would be nice to implement some facet of that into a quick little interlude! Hope you enjoy!

 

[Oliveia]

Many, many apologies for the lack of updates recently. School's right around the corner for me, so expect updates to take awhile. I'll try to get back into the habit as soon as I can, and wrap up the American Revolution within the next couple chapters.

 

[Oliveia]

Chapter 8 (Redux):
A War of Words, Part II

"These hardy knaves and stupid fools / Some apish and pragmatic mules, / Some servile acquiescing tools,— / These, these compose the Congress. "
-Poem written during the Constitutional Convention
.
"You bring with you the Tidings of Britain: stinginess, and deception. I bring with me the traits of America: bickering, squabbling, yet the air of independence."
-Benjamin Franklin, during the signing of the Treaty of Paris

---
June 15, 1780*

​

For a group of individuals so named, it was remarkable how the Founding Fathers were terrible at founding a new nation, and indeed how nearly incompetent they were at fathering this new nation. The members of the Constitutional Convention seemed far more concerned with battles of moral superiority, fighting a war of words, as opposed to one of independence. Each man came with a mission in his heart...

And James Madison was a man like any other. So here he stood in the hot, sticky Philadelphian summer air, the windows of Pennsylvania State House shut to avoid the putrid fumes of the streets or the raucous cries of prisoners across the street. He sat down in the Hall and waited. The Convention was to be held on that day. So he sat and waited.

As the first hour ticked by, Madison wiped sweat from his brow, standing at the front of the Assembly Room and repeating some speech or other. When a word came out wrong, he begun from the start once more. He played with his emphasis, with how his words flowed. And yet no man showed. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he began ranting to himself. "These damned fools," he muttered to himself, "what is there more important than this? Fools and bastards, that lot, I swear..."

That night, he slept in the local bar after a generous helping of beer. He would repeat this routine for about a week before Congressmen slowly ambled their way into Philadelphia. Men with rowdy hearts, men who were stern, men marched in with backs straight as a rod were followed by beer-breathed men with hunched backs; misogynists and loving husbands; slave-holders and abolitionists; Bible-wielders and deists. One by one and two by two they slowly showed up to the Halls of Congress. Eventually, over half of a month, Congress Assembled was considered assembled enough to actually begin its process.

"Men of Congress!" began Madison. The congressmen gave a dissatisfied look at the small man standing before them. The secretary, William Temple Franklin (grandson of Benjamin Franklin), began writing with the kind of duty a young adult with four-odd years of experience would have, as Madison continued. "Men of Congress!" he repeats, "We are gathered today -- and for many days more -- to dedicate ourselves in mind and body in the task before us -- the task of creating a document which will rectify our people, our states, et cetera," he continued. After giving another couple minutes of speech, he gave a bow, muttered a practically unheard "Thank you," and returned to his seat to an equally small and practically unheard round of applause. And thus, the Constitutional Convention started.

And, just as quickly, the progress of the Convention halted. The group of dozens of men was like a locomotive, with each man acting as some pebble in its wheel or cog in its machinery. The first major factions sprung up like a phoenix from the flame. On one side was the Virginianites, headed by Madison; their gospel was the so-named "Virginia Plan," a pseudo-parliamentary system which sought to scrap the Articles of Confederation and place in its stead a system in which the Congress was strengthened, its seats a matter of proportion -- say, about five for Virginia, two or three for a smaller state like... New Jersey.

To which the "Jerseyites" cried blasphemy. Though the movement, and later the "New Jersey Plan" itself, was led by Judge Paterson of New Jersey, the real firebrand of the movement was one Luther Martin -- another politician dedicated to the plights of the smaller states -- particularly the two he was from, Maryland and New Jersey. He spoke with loud words and a breath made stale with alcohol. Though by the end of the Convention he was little more than a confused man with a bottle in hand, in the critical first months of the Convention, he spent his afternoons using his throat to hurl insults to the larger states, and in the mornings and nights he used it to down beer. "We did not usurp monarchs," he cried passionately one day, "to become monarchs once more! This Revolution was not one for a change of rulers -- a change in monarchs, a change in despots -- nay! This is a change in System, of Government, of how the people and their posterity will live!"

Of course, there were other major players, necessary for understanding how the final situation resolved itself. Gouverneur Morris was another instrumental player. A New York merchant, he was a gifted writer and vehemently pro-federalization. "America is that, America," he stated once, "it is -- or, at the very least, ought to be -- a single unit. A state matters not so long as they are united." Though Madison was far more in the style of "We The People," he considered Morris a veritable ally -- enough so that, when the ink of the Constitution was done and dry, it was ink that belonged to the feathered pen of Morris. Though the mantra of Morris and, to a lesser degree, Madison, was that of compromise, other Congressmen were not so believing. "We are within," Martin roared once, "a great battleground of ideals. Philosophies must be backed with words, such as how independence with swords and guns. And, if such a time come where our words will not do, it will instead be by the tips of swords!" Though there are records of some agitated Virginianite standing up with a hand in his pocket, order soon rang out.

Benjamin Franklin, the philosophical "First American," had been unanimously elected to be the head of the Congressional proceedings, and these proceedings were, in short... messy. "Madison," he wrote in his diary one night, "claims to be the Enemy of Factionalism, yet it is he who has Crafted the most Devisive [sic] Split in this entire Damned Congress." It was enough of a situation that the famously deistic Franklin wrote in his diary, "I pray to God that we may one day decide how to run this country."

God, if He exists, answered in the form of Charles Pinckney. In the never-ending stream of entering-and-exiting Congressmen, Pinckney was an interesting fellow. Unlike Madison or Paterson, Pinckney was the heart, the brains, and the fire behind his beliefs.

"How old are you, Sir?" asked William Franklin, according to popular myth. "I am precisely 20 years, four fortnights, one week and a day old," replied the 23-year-old Picnkney, with a glint in his eye. Many a historian believe that Pinckney wanted to be remembered, though how he did was rather interesting, indeed.

The major voices of the three major Constitutional Factions: (L->R), Pinckney, Martin, Morris
​

Again there were others -- Adams of Massachusetts, the French-bound Jefferson who frantically wrote to Congress trying to figure out what was going on (to which they responded with meaningless statements on the confidentiality of the whole affair). The hot and sweaty months drove on when, in August, the aforementioned Pinckney strode into the House. He brought with him a plan, accounted for in detail from Franklin, but coincidentally obscured in the journals of Madison. The plan was, in essence, a measure of compromise: bicameral legislature, representing population (the original proposals being 1 representative per thousand Americans -- a plan that would have bloated the chamber significantly), and the set-number seats of an upper house (these called the House of Delegates and the Senate, respectively). These Houses of Congress would directly elect Presidents of Congress and the United States (which would be amended to instead be the direct election of the President during the Era of Good Feelings -- particularly spurred by the words of the paranoid President Clinton). But nonetheless, it served its purpose: a perfect compromise between the two sides.

Which is why it took tooth and nail for it to win the beliefs of both parties. It took months of sweat, of words and anger, of threats of violence and drunken nights, and ultimately of angry landlords and an impending British invasion.

The State Hall was, of course, the hall of both the Continental Congress and the Pennsylvania legislature. And the legislature of Pennsylvania wanted to, well, legislate, and the Continental Congress was occupying the Assembly Room. However, before relations became actively hostile, a slave from New York entered the House, telling Franklin of an oncoming British force prepared to invade Philadelphia. As such, a plan was devised: first, Congress Assembled would... reassemble in the state of New Jersey -- farther from the British invasion force. The state militias would be informed, of course, but the preservation of Congress was deemed more important. That way, all sides were satisfied: tired Congressmen could finally escape the defecate-laden streets of Philadelphia (only to migrate to the defecate-laden streets of Trenton in the Spring of 1781), and the Legislature of Pennsylvania could continue their meetings without accommodating for the Continental Congress.

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*Pushed the date forward a little. Blame it on stubborn states and other such problems.
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A/N: Not exactly what I was expecting, but here's the "new" chapter! I wanted to better replicate the chaotically disruptive energy of the Continental Congress of RL, and make it more divergent. I was mostly inspired by Kevin Bleyer's Me The People, which is a very fun read so far! There's also going to be a Part 3, now! This one will be more about the ratification process, and the acceptance of the "Masonic Amendments" (as in George Mason, not as in the Freemasons. We're not going in that direction!)
Thanks for being so patient!
-Bennett

 

[Odinson]

Thanks for being so patient

One must be patient for art. Glad to see the update!

 

[Gentleman Johnny]

So, with this rewritten Constitutional Convention, is the constitution any noticeably different from OTL? I notice the House of Representatives is now the House of Delegates, and the President is now the President of Congress. Is this more like a Parliamentary system where the President is like a Prime Minister? Very glad to see the update by the way!
Also, should we just disregard the old post about the Constitutional Convention?

 

[Oliveia]

So, with this rewritten Constitutional Convention, is the constitution any noticeably different from OTL? I notice the House of Representatives is now the House of Delegates, and the President is now the President of Congress. Is this more like a Parliamentary system where the President is like a Prime Minister? Very glad to see the update by the way!
Also, should we just disregard the old post about the Constitutional Convention?

Firstly, yes, consider the old chapter non-canon. Some aspects are going to be repurposed, but not that much.
The system agreed upon by the end of the Convention will be fairly similar to the real-life Pinckney Plan, though with some minor alterations over the course of debate and such. By the end of Part 3 I'll try to spell things out a bit better.

 

[HeX]

I just caught up with the TL, and I must say, it's shaping up amazingly! Really shows how sometimes in history, one guy can accomplish the same amount of achievements in the span of time it would have taken a hundred others to do so.

George Washington, we hardly knew ye. Godspeed!

And I anticipate the next chapter. Here's hoping for (eventually) President Hamilton!

 

[Oliveia]

I just caught up with the TL, and I must say, it's shaping up amazingly! Really shows how sometimes in history, one guy can accomplish the same amount of achievements in the span of time it would have taken a hundred others to do so.

George Washington, we hardly knew ye. Godspeed!

And I anticipate the next chapter. Here's hoping for (eventually) President Hamilton!

Glad to hear you're liking it! There won't be a President Hamilton, but a Hamiltonian VP is going to happen (spoilers!).