This Cannot Stand
The Great Failure of America
The Great Failure of America
After the British surrendered in 1783 after the disastrous battle in Yorktown the Colonies got together and drafted the Articles of Confederation, the first attempt at unification. Due to continuous printing of money to pay off war debts the post war economy began to give. In a desperate attempt to save the economy the government began to aggressively hound debtors for their money. This coupled with the depression began Shays Rebellion that almost came close to toppling the new government. Citing the problems of the Articles as the cause of the Rebellion the Colonies once again gathered on May 25th, 1787 in Philadelphia to draft a new Constitution. The discussion drew on for days, then weeks, then months and no headway was made. Many representatives stayed home due to severe storms over the Northeast including Alexander Hamilton. Eventually the issue of Slavery was brought up and the Northern delegates wanted complete abolition and nothing less, the Southern delegates wanted the exact opposite. Even after a emotional speech by both George Washington and Ben Franklin the Southerners refused to budge. July turned to August and still no compromise was made many delegates began to vocally oppose a central government and on August 30th the Southern delegates* (along with the ones from Maryland and New Hampshire) walked out of the Convention. On September 4th the Convention dissolved as arguments spill over into violence and the states were on their one, like they wanted; Washington wept.
The Southern Colonies, bound in their dependence on slaves, quickly grew close as the Northern and Middle colonies did the same and tensions began to rise. Abroad Britain was delighted at the separation of the states and saw it as god giving them a second chance. They began making moves on the Northern Colonies when they united into the Confederation of New England with George Washington at its head. The Southern Colonies, alarmed by the formation of the the Confederation, met in Richmond and formed the Southern Alliance with James Madison as its first President. Pretty soon after the formation of the two countries the Middle Colonies took sides against each other. Maryland and Delaware applied to join the Southern Alliance while Pennsylvania was annexed into the Confederation. Britain tried to back the Confederacy but was shut out by Washington who feared Britain would annex them if allowed inside the Confederation, the economy began to buckle. Down South France and Spain battled for hegemony over the Southern Alliance by pouring millions into its industry giving birth to industrial powerhouses in Richmond, Virginia and Baltimore Maryland. An uneasy peace settled over the land as the two nations began building its armies in preparation for a war that would surely come. It did in 1790 when the Southern Confederation began skirmishing into Confederate territory in the Northwest Territory. George Washington asked for 10,000 men to join the Army but when he gathered them in New York he was met with little more than 5 thousand.
*Except George Washington
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