In the US, it's not a well known fact that there was no authority to replace the Articles of Confederation with the US Constitution. The AoC had an amendment process and it requires consent of the Congress and all states. The Congress under AoC never passed any resolution ratifying the Constitution, and even if it did, there is still a question as to the legality under the Articles of the Confederation. I maintain there is a legitimate question as to whether under the existing government the AoC could be replaced by the US Const.
But now let's get to alternate history. What happens in terms of borders/acquisitions/etc to what we think of as the United States?
Here's my general thought: Generally the US goes no farther west than the Mississippi and the states that make up the US today would be more like independent nations and the US would be like the EU.
Details: My big thought on borders and acquisitions is that manifest destiny doesn't really shape up the way it does in the OTL because to carry out manifest destiny the US needed a strong central gov't. It wouldn't have that under the AoC. I still believe that the US could defend itself from other countries, but not expand.
Thus I am thinking there would be no Louisiana Purchase. Instead, that territory, just acquired by Napoleon from Spain, would have been sold back to Spain. The Kingdom of Spain had money.
At 1803 almost all of the current US west of the Mississippi is New Spain, and later Mexico. [Spain would sell off Florida to the US because it just didn't make sense to have] Just as the Spainish/Mexicans did in the 19th century, they would still do things to lure Americans over to their lands, such as Texas. I still think there would be a Republic of Texas, but without a strong US central gov't, there would be no annexation of Texas.
I've heard here that without an annexation, Texas probably would have fell back into Mexican hands, so I am assuming that Texas an independent republic does not last long and falls back into Mexican hands.
But that's not to say New Mexico (All of Mexico that would be in the OTL United States) would survive altogether. I would think that although Mexico would not have to deal with the US that much since the US would not be land-crazy (remember no manifest destiny), but they still had Britain to deal with up North as I don't think Mexico could defend any land north of present day Oklahoma until/unless they brought people there. Thus I would think Canada would extend into the OTL states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, most of Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. The OTL states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas would remain part of Mexico.
No War of 1812 because US never tries to invade Canada, no Civil War because the states have plenty of autonomy. As I said, this is paving the way to an EU-like group of nations in 2009. No Spainish-American War because US is not concerned with Cuba. No Puerto Rico. No Alaska. No Hawaii. No Guam. No US VI. None of these acquisitions ever come up as even ideas in the United States of America in Congress Assembled. There may be a Pacific front to WWII, but it does not involve the US whatsoever.
When the gold rush strikes in California (if it is still discovered in 1848), people from all walks of life come to cash in but the US never gets a sniff at annexation because it is too far removed from the main US which ends at the Mississippi. Any thought of annextion and war would come from the UK.
Virginia never splits into two states because West Virginia broke off as a result of Virginia's succession from the Union.
With the states being practically individual nations, the US does not emerge as a superpower. New York definitely establishes itself as the biggest nation in terms of world power, but that's not saying a lot.
The North becomes industrialized while the South stays agrarian, leading to poverty in the Southern states. Eventually the Southern states are on par with third world countries.
"New Mexico" is just as you'd expect, Mexico...but in the OTL United States. Poor, third world, but plenty of land.
Canada of course finally gets home rule and according to the AoC, Canada is offered a no questions asked full admission to the US. Canada declines because Canada is much stronger "country" than the US. In fact in this timelime I'm thinking Canada becomes a big superpower.
Has anyone ever thought about a scenario where the US survives with the AoC and what happens? It really fascinates me, especially because I think there was no authority to dispose of the AoC.
But now let's get to alternate history. What happens in terms of borders/acquisitions/etc to what we think of as the United States?
Here's my general thought: Generally the US goes no farther west than the Mississippi and the states that make up the US today would be more like independent nations and the US would be like the EU.
Details: My big thought on borders and acquisitions is that manifest destiny doesn't really shape up the way it does in the OTL because to carry out manifest destiny the US needed a strong central gov't. It wouldn't have that under the AoC. I still believe that the US could defend itself from other countries, but not expand.
Thus I am thinking there would be no Louisiana Purchase. Instead, that territory, just acquired by Napoleon from Spain, would have been sold back to Spain. The Kingdom of Spain had money.
At 1803 almost all of the current US west of the Mississippi is New Spain, and later Mexico. [Spain would sell off Florida to the US because it just didn't make sense to have] Just as the Spainish/Mexicans did in the 19th century, they would still do things to lure Americans over to their lands, such as Texas. I still think there would be a Republic of Texas, but without a strong US central gov't, there would be no annexation of Texas.
I've heard here that without an annexation, Texas probably would have fell back into Mexican hands, so I am assuming that Texas an independent republic does not last long and falls back into Mexican hands.
But that's not to say New Mexico (All of Mexico that would be in the OTL United States) would survive altogether. I would think that although Mexico would not have to deal with the US that much since the US would not be land-crazy (remember no manifest destiny), but they still had Britain to deal with up North as I don't think Mexico could defend any land north of present day Oklahoma until/unless they brought people there. Thus I would think Canada would extend into the OTL states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, most of Minnesota, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. The OTL states of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas would remain part of Mexico.
No War of 1812 because US never tries to invade Canada, no Civil War because the states have plenty of autonomy. As I said, this is paving the way to an EU-like group of nations in 2009. No Spainish-American War because US is not concerned with Cuba. No Puerto Rico. No Alaska. No Hawaii. No Guam. No US VI. None of these acquisitions ever come up as even ideas in the United States of America in Congress Assembled. There may be a Pacific front to WWII, but it does not involve the US whatsoever.
When the gold rush strikes in California (if it is still discovered in 1848), people from all walks of life come to cash in but the US never gets a sniff at annexation because it is too far removed from the main US which ends at the Mississippi. Any thought of annextion and war would come from the UK.
Virginia never splits into two states because West Virginia broke off as a result of Virginia's succession from the Union.
With the states being practically individual nations, the US does not emerge as a superpower. New York definitely establishes itself as the biggest nation in terms of world power, but that's not saying a lot.
The North becomes industrialized while the South stays agrarian, leading to poverty in the Southern states. Eventually the Southern states are on par with third world countries.
"New Mexico" is just as you'd expect, Mexico...but in the OTL United States. Poor, third world, but plenty of land.
Canada of course finally gets home rule and according to the AoC, Canada is offered a no questions asked full admission to the US. Canada declines because Canada is much stronger "country" than the US. In fact in this timelime I'm thinking Canada becomes a big superpower.
Has anyone ever thought about a scenario where the US survives with the AoC and what happens? It really fascinates me, especially because I think there was no authority to dispose of the AoC.