George Washington Killed at Yorktown

Suppose General Washington was killed by a British cannonball during the final hours of the siege of Yorktown.

The battle is still won by the French and Americans.

Events will follow a similar course as OTL and the treaty of Paris is still signed in 1783.

But what will happen to young America without it's great leader and first President.

Will the U.S constitution still come to pass and if so who becomes the first Presidents and what precidents will they set?

Thoughts?

Jason Sleeman
 
Ouch, bum deal. Washington wasn't perfect, but he's the most venerated of the Founding Fathers for a reason. He was the most decent, and sometimes the only decent, man of the lot.

'Course, I personally favor the Loyalists side, for a variety of reasons. :cool:
 
"Washington wasn't perfect, but he's the most venerated of the Founding Fathers for a reason. He was the most decent, and sometimes the only decent, man of the lot."

I completely agree with you Cloudy Vortex. I couldn't fathom what America would be like without him guiding it's early development. His prestige alone was a force to be reckoned with.

Jason Sleeman
 
I wonder if the US Constitution or a similar document could get approved without Washington. He presided over the US Constitutional Convention, and his support for the stronger federal government probably helped sway a signficant number of people. The fact that everyone already knew that he would be the first president certainly helped overcome some peoples' fears that the US Constitution gave the President too much power.

Perhaps with Washington killed the US either continues under a modified version of the Articles of Confederation, or breaks apart into 2 or more separate nations by the end of the 18th century.
 
Frankin

"President Benjamin Franklin??"

A possibility Derek ,but Frankin's physical health wasn't the best at that time, He may have had a good deal of popular support but I,m not sure he would have wanted the Presidency.
 
Anti Federalists

"I wonder if the US Constitution or a similar document could get approved without Washington. He presided over the US Constitutional Convention, and his support for the stronger federal government probably helped sway a signficant number of people. The fact that everyone already knew that he would be the first president certainly helped overcome some peoples' fears that the US Constitution gave the President too much power"

An excellent point Paul,

Perhaps his absence would allow the Anti Federalists to prevail
 
Yea Im playing around with this as well. Basically the US will become The American Republic, similar to Rome with a benevolent empire that will strech around the world (other nations exist though).
 
Arch-Angel said:
Yea Im playing around with this as well. Basically the US will become The American Republic, similar to Rome with a benevolent empire that will strech around the world (other nations exist though).

You think that the US would be stronger if Washington had died earlier?
 
President Samual Adams instead of John Adams....well maybe in direct result. I had a scenario where George Washington was killed before Benedict Arnold's betrayal and so Mister Arnold ended up not betraying the US and ultimately became the 1st PONTUS
 
Without Washington's rather firm stance in favor isolationism, does the US end up becoming more entangled in European affairs? If I had to guess I'd see a US that's allied with France, getting entangled with Europe might lead to longer-lasting hostility betweent he US and Britain, as initially they would likely not be in the same alliances.

Most likely we see a US constitution with a somewhat weaker central government and a significantly weaker President. Might also effect the issue of State's Rights, thus delaying or avoiding the US civil war.
 
Surely it would be a King - remember Washington refused to be anointed as King.

An American monarch would have been a disaster. One moron monarch and the colonies go their separate ways as 13 different nations.
 
Paul Spring said:
You think that the US would be stronger if Washington had died earlier?

Not immediatly but Hamilton takes over and turns it into a highly industrialized, highly centralized state while balancing states rights and such through the unicameral Senate and the elected for life Consul.
 

Faeelin

Banned
Arch-Angel said:
Not immediatly but Hamilton takes over and turns it into a highly industrialized, highly centralized state while balancing states rights and such through the unicameral Senate and the elected for life Consul.

Hamilton was strongly supported by Washington. Who'd do that if he was dead?
 
ljofa said:
Surely it would be a King - remember Washington refused to be anointed as King.

An American monarch would have been a disaster. One moron monarch and the colonies go their separate ways as 13 different nations.
More likely an Electorate (As in the Prince-Elect of the United States of America) or a oligarcial excutive branch. Or we would remain a confederation...
 
Hamilton would be an interesting choice but the differences between North and South would erupt much sooner - and without an industrialised North, the South could easily secede.
 
There have been elected Monarchies but the office of Elector war a bit different. Certain German Princes were ELECTORS. That meant that they got to elect the Holy Roman Emporer- who I gather was nearly always the Austrian ruler
 
ljofa said:
An American monarch would have been a disaster. One moron monarch and the colonies go their separate ways as 13 different nations.
The United States could possibly turn into some sort of American version of the HRE, with the colonies being basically independent, with only theoretical leaedership of the King.
 
It's also possible that the British could pick up former colonies as they petition to rejoin the Empire.
 
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