Disunited States of America... Washington died

1886/1887

Grover Cleveland, of NY originally born in NJ, is the new President of Iroquois. He campaigns heavily in NJ during the referendum on joining the federation. NJ votes 53% in favor of unification. January 1st 1887 NJ becomes the 5th state in Iroquois. Cleveland formally declares Iroquois neutrality in the PA/VA war and pulls any federal propaganda encouraging volunteer regiments. NY plans for a canal in Central America are not pursued and the rights in Nicaragua are sold to MA.

James Blaine, President of MA, is often compared to be the polar opposite of Cleveland of Iroquois though they meet personally in Springfield, MA in 1887 regarding cooperation and possible unification. Nothing more than good-will and publicity occurs so each president can grab support from the Join or Die movement. Blaine steps up MA naval forces, makes a greater show of force in the Pacific and Caribbean. Unclaimed and unoccupied small islands in the Pacific are claimed for their guano deposits (and strategic locations). Embassies are established in Latin American countries and Europe. Blaine begins negotiations for the establishment of a Pacific base in Hawai'i, but Britain nixes the plan, MA establishes a base at San Francisco, CA instead. SC protests the location of a base so close to theirs at San Diego, Mojave.

After stalemate west of the Mississippi and with Delaware being restless, the Treat of Wilmington is signed between PA, Iroquois, DE, and VA. VA agrees to leave DE, pay indemnity, acknowledge wrongdoing, and vow to protect DE independence. PA acknowledges wrongdoing on the part of Grant and Sherman, pays $5 million for all land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi. VA allows everything north of the latitude that crosses the confluence of the Des Moines and Mississippi rivers to vote on joining Iroquois or staying with Virginia.
 
1888/1889

North of the latitude that crosses the confluence of the Iowa and Mississippi rivers votes to join Iroquois. President Cleveland meets with President Benjamin Harrison of Pennsylvania. Cleveland, an anti-expansionist and anti-war is afraid that PA will next turn on Iroquois, or continue to try to expand at the expense of VA by taking land west of the Mississippi as they have now done in three wars.

Chicago and environs, which had hoped to join Iroquois, find themselves under PA rule. Whereas Iroquois is a federation, PA is a unitary nation. Chicago feels it is at an economic disadvantage as it had hoped to avoid tariffs for sending and receiving products through the Great Lakes and Erie Canal to NYC and the wider world. As part of PA a lot of goods coming in use the Ohio River from Pittsburgh and agricultural products leave through that way as well. Chicago also had hoped to be the eastern terminus of a trans-continental railroad now that Iroquois spans the continent.

Transcontinental railroad proposed to go from Milwaukee west to Portland to unite newly Iroquois lands. SC in turn makes plans for a southern route through Texas to Mojave. Worries about Deseret not allowing a railroad after they derailed VA's attempt lead to negotiations with Mexico.

1889 PA capital, Johnstown, floods due to dam collapsing. 3,600 people die.

James Blaine, President of MA, organizes the first Conference of American States (Pan-American Conference), they meet in Baltimore. MA, Iroquois, PA, MD, VA, NC, SC, TX, Deseret, California, Mexico, and most Central American and South American nations attend. Delaware and Mojave do not. Economic cooperation, European interference, goodwill exchanges, and ways to arbitrate disputes instead of wars are all discussed. Deseret, California, and VA even talk about a trans-continental railroad from St Louis to San Francisco to compete with the northern and southern proposals; the Mormon delegation though is wary about a route that would allow "gentiles" to come in greater numbers.

Wheeling, VA petitions to be allowed to vote on joining PA. VA govt ignores.
 
Some appendix stats for 1890

Largest cities-

New York, Iroquois
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
St Louis, Virginia
Brooklyn, Iroquois
Boston, Massachusetts
Baltimore, Maryland
San Francisco, California
Chicago, Pennsylvania
Cincinnati, Pennsylvania
New Orleans, South Carolina

Presidents

Massachusetts- Thomas Reed
Iroquois- David Hill
Pennsylvania- James Campbell
Delaware- Robert Reynolds
Maryland- Elihu Jackson
Virginia- Philip McKinney
North Carolina- John Buchanan
South Carolina- Thomas Jones
Texas- Lawrence Ross
Deseret- Wilford Woodruff
California- Henry Markham
Mojave- William Walker
 
So North of the latitude that crosses the confluence of the Iowa and Mississippi rivers votes to join Iroquois, but then Iroquois grants it to PA? So PA controls all former VA territory east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio?

VA still controls all the giant land west of the Mississippi to the continental divide? Are there any organized counties out there, or is it just territories?

What is the situation in Oregon, and what are the southern and eastern borders?

I'll post an updated map showing the results of the treaty of Delaware. Since the borders are settling down, I'll only updated when there are border shakeups, rather than every five years.
 
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