The State of Nova Scotia

[Lyly]

How the Constitution Works

The United States Government is divided into 3 or 4 branches, depending on how you count the legislative branch(es). We'll start with the Legislative.

As you can see, there are technically 2 legislative branches, the House of Representatives and the House of Delegates. When a bill is passed in one branch/house it is sent to the other, if it passes there, it becomes law. The difference between the two is who they represent. The House of Delegates represents the governments of individual states, as such it's members (2 from each state) are appointed by state legislatures. The House of Delegates can veto decisions by the states with a unanimous vote. The House of Representatives directly represent the people of the nation as a whole. Thus, it's members are selected from candidates across the nation. Each state, via a popular vote, sends a limited number of candidates to a national pool. It is important to note that while candidates are elected from individual states, they do not represent that state. All states have bars on the number of candidates that can be sent to the national pool, states with larger populations have higher bars, ensuring that a state can not flood the pool with candidates. The lowest bar (as of 1789) is Nova Scotia, which can send 100 candidates. Out of this national pool of candidates, which can include several thousand individuals, a certain number (1 per 10,000 citizens nationwide, 404 if all 15 states are counted) are randomly alloted seats.

The Executive Branch, much weaker than in OTL, consists of the President. The job of the President is to represent the nation, both domestically and internationally, as a figure-head, as well as to ensure that laws passed by the Houses are enforced. In addition, the President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, which draws it's ranks proportionately from states (larger states are responsible for providing more troops).
The President is chosen at a local level, in a similar manner to how Representatives are chosen. An Electoral College reviews the candidates and from them chooses the President. Electors are chosen by State legislatures, who appoint a number of electors based on population.

The Judicial Branch consists of the federal-level Supreme Tribunal and State Courts. The Supreme Tribunal, consisting of 9 Tribunes, is appointed by the House of Delegates. The Supreme Tribunal serves as the court of final appeal and reviews actions by the Legislative and Executive branches to ensure constitutionality.


I hope this explains everything well enough, questions are more than welcome, especially if it appears I may have forgotten something. I'll overview the Statements of Rights and Responsibilities soon.


EDIT:
It seems I made some mistakes concerning the election of the President in the previous post, this is how it should read:

On May 16th, citizen voters gathered nationwide to vote on their candidates to the House of Representatives and for President. Candidates for the house were elected from state-wide and then moved up to the federal level (bars set on states, to prevent any one from flooding the pool with candidates meant that the highest possible number of candidates at the federal level was 5,500) where candidates were randomly allotted seats, 1 per 10,000 citizens. Candidates for President would be evaluated by an Electoral College, which would choose from these candidates the President.

 

[Nicomacheus]

Quick note while I muddle through the rest: if Virginia hasn't ratified the Consitution by the time the first elections take place, how is Washington eligible for the Presidency?

 

[Lyly]

Quick note while I muddle through the rest: if Virginia hasn't ratified the Consitution by the time the first elections take place, how is Washington eligible for the Presidency?

Erm.. Canada should be changed to June 20th, 1788, and Virginia to October 19, 1788.

Also, here's the updated timeline:

1787​

February 3- An armed rebellion, known as Shay's Rebellion, is defeated after attempting to take a federal armory in western Pennsylvania.​

May 25- Philadelphia Convention begins as a means of discussing amendments to the Articles of Confederation.​

June 20- The name United States of America is proposed as the nation's new name, which had been known unofficially as These thirteen united States of America.​

July 8- The Northwest Ordinance settles state land claim disputes in what becomes known as the Territory Northwest of the Ohio River, or Northwest Territory.​

September 28- The Constitution of the Government of the United States is adopted by Congress and the document is released to the states.​

October 17- The first of a series of essays known as the Federalist Papers, encouraging ratification of the new Constitution, is published in a New York newspaper.​

December 9- Pennsylvania becomes the first US State, as it ratifies the Constitution.​

December 10- Delaware ratifies the Constitution, becoming the second State.​

December 20- New Jersey ratifies the Constitution.​

1788​

January 8- Connecticut ratifies the Constitution.​

January 10- Maryland ratifies the Constitution.​

March 7- New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution.​

June 8- Congress amends the Constitution by applying the Statements of Rights and Responsibilities, written by Thomas Jefferson.​

June 10- Rhode Island becomes the first state to ratify the Constitution after the amendments.​

June 12- New York and Georgia both ratify the Constitution.​

June 16- Nova Scotia ratifies the Constitution. With 10 states ratifying, the Constitution becomes the law of the land.​

June 20- Canada ratifies the Constitution,​

July 20- A timetable for implementing the Constitution on May 16, 1789 is created.​

July 25- South Carolina ratifies the Constitution.​

August 21- Massachusetts ratifies the Constitution.​

October 17- North Carolina ratifies the Constitution.​

October 19- Virginia ratifies the Constitution.​

1789​

January 21- The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy is printed in Boston.​

May 16- The first nationwide elections occur in the United States.​

July 1- The Electoral College unanimously chooses George Washington for President. Allotment chooses the first members of the House of Representatives. State appointments to the House of Delegates are due.​

July 4- George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States.​

July 14- The French Revolution begins with the storming of the Bastille.​

July 17- The Houses of Delegates meets for the first time in Federal Hall in New York City.​

August 19- The House of Representatives meets quorum in New York City, in a newly constructed building especially designed to house the 319 seat legislature.​

September 8- The Department of Foreign Affairs is created, with Rufus King as it's first Secretary.​

September 17- The Department of War is created, with Benedict Arnold as it's first Secretary.​

 

[Lord Grattan]

Your saying that you'd "created a hellishly complex Constitution" made me wonder what the mechanism for amending it is and might there be a call at some point in time to simplify it (or might it break down in this TL and need to be rewritten..,.and I am not suggesting that it needs to be, just attempting to become a citizen in your 18th Century America)? Also, thanks for the "how the constitution works" diagram; very helpful and nicely done.

 

[Nicomacheus]

LG has a good point. I imagine the system might work for a while, but it'll depend on how your scheme for the House of Reps works out. The Senate will be dominant if the Presidency is less powerful and the House of Reps has less institutional memory. Political parties could still become more powerful than TTL as a way of compensating for the lack of institutional memory. That may make the American Republic much more...querulous.

A few questions:

1) Does the President under your scheme have the ability to veto acts of Congress? Or is that the lessening of powers you referred to?

2) Do powers of appointment and treaty ratification work in the same way?

3) What's the provision for Presidential succession? The President of the House of Delegates becomes Acting President? Is it specified?

4) Are the powers of Congress the same, save for the addition of the veto for the House of Delegates?

5) Also, while I like the name Supreme Tribunal, I doubt the members are called Tribunes. Seems too much of a departure from what a Tribune in Rome did (as opposed to the relative parallel between OTL US Senators and Roman ones). Additionally, does the Constitution expressly establish judicial review? And does it establish review over Federal laws and state laws? That's quite an extension: OTL the US Supreme Court has only limited review over state cases (there usually has to be some sort of constitutional question; otherwise, State Supreme courts are the final word).

6) Having the Articles of Confed. Congress add the Statement of Rights seems to create some confusion: the states who had already ratified would need to also ratify it. Some would ratify both the Statement and the Constitution in their conventions, but others would have to send the Statement to their Legislatures. I would imagine that the delay in Virginia might be explained by some procedural wrangling about whether the convention could adjust the Statement (similar to their OTL debate about ratifying conditional upon certain amendments or ratifying and suggesting amendments).

I'm interested to see what the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities looks like. Why Statement, though? Jefferson could be heralded as the "Author of the Two Declarations". I'd think he'd like it.

Nice to see Benedict Arnold around. Could make for an interesting President, I suppose.

Also, why only 13 states? Haven't you added Quebec and Nova Scotia to the mix?

 

[Lyly]

Your saying that you'd "created a hellishly complex Constitution" made me wonder what the mechanism for amending it is and might there be a call at some point in time to simplify it (or might it break down in this TL and need to be rewritten..,.and I am not suggesting that it needs to be, just attempting to become a citizen in your 18th Century America)? Also, thanks for the "how the constitution works" diagram; very helpful and nicely done.

Amendments work the same way as in OTL. You'll note though that the "Statements" amendments were not ratified by the states, this is because the Constitution was not in effect yet, in addition, these amendments were'nt perceived as additions to the document, but rather a rewritten version of it.

As for it breaking down, I'm not certain yet. Obviously, the House of Representatives will have to be amended, it's already 404 seats (if you count all 15 states). As an example, if the system were in use in Modern America, the HoR would have 40,000 seats and an estimated 800,000 people would be vying for seats. We probably see a system similar to the first article of the Bill of Rights (the one that never was ratified), so that as the size of the house goes up, representation goes down to counter the rate. As well, I've thought about removing the Commander-in-Chief function from the President. In fact, with Benedict Arnold as the Secretary of War, the only reason he's not making a fuss of it is because Washington is the President.
Also, a note on how Departments work: in my perception, they are set up jointly by both houses, but function independently of any branch. Sorta like independent agencies such as NASA, they are overseen by the legislators, but not administered by them.

EDIT-
Nicomacheus, you snuck up on me! If my jury-rigged quote attempt here does'nt work it's not my fault:

LG has a good point. I imagine the system might work for a while, but it'll depend on how your scheme for the House of Reps works out. The Senate will be dominant if the Presidency is less powerful and the House of Reps has less institutional memory. Political parties could still become more powerful than TTL as a way of compensating for the lack of institutional memory. That may make the American Republic much more...querulous.

A few questions:

1) Does the President under your scheme have the ability to veto acts of Congress? Or is that the lessening of powers you referred to?

2) Do powers of appointment and treaty ratification work in the same way?

3) What's the provision for Presidential succession? The President of the House of Delegates becomes Acting President? Is it specified?

4) Are the powers of Congress the same, save for the addition of the veto for the House of Delegates?

I'm interested to see what the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities looks like. Why Statement, though? Jefferson could be heralded as the "Author of the Two Declarations". I'd think he'd like it.

Nice to see Benedict Arnold around. Could make for an interesting President, I suppose.

Also, why only 13 states? Haven't you added Quebec and Nova Scotia to the mix?

Yes, as I've said, this Constitution is significantly weaker than OTL's. It's all intended!

1) No, the President has no veto power, he is simply "Executive" he does what the Houses tell him to do, and has no say in the matter.
2) As far as appointment goes, I've not thought enough about it to give a definite answer, I think it may have to go through both Houses. Treaties will probably have to be ratified by a 3/4 majority of states, but again, I've not thought enough on it yet.
3) It's not specified; Like so many other things in this set-up, it'll have to be made up as it occurs.
4) Yes, note though that there is no Congress, but two separate legislative bodies.

Mhm! I am curious to see what becomes of Arnold.

Where do you see 13 states? It may be a typo.

 

[Nicomacheus]

Amendments work the same way as in OTL. You'll note though that the "Statements" amendments were not ratified by the states, this is because the Constitution was not in effect yet, in addition, these amendments were'nt perceived as additions to the document, but rather a rewritten version of it.

Interesting. Doesn't that confuse the ratification process?

As for it breaking down, I'm not certain yet. Obviously, the House of Representatives will have to be amended, it's already 404 seats (if you count all 15 states). As an example, if the system were in use in Modern America, the HoR would have 40,000 seats and an estimated 800,000 people would be vying for seats. We probably see a system similar to the first article of the Bill of Rights (the one that never was ratified), so that as the size of the house goes up, representation goes down to counter the rate. As well, I've thought about removing the Commander-in-Chief function from the President. In fact, with Benedict Arnold as the Secretary of War, the only reason he's not making a fuss of it is because Washington is the President.
Also, a note on how Departments work: in my perception, they are set up jointly by both houses, but function independently of any branch. Sorta like independent agencies such as NASA, they are overseen by the legislators, but not administered by them.

Well, I'd think you could retain the Pres as C-in-C if Congress (particularly the House of Delegates) retains substantial influence over the Departments of Government. The Pres's status might then be construed as a more ceremonial, but orders must be confirmed by some version of a Cabinet / War Cabinet (even with the OTL Constitution, Congress has a lot of power to regulate and establish the chain of command; for example, the SIOP which regulates the deployment of nuclear weapons requires the agreement between the Pres and the SecDef).

 

[Lyly]

Hm... I like the thought of Thomas Jefferson: Author of the Two Declarations. Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities sounds better as well.

In any case, I think this is what the "Declaration" would sum up to, I drew inspiration from all of OTL: Bill of Rights, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Magna Carta, and the English Bill of Rights


~ Freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and to petition (self-explanatory)
~ Right to bear arms, protection from quartering of troops, private property may not be taken for public use (protection from oppressive government)
~ Protection from unreasonable search and seizure (self-explanatory)
~ Right of due process, trial by jury, speedy and public trial, right to counsel (self-explanatory)
~ Prohibition of excessive bail, protection from cruel and unusual punishment, double jeopardy (protection of incarcerated persons)
~ Prohibition of fines without trial (self-explanatory)
~ Equality before taxation (everyone pays the same taxation and no one is exempt)
~ Powers not delegated to the United States are to be exercised by the states or people (self-explanatory)

~ Responsibility of the government the ensure the rights of citizens (self-explanatory)
~ Responsibility of the government to provide military protection (self-explanatory)
~ Responsibility of the government to manage public finances wisely (self-explanatory)
~ Duty of state courts and judges to acknowledge decisions of Supreme Tribunal (supreme judicial power is vested in the Supreme Tribunal)
~ Duty of state legislatures to acknowledge decisions of the House of Delegates and House of Representatives (states must take into account federal laws, although it does'nt necessarily say they must be obeyed)
~ Duty of state legislatures to acknowledge vetoes by the House of Delegates (grants HoD veto power over state legislatures)
~ Responsibility of the House of Delegates and House of Representatives to meet yearly and with a quorum (self-explanatory)
~ Prohibition of appointment of legal officers unsuitable for the post (legal officers (judges) must have legal-training)
~ Separation of the duties of Legislative, Judicial, and Executive branches (overviews the separation of powers)

 

[Lyly]

Where & When: The Stories of Important FiguresI've attempted to document the stories of the most important figures of the United States thus far, whose lives have changed dramatically from OTL.

John Adams- A Delegate to the first and second Continental Congresses, Adams was a great influence on Congress. His thoughts on government were admired from early on, encouraging him to write the pamphlet Thoughts on Government, which influenced the drafting of many state constitutions as well as the thoughts of James Madison. In 1776, Adams was part of the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence. Adams was selected to negotiate a peace treaty with Great Britain in 1779, however, at the insistence of the French government, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and the Comte de Vergennes were sent to France to aid in the negotiations. Adams and Jay decided against consulting with France in negotiating with Britain, later angering the French, especially on the inclusion of Canada as part of the American nation. In 1785, Adams was appointed the first Minister to the Court of St. James, where he served until 1789. As a result of his foreign appointment, Adams was not present at the Philadelphia Convention. In 1789, Adams was appointed part of the Massachusetts delegation in the House of Delegates.

Benedict Arnold- Arnold was a captain in the Connecticut Guards, then a colonel in the Massachusetts militia before he rose to prominent status after the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775, which he co-commanded with Ethan Allen, however he was shortcut soon afterwards when the Continental Congress relieved him of command. After the creation of the Continental Army, Arnold became part of the campaign to secure Nova Scotia, serving under General Richard Montgomery, who recognized Arnold as a valuable strategist. After a failed expedition into insular Nova Scotia and the death of Montgomery, Arnold led the force and secured the mainland. In 1776, he was promoted to General and placed in command of the defense of Rhode Island, where he eventually drove the British out of the city of Providence. He later traveled to Philadelphia, later assuming control of the forces there. In 1777, he moved his force into New York to assist Washington, where he deflected British forces from the siege of Fort Stanwix and routed British forces under command of Lt. General Burgoyne. However, Arnold received no credit due to vilification by General Horatio Gates. This, combined with a British invasion of Philadelphia, encouraged Congress to remove Arnold from major command. However, Washington encouraged Arnold to winter with his troops at Valley Forge, who, in 1778, placed him in command of the defense of Virginia against British forces in the south. He held off the British there until the end of the war. After the war, Arnold moved back in with his family in Connecticut. Embittered from his experiences with Congress during the war, Arnold stayed out of politics, but was appointed Commanding General of the Army in 1786. In 1789, at the advice of President Washington, Arnold was appointed the first Secretary of War.

Alexander Hamilton- Hamilton served in the Revolution as an artillery Captain and later as a Lieutenant Colonel in Washington's staff, becoming his Chief of Staff. Later, serving in Congress, 1782-1783, Hamilton became a critic of the decentralized nature of the Articles of Confederation. He became acquainted with Robert Morris and James Madison, who had aims at resolving the nation's troubling financial situation. In 1783, after resigning from Congress, Hamilton drafted a resolution calling for the revision of the Articles and the creation of a strong central government. In 1787, Hamilton was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, where, despite being a primary leader in it's occurance, he was held in low regard. In 1789, he became a New York Delegate to the House of Delegates, alongside John Jay, who was elected Speaker.

John Jay- Jay served as President of the Continental Congress only three days after joining the body, 1778-1779, after which he resigned his post to become the Minister to Spain. Later, he was dispatched to France to aid in peace negotiations with Britain. Jay became the Secretary of Foreign Affairs in 1784 and continued at the post until 1789, when he became a Delegate from New York and Speaker of the House of Delegates.

Thomas Jefferson- The Author of Two Declarations, Jefferson was the primary author of both the Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities. He served as a delegate to the Continental Convention 1775-1776, and served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1776-1778. Jefferson's political reputation was somewhat tarnished after his term as Governor of Virginia, 1779-1781, where his attempts to reform education were countered by public disapproval as well as three separate British invasions during his tenure. Later, Jefferson served briefly as Minister to France, 1785-1786.
He attended the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, where he became the leader of the "Confederalists", and a supporter of adding a list of citizen's rights to the Constitution. In 1788, his Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities became the Constitution's first amendment. In 1789, Jefferson was elected a candidate to the House of Representatives, but was not allotted a seat.

James Madison- The Author of the Constitution, Madison first came to prominence as a delegate to the Continental Congress, 1780-1783, where he became known as a legislative workhorse. In addition, Madison was a leading figure in successfully creating the Northwest Territory by convincing Virginia to relieve it's claim over the area. Madison was an early critic of the fragility of the Articles of Confederation and, in 1787, drafted the Virginia Plan of government, which became the primary basis for the Constitution, although he was not entirely satisfied with the final document. Nevertheless, he co-authored, with Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, the Federalist Papers, pushing for ratification of the new Constitution, although his home state of Virginia was the last to ratify. Madison became the Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1789.

Also, I'll list the members of the House of Delegates. The House of Representatives is too large to list I'm afraid, but I'll list any Founding Fathers serving in it.

House of Delegates:
Speaker: John Jay
Canada- John Mabane, Clément Gosselin
Connecticut- Jonathan Trumbull, Oliver Ellsworth
Delaware- John Dickinson, Henry Latimer
Georgia- William Few, James Jackson
Maryland- William Paca, George Dent
Massachusetts- John Adams, Elbridge Gerry
New Hampshire- John Langdon, Jeremiah Smith
New Jersey- Jonathan Dayton, John Witherspoon
New York- John Jay, Alexander Hamilton
North Carolina- Samuel Johnston, Timothy Bloodworth
Nova Scotia- Frédéric Hamelin, Marc Tremblay
Pennsylvania- Thomas Fitzsimons, Frederick A. C. Muhlenberg
Rhode Island- Joseph Stanton, William Bradford
South Carolina- John Rutledge, Charles Cotesworth Pickney
Virginia- Richard Henry Lee, George Mason

House of Representatives:
Speaker: James Madison
Selected Members:
John Blair, of Virginia
Pierce Butler, of South Carolina
Samuel Chase, of Maryland
Stephen Hopkins, of Rhode Island
Henry Lee III, of Virginia
Thomas McKean, of Delaware
Thomas Mifflin, of Pennsylvania
Gouverneur Morris, of Pennsylvania
Roger Sherman, of Connecticut

 

[Nicomacheus]

Great stuff. John Adams as a Delegate is nice. My only negative comment would be that I think the Constitutional Convention would have different titles for the presiding officer of the house of Delegates and of the house of Representatives. However, I also can't think of a good alternative -- pretty much I've got Chairman or Premier. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing how things go now we've got the Constitution settled (for now).

 

[Lord Grattan]

Great stuff. John Adams as a Delegate is nice. My only negative comment would be that I think the Constitutional Convention would have different titles for the presiding officer of the house of Delegates and of the house of Representatives. However, I also can't think of a good alternative -- pretty much I've got Chairman or Premier. Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing how things go now we've got the Constitution settled (for now).

My suggestion for the presiding officer of one of the chambers is Moderator, which would be a famililar title to most Scots-Irish Protestant folks of the time.

 

[DuQuense]

I see a lot of work on TTL,
My Problem is that you have never given any reason why French speaking Catholic Quebec, would join the English speaking Protestant Union.
Especially given the American Invasion and Occupation during the war.
[After the War, there was no Army to continue the occupation.]

Most of the Colonies were Anti-Catholic, Anti-French, and the French Catholics in Quebec returned the sentiment.

 

[Lyly]

Okay, after continuing this TL, I have enormous respect for history and the incredible fragility of it. I am truly surprised at what my TL has done to the United States... Enjoy the story!


...One of the first bills to pass through both houses and become law was the Hamilton Tariff, proposed by New York Delegate, Alexander Hamilton. In addition, the Departments of Foreign Affairs and War were both formed. Madison, as Speaker of the House of Representatives, aided greatly in establishing the federal government. He was keen to show his support for bills that he felt were beneficial to the development of the nation and wielded the power and influence of his office a great extent more than his Delegate counterpart, John Jay. Jay, unlike Madison, took less of an active role in the House of Delegates. Whereas Madison was oft to personally direct the proceedings of his house, even selecting which bills to debate, Jay held that it was not in the Speaker's power to directly mingle in the lawmaking process. By the end of the year, the roles and activities of the two Houses were firmly established. In 1790, more headway was made in fabricating the details of government. Provisions were made for the first Census, the first Naturalization Act was passed, the Judicial system was developed with the Judicial Act, the Departments of the Treasury and State Affairs were created, and Washington DC was established as the nation's capital.

The Years Of Crises / Third Time's A Charm 1791-1800

In early 1791, a bill known as the Territorial Act was passed in the House of Delegates, but failed to pass in the House of Representatives. The bill, which would have created two new territories out of land claimed by Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia, and Canada. The House of Delegates went to the Supreme Tribunal, claiming that because Delegates are selected by state legislatures, the house demonstrates the will of the states at the national level. The affair, known as the House Equality Debate or the Territorial Affair, went on for months as the Supreme Tribunal deliberated and developed into what is called the. The argument was further complicated by the fact that Vermont, a newly admitted state, had representation in the House of Delegates, but there were no Representatives elected from Vermont. Because of the way Representatives were elected, it would prove impractical to host elections again to include Vermont. Arguably, this situation gave Vermont and it's citizens less representation that states admitted before it. Finally, in late July, the Supreme Tribunal ruled with the House of Delegates, stating that because the people of Vermont held no representation in the House of Representatives, it's decisions since the admission of the state could not be said to be democratic. Speaker Madison suspended the session of the House of Representatives for the rest of the term. Meanwhile, the Supreme Tribunal ordered that the remaining House of Delegates create a special committee to amend the Constitution to fix the House of Representatives. In the absence of the House of Representatives, the House of Delegates argued that any bill passed in it's chamber was made law, thus the Territorial Act was enforced.
Immediately, the states of Virginia and Canada objected and refused to accept the law. Sensing the developing crisis and the potential to tear the young republic apart, President Washington refused to enforce the Territorial Act. The Supreme Tribunal then stepped in and ordered the suspension of the Constitution. The entire affair, consisting of 3 constitutional crises occurring simultaneously, became known as the Crisis of 1791.

The United States had now attempted, and failed, to govern itself as a confederation twice. Both the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of 1789 had collapsed. Loyalists remaining in the United States had already begun propagandizing the prospect of returning to colonial status. Many Americans, frustrated with the repeated failed attempts at self-government did call for reunion with Britain. Still, a large group refused to consider the possibility, recalling what they called the Intolerable Acts and indeed, the Revolutionary War itself. On the whole, most states felt that with modification, the Constitution of 1789 could be made to work. A new Continental Congress was called for, originally in New York City, then in Philadelphia, when New York, as well as Virginia, North Carolina, and Canada refused to attend.

Updated Timline:
1790
March 2- Naturalization Act of 1790 is passed.
March 26- The Judicial system is put into place with the passage of the Judicial Act.
April 1- The Department of the Treasury is created, with Robert Morris as it's first Secretary.
May 26- The Department of State Affairs is created, with John Beckley as it's first Secretary.
July 6- A land in Northern Delaware is selected to become the site of the new Capital.
1791
March 4- Vermont is admitted as the 16th state.
April 8- The Territorial Act fails to pass in the House of Representatives, the Crisis of 1791 begins.
July 23- The Supreme Tribunal argues that the House of Representatives is unrepresentative and orders that the Constitution be amended.
July 24- The session of the House of Representatives is suspended. The Territorial Act creates the Southwest Territory and the Ontario Territory.
July 28- President Washington refuses to enforce the Territorial Act.
August 1- The Supreme Tribunal suspends the Constitution.
September 11- A Third Continental Congress is called in Philadelphia, New York, Virginia, North Carolina, and Canada refuse to attend.


Also, I created the flag of the 15-state United States! Not that it matters much now...

 

[corourke]

Wow, this is really interesting. I feel like Canada will feel the need to drift off from the rest of the United States if they try to take her land away.

Do you have population figures for the 16 states now? I'm interested to see which states have the most representation.

 

[Lyly]

Do you have population figures for the 16 states now? I'm interested to see which states have the most representation.

I do actually. Nova Scotia is an estimation based on the best sources I could find, and it's not updated for Vermont (counted as part of NY).

1789
Total Population: 3,929,214(OTL) + 13,000(Loyalists) + 83,012(Canada) + 27,123(Nova Scotia) = 4,052,349

Virginia- 765,500
New York- 482,000
Massachusetts- 475,300
Pennsylvania- 434,400
North Carolina- 353,800
Maryland- 319,700
South Carolina- 249,100
Connecticut- 237,900
New Jersey- 184,100
New Hampshire- 141,900
Canada- 83,012
Georgia- 82,500
Rhode Island- 68,800
Delaware- 59,100
Nova Scotia- 47,123

And yes, I am aware that the numbers do not add up. This is because, a) these are averages, b) they do not include ATL Loyalists, c) I assume there are more in territories, not listed under states. I did the best I could...

 

[corourke]

So Canada is in a unique position, as its is a geographically large state with a small state's population. I think Virginia's going to have to give in seeing as there are really no other large states with western claims to side with it.

 

[Nicomacheus]

Wow! Quite a Constitutional Crisis you created! I'm curious to see how the 2nd Convention plays out.

 

[Zyzzyva]

I don't know mutch about the OTL US constitution (it's got three parts, or something?) but I like your constitutions and the way the wheels are about to fall off. Cool!

(Oh, and soon the US will rejoin GB... Doesn't matter if you don't intent it to happen. It's inevitable. )

EDIT: Actually, more seriously, it'd be interesting if the US had three parties in the next election: Nationalists, Confederalists, and "UELoyalists" (altough obviously they wouldn't call themselves that). What with the constitution locking up, the economy collapsing, and huge numbers of ATL UELs still around, I can see them becoming a significant voice in American politics.

EDITEDIT: Not to mention the Quebequois... although they might just fall into the extreme states-rights wing of the Confederalists.

 

[Lyly]

Thanks for the comments everyone! Yeah, I tried really hard to make this constitution work It disappoints me how utterly it failed. Understandably, right now I'm assessing the situation and trying to figure how this would realistically turn out, so a follow-up may be awhile yet.

 

[Dan1988]

***BIG BUMP***