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This Day in Alternate History Blog
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Daniel Shays' Rebellion Excerpts
from Defining a Nation: From Rebellion to Independence By
Brigadier General Jacob Brüning, Federal Army, (ret.) Burlington Military
Institute (c) 1998 Burlington, Vermont, Federal
Union of America
“…but, it was not until the summer of 1786 that the true number of
woeful inadequacies of the Articles of Confederation became apparent. Over the
course of the year, the United States Congress had passed a series of bills
designed to raise the revenue of
the fledgling American government. A number of land taxes, considered excessive
by the standards of the day, combined with an economic depression resulting from
the vacuum of economic structure left by the break with Great Britain, combined
to make living exceptionally hard on many. The arrival of the summer solstice
found many poor farmers in New England threatened with the loss of their
property and even imprisonment.
In the town of Holyoke, Massachusetts, on the banks of the Connecticut
River, a small-time farmer by the name of Daniel Shays tottered on the edge of
losing all his possessions. A former captain in the Continental Army, Shays
desperately needed the back-owed pay still not received by veterans of the First
American Revolution. As it was, however, Shays was weighed down by a growing
pile of debts and unpaid taxes. The county Sheriff was constantly harassing
Shays, threatening the poor farmer with imprisonment if the debts were not paid
by December. Thus, it was in early July when Shays decided to take matters into
his own hands.
Calling together a group of friends, all former officers in the
Continental Army and poor farmers who were disgruntled with the burden of debts,
Shays began to form a plan to relieve himself and his friends of debt, while at
the same time relieving those of poor farmers throughout the United States.
Opposition to the established government soon began to coalesce around Daniel
Shays and, by the end of August, Shays had gathered a ragtag ‘army’ of one
thousand former soldiers and farmers throughout New England and New York.
By the last week of August, Daniel Shays and his fellow plotters were in
the final stages of planning. In the weeks following the march on Worcester and
the disruption of the district court, several high-ranking officers in the rebel
‘army’ had been captured and imprisoned in Springfield, Massachusetts. At a
meeting to discuss freeing these plotters, a man named David Holloway, a junior
member of the group who had recently been ill and had not been expected to
attend the meeting, made a suggestion. Holloway argued that, since the
‘army’ had only a disorganized collection of back-country weaponry, seizing
the federal arsenal in Springfield while freeing the prisoners would go a long
way towards arming the men…” Excerpts
from The People’s History of the Federal Union of America: 1786 - 2004 By
Professor Alexander Holt Akron
University (c) 2005 Akron,
Erie, Federal Union of America
“…Timeline of the Federal Union of America
October 1, 1786:
At six o’clock in the morning, the first of Shays’ army enters
Springfield, Massachusetts. By eight, the entire army has gathered within the
city and started to move towards both the arsenal and the jail. By ten, elements
of militia under General Benjamin Lincoln assigned to guard the arsenal,
numbering around one hundred and fifty, have been defeated by Shays. Eighteen
militiamen and thirty-one of Shays’ men were killed in the fighting around the
army. By three in the afternoon, Shays’ and his men have gathered all the
weaponry, provisions, and uniforms within the arsenal (including all weaponry on
the militiamen). About a dozen cannon are also taken, towed off by horses. At
five, as the last of Shays’ men are leaving the city, a single man sets fire
to the house of one of the wealthiest citizens of Springfield. The conflagration
spreads, consuming nearly two-thirds the town and killing two hundred people by
the time it is put out three days later.
October 2:
Shays and his officers meet and decide to take the rebel army
northwest, into the Berkshire Mountains. By the end of the day, all one thousand
men are on the road, marching towards Pittsfield.
October 6:
Governor James Bowdoin of Massachusetts and his aides meet in secret
in Boston. Influenced by many wealthy Bostonians, Bowdoin decides to call all
Massachusetts militiamen to convene in Worcester in order to prepare to fight
the rebel army. Bowdoin considers but rejects asking neighboring states to send
their militias to help defeat the rebels.
October 12:
Daniel Shays and his men march virtually unopposed into the town of
Pittsfield. The town, relatively high up in the mountains of western
Massachusetts, becomes Shays camp over the course of the next couple of months.
The residents of the town provide food and medical aid to Shays’ haggard band
of rebels. In return, Shays’ troops help with construction and other chores
around town. The rebels begin building a series of defensive works around the
town.
October 15:
In the state of Georgia, former Revolutionary General Nathanael
Greene hears of the rebellion taking place in Massachusetts. Greene, a Rhode
Islander himself, feels obligated to help his fellow New Englanders. Over the
next couple of weeks, Greene makes preparations to move his family north, where
he hopes to help the Massachusetts militia put down the rebellion. By October
30, Greene and his family begin their month-long trek up the east coast of the
United States…” Excerpts
from The Farmer’s War: Daniel Shays’ Rebellion By
Vice Admiral Thomas Clausen, Federal Marines, (ret.) Erie
Marine Military Institute (c) 1999 Erie,
Pennsylvania, Federal Union of America
“…with
the arrival of Revolutionary hero Nathanael Greene in Warwick, Rhode Island,
Shays’ rebels were dealt a serious blow. Over the course of the winter of
1786, Shays had been hoping for the friendly intervention of a well known
figure. The man who Shays most counted and hoped on was Ethan Allen. Allen, who
had become an ‘enemy’ of the United States while negotiating with the
Canadian governor to establish Vermont as a British province. Thereafter, Allen,
who held enormous sway with the Green Mountain Boys who Shays hoped would come
to his aid, was constantly at odds with the United States government. With
Nathanael Greene now vying for the command of the troops aiming to eliminate
Shays’ rebels, even Allen could not be counted on to provide aid to the
foundering rebel cause.
Despite the lack of hope, however, Shays’ army continued to swell.
Throughout the winter, farmers from throughout New England and New York arrived
in Pittsfield. By April, when the snow finally began to recede and Shays once
again planned on leaving his mountain base, the rebel army had swelled to
incorporate nearly eighteen hundred troops, all armed with the very latest
weaponry, courtesy of the arsenal at Springfield. While the rebels did not lack
in weaponry, they did, on the other hand, lack in ammunition. As winter came to
an end, Shays and his aides turned their attention to another federal arsenal.
In the first week of May, with Nathanael Greene now commanding the army
of militiamen from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, Shays escaped
west, into New York, leaving behind an eight hundred man garrison to defend
Pittsfield. With his thousand man army, Daniel Shays reached the Hudson River in
mid-May and began to move south. At the end of the month, Shays and his soldiers
finally arrived at their destination: the federal arsenal at West Point. All
that stood between Shays and his goal were four hundred militiamen from the
Hudson River Valley under General Philip Schuyler…” Excerpts
from The People’s History of the Federal Union of America: 1786 - 2004 By
Professor Alexander Holt Akron
University (c) 2005 Akron,
Erie, Federal Union of America
“…Timeline of the Federal Union of America (contd.)
May 28, 1787:
On the shores of the Hudson River, the rebel forces under Daniel
Shays engage the New York militiamen commanded by fifty-seven year old Philip
John Schuyler on the plains outside the federal arsenal at West Point.
Amazingly, Schuyler’s outnumbered militiamen defeat Shays’ force. The defeat
reveals serious cracks in the commitment of Shays’ troops as many opt to
return to their homes following the defeat. With about seven hundred healthy men
left standing, Shays retreats up the Hudson River, General Schuyler hot on his
tail.
June 13:
On the outskirts of Albany, Shays runs into another two companies of
New York militia. While besieging the prospective future site of the New York
capital, a cannonball accidentally sets fire to the city. The conflagration,
much like the one in Springfield ten months earlier, spreads rapidly, engulfing
much of the city, including the home of General Schuyler himself.
June 27:
Repulsed from Albany, Shays’ army attempts to retreat back to the
mountain ‘fortress’ of Pittsfield. Philip Schuyler, personally outraged by
the fire which burned his home, crosses the border into Massachusetts, following
Shays back to Pittsfield.
August 9:
General Schuyler and his six hundred man New York militia is repulsed
by Shays’ men, fighting from within the pre-prepared earthworks on the
outskirts of Pittsfield. As he retreats across the border, back into New York,
word first reaches Nathanael Greene of Shays’ return.
August 11:
General Greene and his army leave Worcester, heading west. Daniel
Shays’ army sits in Pittsfield, incapable of acting and licking his wounds of
three months of fighting. By the end of the month, Shays has reorganized his
twelve hundred man army, solidifying the defenses around Pittsfield. Meanwhile,
Nathanael Greene begins to move steadily across Massachusetts…” Excerpts
from The Farmer’s War: Daniel Shays’ Rebellion By
Vice Admiral Thomas Clausen, Federal Marines, (ret.) Erie
Marine Military Institute (c) 1999 Erie,
Pennsylvania, Federal Union of America
“…when Nathanael Greene defeated Daniel Shays in early September of
1787, the state of Massachusetts, and, for that matter, the whole of New
England, was left with substantially less confidence in the United States of
America. In the short run, however, Greene had won a marvelous victory over the
rebel army in Pittsfield, surrounding and devastating its troops, killing nearly
half of them, including Shays himself, who, supposedly, took a bullet in the
early stages of the battle. When all was said and done, Greene was left with
five hundred prisoners and many influential officers of the rebel army.
With a plethora of important southerners, including George Washington
himself, advocating a full pardon for most participants in the rebellion, the
states of New England and New York staged nearly one hundred trials over the
next four months, convicting all but three and sentencing fifty one to death by
hanging. With the semi-approval of the President of Congress, Arthur St. Clair,
himself a Pennsylvanian and soldier, all fifty one were hung in the first week
of December. In a ‘modern’ rendition of the crucification of the slave army
of Spartacus along the Appian Way, all fifty one were hung along a road from
Springfield to Albany.
The condemnation of many important southerners lit the fuse of another
rebellion. As southern Congressmen argued against the hangings, many in the
north began to question the authority of the government of the United States. At
the forefront of the argument was the lack of action taken by the United States
government during Shays’ rebellion. Soon, as the southerners began arguing for
a Constitutional Convention to reform the Articles of Confederation, many in the
north saw this as a power play by the southern states, hoping to install George
Washington as dictator of the United States.
Although still honored in the north, many New Englanders began to look at
Washington as a good man who had somehow been corrupting by politics and by the
southern sections of Congress. After all, they reasoned, how could a man of such
former honor have disapproved of the executions following Shays’ rebellion? By
March of 1788, many in New England and New York were openly considering
‘seceding’ from the United States of America and forming their own nation,
with their own interests at heart…” Excerpts
from The People’s History of the Federal Union of America: 1786 - 2004 By
Professor Alexander Holt Akron
University (c) 2005 Akron,
Erie, Federal Union of America
“…Timeline of the Federal Union of America (contd.)
April 24, 1788:
With the inability of the government to place tariffs upon trade, the
New England states become increasingly outraged as British goods flood American
ports, making it impossible for local manufacturers and traders to make a
living. When New England, along with New York, ask the Congress to modify the
Articles of Confederation to allow for tariffs, their request is shot down by
southern Congressmen. The southern states are growing increasingly wealthy with
the influx of cheap products. So, by the end of April, both north and south are,
somewhat illogically, arguing over reforming the Articles of Confederation.
While both want to, neither will agree to the other’s demands.
May 30:
Representatives from New England and New York meet in Boston to
discuss the changes they demand of the Articles of Confederation. When they are
presented to Congress, in lay June, Congress refuses to accept the changes.
Without the necessary nine state approval, the ‘amendments’ would never pass
in anyways. The meeting becomes known as the Boston Conference.
July 4:
On the twelfth anniversary of the release of the Declaration of
Independence, the state of Massachusetts becomes the first to release the
Federal Independence Proclamation. The Independence Proclamation swears off the
United States of America, saying that the ‘perpetual union’ ceased to exist
the moment the United States became detrimental to the well-being of the
individual states. The Independence Proclamation affirms the loyalty of the
state of Massachusetts to a new nation, the Federal Union of America, of which
it is, at this point, the only member.
July 8:
The state of Connecticut signs the Federal Proclamation of
Independence, affirming its loyalty to the Federal Union of America. Unbeknownst
to the Congress of the United States, the members of the Boston Conference had
drawn up the Independence Proclamation while in Boston. It was considered as a
contingency plan if Congress were not to accept the demands of the Boston
Conference attendees.
July 26:
Rhode Island becomes the last state of New England to sign the
Independence Proclamation. Out of the attendees of the Boston Conference, only
New York remains yet to sign the Proclamation. For the time being, the states of
New England hold their breath, waiting for their important neighbor to trust
it’s fate to the fledgling nation…” Excerpts
from Defining a Nation: From Rebellion to Independence By
Brigadier General Jacob Brüning, Federal Army, (ret.) Burlington Military
Institute (c) 1998 Burlington, Vermont, Federal
Union of America
“…the secession of the state of New York took the United States
government completely by surprise. Even as representatives of the state affixed
their signatures to the Independence Proclamation, others were in the midst of
negotiations to revise the Articles of Confederation. As we all know, New York
did eventually secede from the United States. As best as can be told, the only
reasonable explanation to this confusion is that New York had been divided by
rival factions, each playing a very serious game with the future of New York.
One faction, that led by Alexander Hamilton, which, as we all know, was
the party that signed the Independence Proclamation and forced its passage
through the legislature of New York, was operating completely independent from
the other faction, led by Governor George Clinton, fought to keep New York a
state within the United States of America. When, on August 6, Alexander
Hamilton, John Jay, and Robert Yates signed the Independence Proclamation, the
newfound status of the state caught Governor Clinton completely by surprise.
Through a combination of lying, bargaining, and downright bribery,
Hamilton and Jay finally convinced Governor Clinton to relent and allow the
state of New York to join the Federal Union of America. By mid-August, Clinton
had ordered all connections with the internal workings of the United States of
America severed. Also, with the secession of New York, the United States
Congress was forced to find a new home, as the capital of the United States, New
York City, no longer even belonged to that same nation. The government moved
south, settling once more in Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, during the course of the power plays tearing through New York,
the Federal Union of America had to find itself a leader. Although the tentative
agreements of the Boston Conference in no way, shape, or form provided the
structure of a new national government, it was agreed that any new nation would
be led by a popularly elected leader. The first election in the history of the
Federal Union was barely even a contest and, on October 1, the anniversary of
Shays’ attack on Springfield, an emotionally torn John Adams took office as
President-General of the Federal Union of America…” 7
October 1788 Faneuil
Hall Boston,
Massachusetts Federal
Union of America
John Adams, recently elected President-General, strode into the foyer of
Faneuil Hall. Walking past the door to the meeting room, Adams attempted to
ignore the racket being raise in the market. From within his temporary office in
Faneuil Hall, Adams spent the morning going over the latest news from New York
while trying to ignore the pounding of hammers and yelling of the carpenters
transforming the market downstairs into more offices for the national officials
flooding into the temporary capital of the Federal Union of America.
With the State House on Washington Street, barely two hundred yards from
Faneuil Hall, overflowing with the representatives of the six states currently
comprising the Federal Union, the diplomats and bureaucrats of the new nation
had nowhere to go. Even Adams, the highest official in the nation, was forced
out of the State House and the former office of a town clerk. As Adams sat down
to take a break from the full morning of reading and thinking, an aide ushered
Nathanael Greene into his office.
The stately man looked around the cramped office, sniffing. It was
obvious he preferred the battlefield to the confines of the small workplace.
Although a Quaker, Greene had distinguished himself in both the American
Revolution and the fighting during Shays’ Rebellion. In fact, even now,
Nathanael Greene, stood in Adam’s office, asking for a commission in the newly
establish Federal Army. “Let’s take a walk, General Greene, I believe I can
offer you better than a simple commission,” Adams responded, ushering Greene
out of his office.
Stepping onto the cobblestone streets of Boston, Nathanael Greene sighed,
obviously happy to be free of Adams’ office. “As I was saying, General
Greene, I believe I can give you an even better offer.” Greene’s high
forehead wrinkled with questions. His gray eyes twinkled, however, suggesting
that he knew what was coming. “General Greene, in light of your performance
during the American Revolution and the unpleasant rebellions of last year, I am
pleased to offer you the position of Chief of Staff of the Federal Army. It
would be an honor to have the greatest General in American history commanding
the Federal Army,” Adams said, embellishing only a little.
“Thank you, President-General Adams, it would be an honor,” Greene
said. Strolling the short distance back to Faneuil Hall, Adams and the General
parted ways. Upon entering the building, Adams was assaulted with a cacophony of
noise and a herd of aides. Walking straight through the group of men, Adams
greeted his personal secretary, who informed Adams that the Secretary of Foreign
Affairs, Timothy Pickering, was waiting in Adams’ office. Adams made a face,
wondering what the man could want. He stepped into his office.
“Good afternoon, Secretary Pickering, and what can I do for you?”
Adams was already tired and it had only just begun.
Excerpts
from A Swing in the Dark: Founding the Federal Union By
Dr. Adam Stevenson New
Haven Academy (c) 1987 New
Haven, Connecticut, Federal Union of America
“…the decision to force the northern states to remain in the United
States would have dire effects on both nations. Congress, convening in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, found itself in turmoil, almost half its members
convening separately in Boston, Massachusetts. With the return of the
delegation, personally headed by George Washington, returned to report to
Congress in January of 1789, Washington informed the representatives that there
no chance of the northern states peacefully returning to the United States.
When asked his advice on how best to handle the situation, Washington
informed Congress to do nothing. After seeing the sincerity of the New
Englanders and the growing factions in New Jersey and Pennsylvania itself
advocating secession, Washington warned that any further action would result in
disaster for the United States. After six hours of deliberation, Congress
decided to use military force to prevent the secession. Washington, when offered
the command of this force, respectfully declined the command, responding that he
could never raise his sword against fellow Americans, no matter how misguided
their actions.
Four months later, with General George Rogers Clark appointed the
commander of the United States Army, Congress issued the orders for nearly ten
thousand militiamen from all eight remaining states to gather just north of
Philadelphia. The call for the individual states to send militias to help put
down the ‘rebellion’ went unheeded, however, in the states of New Jersey and
Pennsylvania. Both refused to send their soldiers to coerce their neighbors into
rejoining the United States. Instead, the call for the militias gave the
pro-secessionist factions in each state the boost they needed.
In June of 1789, both New Jersey and Pennsylvania signed the Independence
Proclamation, officially seceding from the United States and joining the Federal
Union of America. Both states sent representatives north to Boston, which would
be succeeded by New York City as the capital of the Federal Union in September.
The Pennsylvania legislature, meanwhile, gave the United States government two
weeks to evacuate Pennsylvania. At the end of the two weeks, Nathanael
Greene’s army would be ordered to forcibly remove all foreign militiamen and
foreign government employees…” Excerpts
from The People’s History of the Federal Union of America: 1786 - 2004 By
Professor Alexander Holt Akron
University (c) 2005 Akron,
Erie, Federal Union of America
“…Timeline of the Federal Union of America (contd.)
July 1, 1789:
The allotted time for the apparatus of the United States government,
and all the militiamen associated, comes and goes in Pennsylvania, now a state
in the Federal Union of America. By the end of the day, it becomes obvious that,
while the Congress has retreated south for the second time in a year, the United
States Army, commanded by George Rogers Clark, has no plans for leaving the
Federal Union of America.
July 14:
A year after the Massachusetts signing of the Independence
Proclamation, General Nathanael Greene’s Federal Army, accompanied by a force
of militia under Anthony Wayne, crosses the New York border, heading into
Pennsylvania. North of Philadelphia, near Norristown, barely ten miles from
Valley Forge, General Clark is ordered to hold his position.
August 22:
With Nathanael Greene’s Federal Army camped just three miles to the
north, and Anthony Wayne’s Reserve Army just two to the west, General Clark
receives one final warning to the leave the territory of the Federal Union of
America. He, as per the orders of the United States Congress, refuses. General
Greene orders the Federal troops to prepare for battle.
August 24:
General Greene leads the Federal Army against Clark’s United States
Army, defeating him in battle and forcing him to retreat south, all the while
being pounded by Wayne’s Reserve Army. Nathanael Greene receives orders from
President-General Adams not to give up the attack until either Richmond (the
capital of the United States) or General Clark is captured.
September 5:
Clark flees south, pursued by two Federal armies. All hope of
reinforcements ends when Clark is informed that the Congress has been thrown
into turmoil. Representatives from Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, all of
which are threatened with invasion, want to ask for peace terms. Representatives
of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina want to fight on.
September 27:
General Greene, now in Maryland, destroys Clark’s army fifteen
miles west of Baltimore, capturing the bulk of the United States forces,
including General Clark himself. With Baltimore in Federal hands and a Federal
Army driving on Richmond with no troops to stop them, the United States, at the
advice of their ally, France, surrenders to the Federal Union of America…” 1
November 1789 Independence
Hall Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania Federal
Union of America
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Timothy Pickering stomped his feet on the
mat sitting just inside the white doors of Independence Hall, sending a small
flurry of white snow flakes onto the floor. Lightly rubbing his hands together,
Pickering greeted the Federal Army sergeant, dressed in the new, black uniform
of the Federal military. While only a few hundred had been made so far, the
government of the Federal Union of America wanted to look as impressive as
possible. “Gentlemen,” Pickering said, striding into an office just past the
main hall.
Inside, the two other Federal commissioners, Robert Livingston and
Benjamin Rush, greeted Pickering. Livingston, the Assistant Secretary of
Domestic Affairs, was tall and painfully thin, his face dominated by a straight,
narrow nose. A member of the committee which drafted the United States
Declaration of Independence, Livingston was the brains behind the Federal
Independence Proclamation, as well. Although Livingston had hoped to become the
Secretary of Domestic Affairs and, as such, second-in-line to become
President-General, he was clearly excited by being made one of the three
commissioners.
Benjamin Rush, the soon-to-be Ambassador to the United States, was
aristocratic, handsome, tall and full of energy but he was quick to make
judgments of others and spread gossip. Wildly popular in Pennsylvania for his
extensive work among the poor, Rush, a physician, was nevertheless disliked by
both Benjamin Franklin and President-General Adams. Still, his public popularity
had boosted him to the upper levels of government and, despite Adams’ personal
feelings about the man, he would make an excellent negotiator.
After twenty minutes of small talk and note-taking, the black-clad
Captain knocked on the door and opened it. Holding it aside, he announced,
“The honorable Thomas Jefferson, United States Secretary of State, the
honorable James Madison, United States Congressmen,” hesitating before
finishing, the distaste evident in his voice, “and Patrick Henry, former
Governor of the state of Virginia.” He quickly ducked out of the room, leaving
the three United States commissioners standing before their seated Federal
counterparts.
“Gentlemen, please sit down,” Pickering said, gesturing to Jefferson
and Madison. Jefferson’s red eyebrow arched at the implication, knowing full
well most in the north did not like the passionate Henry. “Shall we begin the
talks and attempt to finally bring peace to this continent?” Pickering
questioned. Jefferson and Madison nodded while Patrick Henry brooded.
“The first order of business, obviously, is that the United States
recognize the independence of the Federal Union of America,” Livingston said.
“Of course, but what other choice do we have? Even now, your armies sit
in our territory and what is there that we can do about it,” Jefferson
responded, his flaming red hair making him look excited despite the complete
control over himself that Livingston knew him to have. After all, Livingston,
himself, had worked closely with Jefferson on the United States Declaration of
Independence.
“Yes, well, be that as it may, the United States recognizes the
independence of the Federal Union of America, am I correct?” Rush said.
Madison nodded and Rush made a note on the piece of parchment in front of him.
“On to the second order of business, then. The western territories
currently belonging to the United States national government. The several states
of the Federal Union are hereby reinstating their claim to that area,”
Pickering said.
“No, damn you, those are our territories. You northern bastards signed
them over no more than five years ago,” Henry shouted. Rush sighed, knowing
that the negotiations would be grueling. At least he had a lot more of Henry’s
irrational outbursts to look forward to. And to think, up until a year ago, he
had actually admired the man… Excerpts
from the Treaty of Philadelphia Signed
on December 23, 1789 Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania Federal
Union of America
“…the
Congress of the United States of America acknowledges the said Federal Union,
comprised of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, to be free, sovereign, and independent states… …that
all disputes which might arise in future on the subject of the boundaries of the
said Federal Union may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the
following are and shall be their boundaries; all land north and east of the
Mississippi and Ohio Rivers formerly belonging to the United States of America;
a line running west from the Delaware River along the 39°43’ (the southern
boundary of Pennsylvania known as the ‘Mason-Dixon Line’) to the Ohio
River… …it
is agreed that creditors on either side shall meet with no lawful impediment to
the recovery of the full value in sterling money of all bona fide debts
heretofore contracted… …there
shall be a firm and perpetual peace between the United States and the said
states, and between the people of the one and the citizens of the other,
wherefore all hostilities both by sea and land shall from henceforth cease… …the
navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source to the ocean, shall forever
remain free and open to the people of the United States and the citizens of the
Federal Union… …the
solemn ratifications of the present treaty expedited in good and due form shall
be exchanged between the contracting parties in the space of six months or
sooner, if possible, to be computed from the day of the signatures of the
present treaty… …done
at Philadelphia, this twenty-third day of December in the year of our Lord, one
thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine...” Excerpts
from Establishing a Nation: Post-Revolutionary America By
Dr. Edward Johnston Federal
American University (c) 1999 Warwick,
F.A.C.T., Federal Union of America
“…with
the signing of the Treaty of Philadelphia in December of 1789, the Federal Union
of America suddenly found itself a free and sovereign nation, lacking all but
the most basic and rudimentary of government structure. Throughout the first
seven months of 1790, the drafting of the Federal Constitution became the first
and only order of business for the nation. In January of the new year, the
Federal General Assembly in New York City asked each state to appoint three
delegates to the Constitutional Committee.
By the first week of February, 1790, representatives from each of the
eight states of the Federal Union of America convened in Hartford, Connecticut,
to create a Constitution. Headed by Robert Livingston, the Constitutional
Committee was plagued by controversy and arguments between two rivaling
factions, each with their own views for the future of the Federal Union. Over
the course of the next seven months, the two groups would grow increasingly
distinct and different, each eventually forming the foundation of a major
political party in the years to come.
The first group, headed by Alexander Hamilton and Timothy Pickering,
developed into a conservative group, advocating an extremely strong central
government. They became known as the ‘Nationalists,’ Although
President-General Adams attempted to avoid taking sides, he is generally
considered the first Nationalist President-General. The Nationalists formed the
National Party in the years to come and, as we all know, still remain known as
the Nationalists or, sometimes, as the ‘Statists.’ The opposition group,
headed by George Clinton, John Langdon, and Swiss-born Albert Gallatin,
developed into a somewhat liberal group, advocating a smaller central
government. Although liberal in the Federal Union of America, the
‘Centrists,’ known for their moderate views generally regarded to be in the
Center, the Centrists were, by no means, like the liberal groups of the United
States of America. In fact, there were only minor difference between the
Nationalists and the Centrists in the beginning. While
the Nationalists promoted advocated close ties with Great Britain, the Centrists
promoted political isolation. While the Nationalists promoted extensive
requirements to meet the voting restrictions, the Centrists promoted relatively
free voting (i.e. voting for all white males of the proper age). While the
Nationalists promoted a large, strong military, the Centrists advocated a small,
well-equipped, well-trained force. When it is all taken into perspective,
however, the Constitutional Committee created the Federal Constitution with only
minor difficulties. It certainly could have been much worse…” Excerpts
from the Constitution of the Federal Union of America Signed
on October 1, 1790 New
York City, New York Federal
Union of America
“…no
person, except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the Federal Union of
America at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to
hold any national office...
…no person, except a citizen of the state in which he is elected for a
period of at least seven years, and who has attained an age of at least thirty years,
may be eligible for election to either the General or National Assembly...
…representatives and taxes shall be apportioned among the several
states which may be included within the Federal Union of America in direct
comparison to their numbers of citizens, excluding Indians...
…both houses of Assembly shall convene at least once a year, beginning
on the first day of January, except when called by the President-General in the
event of a national emergency...
…the Assembly shall, with a vote of three-fifths in both houses, have
the ability to regulate commerce with foreign nations and with the Indian
Tribes. No embargo, however, shall last for a period lasting longer than
one-hundred twenty days without a second vote...
…the Assembly shall, with a vote of three-fifths in both houses,
have the ability to wage war, issue Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make
rules regarding the capture of land, water, personnel, or materiel. War shall
not be declared, lacking a three-fifths vote in both houses...
…the executive power of the Federal Union of America shall be vested in
an official styled the "President-General of the Federal Union of
America," who shall be elected through a count of the popular vote...
…the President-General shall be elected to a seven-year term, the
election to occur on the first day of November, at which time he will not be
eligible for reelection to another term...
…no person, except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the Federal
Union of America at the time of the adoption of this Constitution, of at least
thirty-five years of age, shall be eligible to hold the office of the
President-General...
…the ability to vote is restricted to white, land-owning males of
at least twenty-one years of age...
…at the occasion that a President-General is unable to complete the
term allotted to him by this Constitution, he shall be succeeded by the
Secretary of Domestic Affairs, who shall himself be succeeded by the Secretary
of Foreign Affairs...”
Excerpts
from Warwick: The Jewel of North America By
Captain Nathan Sinclair, Federal Navy, (ret.) New
London Naval Academy (c) 1989 New
London, Connecticut, Federal Union of America “…between
1788 and 1796, the Federal Assembly met in two different locations. The first
capital of the Federal Union, for a little over a year between July of 1788 and
September of 1789, was Boston, Massachusetts. Following the secession of the
state of New York, however, New York City became the last temporary capital of
the Federal Union of America, serving in that capacity from September of 1789 to
January of 1796. The location of the permanent seat of the central government
was a controversial issue that divided Americans for many years. The Assembly
met for the first time in the new capital on November 21, 1796 and the transfer
of the government from New York City was completed by June of 1797.
Various possibilities were suggested and many compromises were made until
finally on July 16, 1791, the Assembly passed a law that permitted
President-General John Adams (reelected under the Federal Constitution in
November of 1790), to select a location for the national capital along the
Delaware River and to appoint three commissioners to oversee its development.
Adams selected a thirty square mile area of land from property in New Jersey,
New York, and Pennsylvania that lay in a relatively isolated spot on both sides
of the Delaware River and at the confluence of the Neversink River. The
intersection of the two rivers was the location of the former town of Port
Jervis, burned during the First American Revolution.
Shortly after the owners of the land selected for the capital transferred
their property to the government, President-General Adams began to refer to the
newly-created town as "the Federal City." At a meeting on September 9,
1791, the commissioners agreed that the ‘Federal district shall be called the
‘Federal American Capital Territory' and the Federal City the 'City of
Warwick.’ The name ‘Warwick’ was chosen by the commissioners to honor the
General that won both Shays’ Rebellion and the Second American Revolution,
Nathanael Greene who was born in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Enormously expensive to build, Warwick, F.A.C.T., was designed by a
little known New York City architect named John Stevenson. Featuring enormous,
well-built brick buildings inlaid with white trim, the new city, entirely funded
by the Federal government (along with substantial aid from the Dutch government)
was centered around the ‘Plains of America,’ a one square mile system of
parks and open fields. Within the Plains, the Hall of Assembly is enormous,
capable of holding nearly 5,000 people in its main hall. Also, the Presidential
Palace is located within the Plains.
From the circular cobblestone rotary traveling around the Plains, eight
roads (one for each state at this time; the roads each have the name of a state)
shoot out like spokes on a wheel, hundreds of brick structures housing every
possible government facility line those streets. One street, Massachusetts
Avenue, holds the only non-brick buildings in the city. European architects from
each nation with an embassy in Warwick were commissioned to erect a structure in
the architectural style of the home state. When the Federal government moved to
Warwick, in 1796 and 1797, it was regarded by many as the greatest city in the
Americas…”
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