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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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