a declaration of guaranteed freedom of navigation upon the Mississippi River removed the final obstacle to the United States' diplomatic recognition of the Republic of Gloriana.

Only the misdirection of no less than three Heads of States could have driven events down this odd fork in the road of American development.

Despite his lofty aspirations of western expansion, the overriding imperative of US President Thomas Jefferson was the removal of European Military Power from the continent:

"Whether we remain in one confederacy, or form Atlantic and Mississippi confederacies, I believe not very important to the happiness of either part".

Upon reflection Jefferson had decided that the formation of a Mississippi confederacy was a highly desirable outcome because it enabled his Republican Government to dismantle the US Navy, scrap foreign embassies and remove all other undesirable legacies of the Hamiltonian System.

Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had been ceded huge tracts of land from Spain but had lost interest in the Americas after a twenty-five thousand man force of crack French troops led by his brother-in-law Charles Leclerc had failed to put down the Haiti Insurrection. Mischievelously planning to create a maritime rival to challenge Great Britain, L'Empereur offered to sell the Louisiana Territy for the incredible price of only fifteen million dollars.

"This accession of territory affirms forever the power of the United States, and I have given England a maritime rival who sooner or later will humble her pride".

Even so Gallic pride would force him to withdraw the offer after he calculated that the deal represented a fire sale of only three cents an acre, even less than the pittance paid to the Indians for the purchase of Manhattan Island. Jefferson refused to raise the increased price because it would have destroyed his legacy. His fifteen year plan to retire the national debt was driven by profound regret over his "greatest blunder" during his service as Secretary of State in Washington's first term, mistakenly assisting Alexander Hamilton to consolidate government.

Thus the opportunity of a life time presented itself to Aaron Burr. Destined to rule, he founded the breakaway Republic of Gloriana after intrigue prevented him from governing in the United States.

Of course in adhering to his own near-sacred character of republican principles, Jefferson was also mindful of the very real challenges presented by the governance of an extended territory with an ethnic diversity of the Creole population. And ultimately Jefferson was happy to shift the problem to another American authority led by Burr, a perverse consolation prize for his defeat in the 1800 Presidential election.

Nevertheless history marched on as Napoleon had predicted and Jefferson himself had feared because an American Empire would indeed require an Imperial President. By the time Andrew Jackson put down border uprisings in nearby Florida, American expansionism was once again on the agenda. But Jefferson's heirs would look South, dreaming of a Tropical Empire.

"[There will be] distant times, when our rapid multiplication will expand [the nation]... & cover the whole northern if not the southern continent" ~ Thomas Jefferson, on American expansion.