Where've You Gone, General Washington?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Introduction

In order to ring in the New Year, I am submitting the first update of this timeline to y'all. It is currently in the date-by-date format, modeled after the legendary "By a Fluke of the Gods: Cox Defeats Harding 1920" written by PBrunsel. While not the most exciting of formats, I am looking to lay out the development of the Republic from the very beginning, noting the events of the world date-by-date. I am as of yet unsure of how far I can and will go on this. I have a basic list of Presidents spanning up to the 1850's. However, I still feel unqualified to try to write a story of this magnitude and thus may one day through my arms up in the air and say "screw it!" and just give up. It'll require a Hell of a lot of research to maintain. However, this first update was put together zealously in the last few days as I was bored and wanted to avoid the only other thing left to do, which is do homework (reminder to self: do it). I must credit what inspired me. The idea of doing a timeline from near the beginning of the nation was formed doing a paper on the 1796 election. I, being who I am, started thinking about changing things and what not. After a re-reading of part of Lief's "The American Monarchy" timeline, I read a suggestion by True Federalist offering the idea that John Adams be made king. That got me thinking. As well, I must credit Mechaman who first tried something like this a couple years ago with his "The America That Never Was" which was in a date-by-date format starting in 1783. As well, I feel I must credit Kalwejt whose recent robust and spontaneous new timeline "The Union Vanishes" convinced me to think "What the Hell, this thing is useless just sitting on my computer! I should post it!" This first update may be subject to change should I get new ideas in my head. Some of the events in it are out of the blue, others, such as details of the French Revolution, follow the wikipedia article according. I expect I may be adding details as I look back and think to myself "Man, this is crap." However, to Hell with it all! I'm going to start this.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

...Where have you gone, General Washington,
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you...

December 1st, 1788:
"...Therefore, I have no desire to enter politics, and wish to retire to the quite of Mount Vernon in the land I love, the state of Virginia, in a country that can gladly be called the United States of America." concludes the letter. Entitled "General Washington's Address to the American States", it is mailed to every state capitol and printed in every newspaper. A man many had considered the "Father of the Nation" has declined election to lead the nation. Many wonder who instead will be elected President.

February 4th, 1789:
With state legislatures across the country deciding upon who their state's electors will choose, the outcome is finally revealed. United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom John Adams of Massachusetts is elected President. Adams served in both Continental Congresses and for many years as a diplomat in France, the Netherlands, and Great Britain. Winning the second largest amount of delegates is former South Carolina Governor John Rutledge. Rutledge was Governor of South Carolina during the Revolution and at the Constitutional Convention recommended that there only be one national executive as opposed to propositions for "co-Presidents" and the like. As well, Rutledge took part in the decisions that the Supreme Court not give advice to the President, and that people besides landowners should have the right to vote in order to avoid a term that later will be referred to as "class warfare".

-Ambassador to Great Britain John Adams of Massachusetts: 41 electoral votes
-Former Governor John Rutledge of South Carolina: 28 electoral votes
-Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay of New York: 16 electoral votes
-Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson of Virginia: 14 electoral votes
-Governor Samuel Huntington of Connecticut: 12 electoral votes
-Governor John Hancock of Massachusetts: 10 electoral votes
-Former Governor George Clinton of New York: 9 electoral votes
-Former Governor Edward Telfair of Georgia: 5 electoral votes
-General George Washington of Virginia: 3 electoral votes

March 4th, 1789:
The First United States Congress convenes in Federal Hall in New York City. Both chambers have Pro-Administration Majorities. The President Pro Tempore of the Senate is John Langdon of New Hampshire. The Speaker of the House of Representatives is Frederick Muhlenberg of Pennsylvania. Vice-President-elect John Rutledge will soon be joining the Senate as its President.

April 30th, 1789:
President John Adams and Vice-President John Rutledge, dubbed by the press as "John and John" are sworn in for their first terms as President and Vice-President, respectively, at Federal Hall in New York City. In borrowing a British custom, President Adams gives a speech. At one point in it he declares, "Historically, the centre of civilization has moved westward. First Greece, then Rome, finally moving to England. The only inevitable location of the next leader of the world is here in America. It is thanks not only to the statistics of history, but as well to the people, the land, and to their God, that we as well will one day be the centre of civilization." Such words help to rouse the public, though some believe the President doesn't have what it takes to get America to that point.

May 5th, 1789:
In France, the Estates-General convenes in order to hear the grievances of the people and hopefully try to resolve France's financial problems. It opens with a speech by French economist and former financial adviser Jacques Necker. Immediately, the conflict between the Third Estate and the first two becomes apparent. It will not end well.

June 12th, 1789:
The Third Estate begins breaking from the first two. They proceed with the verification of its own powers and credentials and invites the other two states to do so as well, but does not wait for them.

June 17th, 1789:
Having completed verification, the Third Estates moves to a much more radical proposal, declaring themselves the National Assembly, representing not the Estates, but the People. United States Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson, a friend of President Adams, begins writing to him of the possibilities for a Democratic Revolution in France.

June 20th, 1789:
Booted from the original meeting place of the Estates-General, and with weather not permitting an outdoors meeting, the National Assmebly convenes inside a tennis court. Taking the now famous Tennis Court Oath, they collectively swear "not to separate, and to reassemble wherever circumstances require, until the constitution of the kingdom is established". With the obvious statement being made by the Assembly that power is derived from the people, not the monarch, Louis XVI orders the clergy and nobility to join with the Third Estate in the National Assembly. While this moment galvanizes the French Left, the Royalists and Conservatives realize that the people are in opposition and that more forceful counter-revolutionary tactics may be necessary.

July 4th, 1789:
The country once again celebrates the Fourth of July as the day of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Things such as toasts, speeches, thirteen gun salutes, and fireworks are becoming common for such celebrations. In New York, President Adams presides over the celebrations. Earlier this day, Adams signs the Tariff Act, which authorizes the collection of duties on imported goods. It is a piece of legislation that will prove quite important over the coming decades as tariffs remain the principle source of income for the federal government.

July 14th, 1789:
In response to the firing of Jacques Necker three days previous and to the fears that mercernaries under order of Kind Louis XVI are bearing down on them, protesters in Paris storm the fortress and prison known as the Bastille in order to gather the weapons that lay there. The protesters stab repeatedly and then decapitate Governor de Launey despite de Launey's calls for a cease fire. De Launey's head is then carried through the street on a pike.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

July 27th, 1789:
President Adams signs a bill re-authorizing the United States Department of Foreign Affairs. Originally created in 1781 by the Continental Congress, Adams re-appoints Foreign Affairs Secretary John Jay to the post. Jay is an experienced diplomat who Adams worked with in England. The only complaints come from those who think Jay is too biased towards the British.

Meanwhile in Paris, King Louis XVI enters the Hotel de Ville to chants of "Long Live the Nation". Measures such as recalling Necker and capitulating to some Third Estate demands seemed to help reconcile the king and the people. However, many aristocrats view the "peace" as temporary and weak and have begun fleeing the country.

August 4th, 1789:
President Adams receives the letter written by Jefferson in France. One excerpt of it reads, "My friend, I am hopeful that the Revolution for which we so fought can and will be successfully spread here as well. We one day may see a new birth of freedom all across the globe." President Adams, however, is more wary of what he hears is happening in France. With travel, mail, and news taking six weeks to cross the Atlantic, there is little news, and no current news, to base an opinion on. Meanwhile, in France, feudalism is officially abolished, another triumph for the Third Estate and the National Assembly.

August 5th, 1789:
Even as President Adams re-reads the letter from Jefferson, a three week long spree of attacks on wealthy land-lords in the French country-side, committed by impovershed French farmers, is coming to its end. Despite Louis' concessions to the Third Estate, many believe that the aristocracy is out to crush revolution, and have acted on it. Despite this, Ambassador Jefferson continues writing to the President. His letters have become more fervently bent on the idea of French Democracy, something Adams believes will come to no good. "Our Revolution was not founded on mob rule," he writes, "but on a well executed and principled revolt against a foreign monarchy and the implementation of a Republic." Adams sees only anarchy when he thinks of the events that Jefferson describes to him.

August 26th, 1789:
The French National Assembly publishes its statement of principles, Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. It is much like the Declaration of Independence, produced only a bit more than thirteen years ago by the Americans.

September 2nd, 1789:
The United States Department of the Treasury is re-established. Its job is to advise the President on monetary and fiscal affairs as well as to look at policies from an economic and financial perspective. John Adams, wanting a man experienced with such affairs, asks Senator Robert Morris of Pennsylvania. Morris served as Superintendent of Finance during the Congressional Government and the Revolutionary War, from 1781 to 1784. During that time he established the Bank of North America which was the first financial institution chartered by the United States. He also was able to cut government funding by instituting reforms and taking competitive bids for contracts. Morris however, refuses and suggests friend Alexander Hamilton who shares many of Morris' ideas. Adams, after consideration, declines to appoint Hamilton, citing the fact that he does not know the man and that he is "too young for such a presitigious position". Hamilton is, after all, only 32 years old.

September 11th, 1789:
Adams appoints Samuel Osgood to be the nation's Treasury Secretary. Adams and Osgood do not know each other well, and Adams is unaware of many of Osgood's ideals. However, Osgood has experience in politics going back to 1775. Having served in both Houses of the Massachusetts Legislature, the greatest piece on his resume is that he worked as a comissioner of the Treasury, serving from 1785 to the dis-solving of the Congressional Government in 1788.

September 12th, 1789:
President Adams re-appoints General Henry Knox to serve as the United States Secretary of War to head the Department of War, known in the colonial days as the Department at War.

September 24th, 1789:
President Adams signs the Federal Judiciary Act, creating a six member Supreme Court in compliance with the Constitution which states "judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court". Also, the act creates the position of Attorney General, a cabinet position whose holder is mainly responsible for representing the state before the Supreme Court. As well, the act lays out the details for the nation's inferior courts and creates the positions of United States Attorney and United States Marshal for judicial district. For Attorney General, in order to please Southerners and appoint someone Adams is ideologically in agreement with, young attorney, friend of General Washington, former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, and Revolutionary War veteran John Marshall of Virginia is appointed.

September 26th, 1789:
Wanting a man he can trust in the position, President Adams appoints personal and family friend Dr. Cotton Tufts of Massachusetts the United States Post-Master General. Despite the opposition of Anti-Administration members of Congress, they are but a small problem in Tufts' confirmation and appointment. Hardly a "dream team", President Adams now has his cabinet assembled. Vice-President John Rutledge of South Carolina, Secretary of Foreign Affairs John Jay of New York, Treasury Secretary Samuel Osgood of New York, War Secretary Henry Knox of Massachusetts, Attorney General John Marshall of Virginia, and Post-Master General Cotton Tufts of Massachusetts. There is still no member of the cabinet from anywhere below Virginia except for the virtually powerless Vice-President Rutledge.

October 5th, 1789:
Amid rumors that the King has trampled the tri-color cockade, the symbol of the Assembly and the revolution, crowds of women begin to gather. Marching first on the Hotel de Ville, and then on Versaille itself--this time with weapons, they demand response to the harsh economic situation, a stopping of royal efforts to destroy the National Assembly, and that the monarchy relocate to Paris.

October 6th, 1789:
Thanks to the Women's March the day previous, the monarchy relocates from Versailles to Paris. They are protected by the National Guard, which is in effect the policing arm of the National Assembly, thus legitimizing the Assembly.

November 21st, 1789:
North Carolina becomes the twelfth state to ratify the Constitution, and thus joins the union. The only state left to ratify the Constitution of the original thirteen colonies is Rhode Island.

December 25th, 1789:
The nation celebrates Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ and His coming into the world.  

[Dancing with Myself]

It's looking good! Don't stress out about it your doing fine, keep going!

[Jerseyrules]

Great so far!  So what's Georgy doing?  Did Adams consider him for War?

[Niemeyerite]

It's looking good! Don't stress out about it your doing fine, keep going!

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Wonderful start, Cathcon. I'm waiting for more

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This is amazing! I cant wait for the next update . Whats being done about establishing a national capital?

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Thanks for your responses and questions! They'll be answered soon enough either directly, with an update, or with an edit to the first two updates. I'd love to get back to work on 1790, however, I decided to skip out on a family New Year's celebration to work on homework and I don't want to disappoint. I plan on getting at least another subject done before I decide to go off and do something else (either take a run around my subdivision for exercise, or head upstairs to the computer that the timelien is stored on).

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

January 1st, 1790:
The second session of the first Congress commences. It begins with a speech by Vice-President Rutledge who chooses to speak on the importance of law and the judiciary, as well he touches on the accomplishments of the first session.

February 17th, 1790:
The Supreme Court of the United States is completely filled upon Adams' appointment of Alfred Moore of North Carolina to fill the sixth seat. Leading the court is Adams' fellow baystater William Cushing. The other justices are John Blair Jr. of Virginia, William Paterson of New Jersey, Thomas Johnson of Maryland, and James Iredell of North Carolina. Adams has been more careful to appoint a greater number of southerners to the court than are in the cabinet. Still, all members of the court are ardent Federalists who oppose weakening of the Federal Government. Adams, more moderate himself, is still wary of his political opponents who are primarily Southern and primarily against expansion--much needed in Adams' mind--of the federal government.

March 1st, 1790:
The first United States census is authorized in order to measure the population of the fledgling nation.

March 12th, 1790:
William Grayson, a Senator from Virginia and a member of the "Anti-Administration" faction in Virginia passes away. This will lead to a special election in November to fill the vacancy left by Grayson's death.

March 26th, 1790:
President Adams vetoes the Naturalization Act of 1790. "Send it back to Congress!" he declares, along with a list of corrections. He himself views the act as too restrictive on immigration and privately writes that he blames nativists and Southerners for the act. "They seek to opress all non-white immigrants and treat them as less than what they are, a creation in the image and likeness of God", he continues.

March 31st, 1790:
"Despite my zeal for the possibility of a Democratic Revolution here in France, I find myself homesick and longing for the beauty of my own home, Monticello, where there are still vast improvements to be made." writes Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson to President Adams. Despite a strained relationship with the President over the issue of the transpirings in France, the two still write correspondence to each other, for now. Meanwhile in Virginia, the State Legislature appoint John Walker to the Senate seat left vacant by William Grayson's death earlier in the month.

April 8th, 1790:
Congress passes a revised version of the Naturalization Act of 1790. It limits naturalization to "free persons" of "good and upstanding moral character", as opposed to the original which did not allow the naturalization of blacks, free or slave, and placed limits on women. It still does not allow for the naturalization of indentured servants or slaves. Both sides have different reasons for supporting this. The Southerners do not wish to call slaves citizens while some in the North are nervous about legalizing the slavery of American citizens. One comments that "this would only make the [slavery] problem worse."

April 10th, 1790:
The Patent Act of 1790 is passed. It is clear and concise in its definition of patent, being “any useful art, manufacture, engine, machine, or device, or any improvement thereon not before known or used.”

April 17th, 1790:
Benjamin Franklin, world famous thinker, inventor, and sometimes statesman, dies at age 84. In politics, he had served in the Pennsylvania Assembly, as the first United States Post-Master General in the colonial days, as the Ambassador to France and Sweden, and as the executive leader of Pennsylvania. Over 20,000 people will attend his funeral.

May 10th, 1790:
Adams receives Jefferson's letter from France. Knowing that Jefferson has held his position since 1784, Adams decides it is time for Jefferson to return home. "You may now make your way back home, friend. Upon the arrival of your successor, feel free to return to the land of your birth."

May 29th, 1790:
Rhode Island becomes the thirteenth state to ratify the Constitution, thereby being admitted to the union. Thus, all thirteen colonies are now part of the United States of America.

May 31st, 1790:
The Copyright Act of 1790 is passed. Though it creates the first national copyright policy, individual states have already adopted similar copyright laws. It secures authors the sole rights for their creations for a fourteen year term with one potential second fourteen year term, presuming the author to still be alive.

June 25th, 1790:
With the question as to where the capitol will be located still going unanswered, Congressman James Madison of Virginia proposes the Residency Act of 1790. It proposes a piece of land one hundred square miles, located along the Potomac River, to be the permanent location of the nation's capitol. The act is popular with Southerners but no one else. Northerners are still demanding a capitol located in the North, and Adams himself does not like the idea, preferring a more coastal location. "I would be perfeclty content if they simply declared Braintree to be the capital" he confides ot Abigail over dinner. For now, the capitol remains in New York City.

June 30th, 1790:
Just over a week after Jefferson hasa received the latest letter from Adams, his successor to the position of United States Ambassador to France arrives. Gouverneur Morris of New York, a protege of former American Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris (no relation), and Robert Morris' former assistant, was less than a year earlier one of Adams' top choices for Secretary of the Treasury. An "aristocrat to the corse", Morris is less appreciative of the attempts by the Third Estate and the National Assembly than his predecessor. However, Jefferson pays little attention to any of Morris' views and instead prepares to head home.

[Simfan34]

I am loving this. I'm all for an alternate capital and this as our presidential residence:

http://blogs.voanews.com/tedlandphairsamerica/files/2011/12/4.-Executive-Mansion-on-Meridian-Hill_2.jpg

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

July 4th, 1790:
The nation celebrates its Independence once again on this day. As with the previous year, Adams delivers a speech in New York City to Congress at Federal Hall speaking of the progress America has made in the last year-and-a-half, talking of the various bills passed that will forever hold precedent over American law. Many in Congress, however, aren't so optimistic about America's path. Outside fireworks shoot off and thirteen gun salutes are performed. Meanwhile in Paris, Thomas Jefferson readies himself for the journey home.

July 14th, 1790:
Ten days following an Independence celebration in America, a similar celebration is taking place in France. It is the one year anniversarry of the storming of the Bastille. However, it seems many of the tensions from the preceding year are gone as people are swearing oaths to "fidelity to the nation, the law, and the king".

August 10th, 1790:
The French political "club", known as the "Jacobin Club", has 152 members affiliating with it. By now it is a radical society filled with the liberal bourgeoisie, its Conservative elements having fled earlier in the summer for the less popular Feuillants Club.

September 15th, 1790:
Having returned home from the second session of Congress, New York Senator Philip Schuyler, seeing his unpopularity back home and the power of Anti-Administration newspapers, writes in a letter to son-in-law Alexander Hamilton that he will not be running for a full term in 1791. Reading this, and seeking an entrance into national politics where he will make his mark, Hamilton decides he himself shall run instead.

September 28th, 1790:
Thomas Jefferson, former Ambassador to France, arrives in New York City, at last in his home country after years away. He arrives with his last remaining daughters Patsy and Polly, along with slave Sally Hemmings. His first act, following a visit to a few stores, is a meeting with President Adams. They discuss the situation in France briefly before talk turns to updating Jefferson on the domestic situation. Recounting his first year-and-a-half as President, as well as the years preceding that, all the way to 1784, Jefferson is impressed at how the small nation is doing. However, he disagrees with some of the methods of the Adams Administration and, despite Adams' popularity, it is still clear that for the most part the nation remains in financial ruin. National debt has for the most part been payed off but state debts, outside of those states that have taken it upon themselves to pay, remain a serious issue.

October 3rd, 1790:
Jefferson at last arrives at Monticello, his beloved home that he hash been pining for for quite a while now. He immediately proceeds to take charge of the manor and the grounds and begins writing of various methods of agriculture.

October 4th, 1790:
Congressman James Madison whom Jefferson visited earlier in New York, arrives to talk with Jefferson about Virginia politics. The death of Senator Grayson earlier that year has already been described to Jefferson. However, this is the first time Madison has mentioned the idea of who shall fill it. Some have suggested fellow Jefferson protege James Monroe, however, Madison feelsthat Jefferson can best spend his time at home serving in the Senate and fending off some of the powerful Federalists in New York, such as Connecticut Senator Oliver Ellsworth. Jefferson denies political ambition, but Madison knows better.

October 21st, 1790:
Over 129 men under the command of Colonel John Hardin are slaughtered in battle against over 1,100 Indian Warriors of the Western Lakes Confederacy. The slaughter is to be blamed on General Josiah Harmar who, despite having over 1,400 men under his command, committed only 400.

October 31st, 1790:
A small caucus of Virginia politicians nominate former Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson for United States Senate. However, the decision is in the hands of the Virginia State Senate.

November 1st, 1790:
With news of the slaughter reaching President Adams, the President goes into a fit. At last calming down he vows "never again" to let such a careless and incompetent general command American troops. He begins composing a letter to General Washington in Virginia asking him to take command of the army in order to fight the Indians. "Take as much time as you need and gather as many men as necessary" he instructs the General, "However, it must be enough to settle this once and for all."

November 9th, 1790:
The Virginia State Senate elects former United States Ambassador to France Thomas Jefferson the next United States Senator from Virginia.

November 12th, 1790:
Adams receives response in the form of a visit from the General himself. Washington promises to do this last duty for his country. News of Washington's re-taking of command to fight the Western Lakes Confederacy will inspire many young men to enroll with the military, either through their state militias, or through other means. The choice to once again command an army will prove an important one for the nationally loved general.

December 6th, 1790:
Thomas Jefferson is sworn into his first term as a United States Senator. He unofficially becomes a member of the "Anti-Federalist" faction in the Senate, opposing Senator Oliver Ellsworth of Connecticut and his Federalists.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I am loving this. I'm all for an alternate capital and this as our presidential residence:

http://blogs.voanews.com/tedlandphairsamerica/files/2011/12/4.-Executive-Mansion-on-Meridian-Hill_2.jpg

Thanks. The decision for a capital will finally be made when a certain New Yorker every aristocrat loves enters politics and forces Madison and his buddy Jefferson to a compromise. I'm not sure how that'll end up, and I'm looking into the idea of a more coastal capital maybe (Adams said he couldn't stand to be so far from the sea when Abigail proposed the purchase of some 1,000 acres in Vermont). Thanks for the suggestion, that looks like quite the Presidential Palace.

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

Philly would be nice.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Well this is weird. The document containing all the original text for the first two years and the couple of things I had written down for 1791 has reverted back to just the first two dates for some reason. It wasn't much, but it was still a couple of things that I'll have to look up again.

[Jerseyrules]

Bump.  This is awesome Cathcon, keep it up . Is stronger anti-Federalist backlash a possibility?  (You mentioned TJ is an anti-Federalist - is that in political parties, or is he actually opposed to the Constitution?)

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

No updates until the weekend, sadly. As for "anti-Federalist", there are no concrete political parties yet, & it's more of an ideological description. Examining JA in today's politics of the era, he'll be a moderate Federalist. Nearly all "Pro-Admin." congressmen are ideologically Federalist (as in strong central government, more elitist), & so their ideological opponents are, without a currently better label (though one will emerge), anti-federalists.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

February 8th, 1791:
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist banker and former state politician, defeats New York Attorney General Aaron Burr for the Senate seat being vacated by Hamilton's father in law, Philip Schuyler.

March 4th, 1791:
Alexander Hamilton is sworn into his first term in the United States Senate. He previously has served as an aide-de-camp to General Washington during the Revolution, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention and the Congress of the Confederation, and as a member of the New York State Senate. Since earlier in 1791 he has served as the third President of the Bank of New York, a bank he helped to found in 1784.

The leadership of Congress is still one that is for the most part on the side of the administration. The President of the Senate is Vice-President John Rutledge of South Carolina, the President Pro Tempore is Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, and the Speaker of the House is Jonathan Trumbull Jr. of Connecticut. Also on this day, Vermont is admitted to the Union as the fourteenth American state.

April 4th, 1791:
General Washington and the War Department under Henry Knox begin recruitment for a national "legion", meaning a military force that combines all forms of land combat arms and can be divided into stand alone teams. With many young men having grown up seeing or hearing stories of the Revolution, there are many volunteering for one last chance to serve with George Washington.

May 16th, 1791:
With recruits piling up, either through state and local militias or with requests to join the Legion directly, it is decided that an official base and training ground must be made to house the new recruits and prepare them for the inevitable conflict with the Indians in the North West.

May 18th, 1791:
Senator Alexander Hamilton of New York--a member of the Pro-Administration faction and ideologically a Federalist--proposes the Debt and Tariff Act of 1791. It is accompanied by his address titled "The Report on the Public Debt". While it is not one of Hamilton's most ambitious plans, it is still a fairly creative one. The report outlines the financial situation the United States is currently in, including data on the amount owed to foreign lenders, the precise amount needed to gain the necessary revenue, and it proposes an assumption of state debts by the federal government with a subsequent raising of the tariff level from five percent to eight percent. The plan is controversial, and Hamilton will soon be making a name for himself.

May 19th, 1791:
The shy and introverted Senator Thomas Jefferson of Virginia addresses the Senate in opposition to Hamilton's proposed Debt and Tariff Act. Calling it a gross over-reach of federal power, his main point in all of this is that it puts the burdens of states that haven't paid their debts on the back of states, such as his own Virginia, who are largely paid up. The battle lines over one of the most controversial pieces of legislation are being drawn.

May 21st, 1791:
President Adams, thumbing through the Debt and Tariff Act, is impressed by "the work of that young Senator from New York". While he views the man as too ambitious, this plan does meet with his approval. With the debt being the largest economic issue of the period, Adams seems to have found the answer to the problem.

May 23rd, 1791:
Congressman James Madison meets with Senator Hamilton. "Your proposal will likely fail," states the Jefferson protege, "While the tariff raises are near unopposed, every state that is actually working to pay off its debt will have their representatives vote against it." Hamilton, who himself has worried about this, asks why Madison has approached him. The quite Virginian continues, "However, many Southern representatives would be wiling to support it if you and the other Federalists were to cede ground on other issues." Thus, the Compromise of 1791 begins brewing.

May 30th, 1791:
After meetings between Speaker Jonathan Trumbull, Connecticut Senator Oliver Ellsworth, Virginia Senator Thomas Jefferson, New York Senator Alexander Hamilton, and Virginia Congressman James Madison, the Compromise of 1791 is forged, primarily between Hamilton and Madison. Hamilton's Debt and Tariff Act shall be passed by both Houses of Congress. In return, it is agreed that the nation's permanent capital shall reside in a more Southern state, wrestling away hopes that Philadelphia or New York City might receive the honor. President Adams will be brought in to help choose a plot of land along the Potomac, as he is the President.

June 3rd, 1791:
The Debt and Tariff Act of 1791 is passed by the United States Senate by a nearly unanimous margin. Having passed one house of the legislature, it will now move onto the other, in this case, the House of Representatives.

June 7th, 1791:
In the United States House of Representatives, with the Debt and Tariff Act being supported by Madison's men as well as the House's Federalists, it is passed by a large margin. That very day, President Adams signs the Debt and Tariff Act of 1791 into law. The young New York Senator has become well known for his ambitious plan which many credit with saving some of the debt laden states and setting up a system to produce revenue for the country. With part one of the Compromise of 1791 being passed, Adams will, following July 4th, leave New York City to speculate land lying around the Potomac for a few days.

June 13th, 1791:
Construction of "Legionville" in Western Pennsylvania begins. It is being constructed to oversee the training of troops of what is being referred to as the Legion of the United States. former Major General "Mad" Anthony Wayne will oversee the building and training. Meanwhile, in the United States House of Representatives, Congressman James Madison is proposing the Residency Act, specifying the site for a national capitol to be chosen in an area "not more than one hundred square miles" somewhere along the Potomac River.

June 20th, 1791:
In France, King Louis XVI and his family flee to  Tuileries Palace disguised as servants. Fear of the possibilities of more violence and further revolution are what is driving the royal family away from Paris.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

June 21st, 1791:
In the House of Representatives, the Residency Act, proposed by Congressman James Madison of Virginia, passes. This is a triumph for Madison as he is ensuring a Southern capitol, as well as the near completion of the Compromise of 1791. All that is required is that it be passed by the Senate.

Meanwhile in France, the King and his family are recognized while in Varennes and escorted back to Paris in handcuffs. The peace and celebration that existed at the  Fête de la Fédération little less than a year ago seem to have dissipated. Upon arrival in Paris they are greeted in silence and placed under guard. The Assembly provisionally suspends the King.

July 4th, 1791:
In what is becoming a tradition, President Adams addresses Congress on the holiday that is now being called Independence Day. In his address, he congratulates the Senate for passing the Residency Act, which allows he, the President, to choose a spot along the Potomac as a place for the national capitol.

July 17th, 1791:
In France, the National Guard dispenses with a crowd that had gathered to sign a petition to remove the authority of the National Assembly and have a new monarch take the throne.

July 19th, 1791:
An advance detachment of the newly forming Legion of the United States arrives at the selected spot in Western Pennsylvania to begin construction and prepare the camp for the arrival of General Anthony Wayne and later the main army. Meanwhile, President Adams with the guidance William Clark, is scouting out territory around the Potomac for a potential capitol. William Clark is a soldier who fought under John Hardin in 1789 and will be leaving for Legionville within the next month to take his position as a lieutenant.

July 23rd, 1791:
"Are you sure?" asks William Clark as he and President Adams stands atop the peninsula, looking down into the Potomac. "Yes, I'm sure." "It was implied that the capitol be in Virginia, your majesty." is the reply that the President receives. "The act that I signed specified a spot along the Potomac, not necessarily one in Virginia. This spot is as good as any." The President and the young soldier are standing on the ground that will one day house the nation's capitol.

August 3rd, 1791:
An important event in the case West vs. Barnes is settled by the United States Supreme Court. In the case, concerning whether plantiff West's move for a writ of error to the Supreme Court is valid because it was signed and sealed only by the clerk of the circuit Court in Rhode Island and not by the Supreme Court clerk, it is decided that West's move for a writ of error is valid. It is a close vote, however, with Chief Justice Cushing, and Associate Justices Iredell, Moore, and Blair voting in West's favor, the case continues. However, in the end, West, a man who owes a mortgage to Barnes, will be ejected from his property.

August 21st, 1791:
In Saint Domingue in Haiti, a French colony, slaves, inspired by the ongoing revolution in France, stage their own revolt against their masters. With whites maintaining control of only a few isolated areas, it is a very serious situation.

August 27th, 1791:
A number of international monarchs and leaders issue the Declaration of Pilintz which states that they consider the cause of the French King to be the cause of their own and are willing to threaten force to ensure the survival of the monarchy. The French people however, are in no mood to be dictated by foreign rulers and the country becomes more militarized and the situation grows no better.

September 1st, 1791:
With the main army having fully arrived including the ever expanding list of new recruits, Legionville is now over 500 buildings and has a population five times larger than the small city of Pittsburgh. Wayne had been hoping to train the soldiers in the heat of summer, after all, it was June when construction began. However, only the more seasoned troops have gotten experience under the July and August sun. Some troops may have to wait till the dead of winter to be fully tested. Among some of the officers there are Colonel John Hardin, Lieutenant William Clark, and of course the two generals, General Washington and General "Mad" Anthony Wayne. Wayne has been present to oversee construction and to "whip the boys into shape." Washington privately admits that he was never the most successful of military leaders and having good and successful training will be the key, along with large recruitment, to beating the Indians in the North-West.

September 3rd, 1791:
In France, the Constitution of 1791 is passed, marking a new era for the what will historically be called the French Revolution. It issues the closing of the National Assembly and the establishment of the Legislative Assembly. It as well restores King Louis XVI, forming a Constitutional Monarchy. Once again, the King and the Assembly seem to have reconciled.

September 8th, 1791:
With news of the Haitian slave revolt reaching New York City where Congress and the President are, debate arises in both houses of the legislature. With sides arguing different things for different reasons, such as aid in order to help the French, aid in order to put down slaves, refusing to aid the French in order to hurt them, refusing to aid the French in order to help the slaves, and so on and so forth, Adams announces his own decision. American will not be funding the putting down of slave rebellions, nor will it be giving money to the French government unless it be in repayment of debt incurred from the Revolution. With American aid coming only in the form of repayed debt, the French will be incurring heavy expenses on their own treasury in order to try to maintain order. This addition to France's internal chaos will onl

September 29th, 1791:
In accordance with the Constitution of 1791 the last day of the National Assembly takes place in France. Now, France prepares for a new Constitutional Monarchy in the hopes of restoring peace and a balance between the government and the people.

October 1st, 1791:
The first meeting of the Legislative Assembly convenes. Despite appearances that all will go well under the new system, things will not go as they seem.

December 19th, 1791:
Less than a week before Christmas, the United States Bill of Rights, a promise made years ago to the Constitutional Convention's Anti-Federalsit faction by the Federalists in order to gain passage of the Constitution, is officially ratified by all the states.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I finally update and no comment. Mapping out the first formative steps of the new nation isn't easy research. COming up is 1792, though that'll probably be coming next weekend. I've got finals next week and have to concentrate on that stuff.

[Jerseyrules]

I finally update and no comment. Mapping out the first formative steps of the new nation isn't easy research. COming up is 1792, though that'll probably be coming next weekend. I've got finals next week and have to concentrate on that stuff.

I like it I'm just waiting to see what happens next.  Give people a chance to find it . this will be the next FOTG I think

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I finally update and no comment. Mapping out the first formative steps of the new nation isn't easy research. COming up is 1792, though that'll probably be coming next weekend. I've got finals next week and have to concentrate on that stuff.

I like it I'm just waiting to see what happens next.  Give people a chance to find it . this will be the next FOTG I think

Thanks though I doubt my abilities to hold this together for so long.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

I actually looked up the spot you picked for the capital on Google Earth. Very nice spot, good area for a harbor too.

[Niemeyerite]

I like this

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

I actually looked up the spot you picked for the capital on Google Earth. Very nice spot, good area for a harbor too.

Thanks. I was looking for a more coastal area for the capital but figured the Potomac would still be a good place. I'm currently reading "John Adams" by David McCullough, and at one point Abigail wrote him about possibly purchasing a couple thousand acres up in Vermont. Adams replied negatively, stating that he couldn't bear being so far removed from the sea. Despite at that point having rarely been at sea (it was the beginning of his days as an ambassador), Braintree (now Quincy), his hometown, was coastal.

I like this

Thanks.

An update is in the oven right now, but only about 1/3 to 1/2 baked. 1792 will be quite a year (I hope).