The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic currently consisting of eleven states and a capital district, located in western North America. It also was a federal constitutional republic consisting of 50 states and a capital district in North America and the Hawaiian Islands, pre-Doomsday. After Doomsday, surviving government officials relocated to the nation of Australia, forming a sort of government-in-exile officially known as the American Provisional Administration which disbanded in 1995.
Following the Lakotah War a large number of American survivor communities held a new constitutional convention, re-establishing the United States of America. Though this Constitution was an almost direct copy of the pre-Doomsday U.S. Constitution, the new government declared itself only a provisional government that would give authority back to the existing federal U.S. government if they ever came into contact with them. In 2009 the USA learned that the surviving American government disbanded itself in 1995. On July 4, 2010, the PUSA declared itself to be the successor to "the USA" and henceforth is no longer "Provisional".
A brief history of the "Grand Experiment"
Almost a century after the first Europeans landed in what would eventually be the state of Florida, a second attempt at a colony by the British succeeded in what would become Virginia. This colony would prove to be the heart of the new nation that would rise from its small beginnings in 1607. Throughout that century settlers looking for a better life in a new land would take what could be a dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the primary colonies of Virginia and Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay.
By the middle of the 1700's the British had established thirteen colonies from Massachusetts to Georgia. The government in England had exploited the land east of the Appalachian Mountains to the benefit of its upper class, but had begun to tax its subjects in the colonies for goods they received from around the world. This gave rise to a rebellion among the colonists that at times amounted to a civil war with much of the upper class being loyalists.
In 1776, after already enduring war for over a year, a congress of the colonies gathered in Philadelphia declared their independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. A bloody war continued until 1781, with the concession of defeat by the British. General George Washington of the Continental army became the first president in 1789, serving two terms for a total of just short of eight years. In those first years, two "parties" arose - one wanting a strong central government over the individual states, and the other wishing for stronger governments in the states themselves. The Constitution of 1787 had laid out the powers of the central government, the seat of which moved to a federal district named "District of Columbia" in 1800. A town in that district, named Washington, became the home of the government. The town grew to include the whole district.
In less than a century, the nation was at war with itself - a so-called 'civil' war. This "War between the States" settled the question of where the power lay. The states became a union at last. It would take a few decades, but the English language would change the "correct" usage of "the United States are" into a collective "the United States is." (See Visual Thesaurus).
The United States would become a world power of unprecedented success beginning with intervention in China and the western Pacific Ocean in the mid 1890's. Two World Wars in the twentieth century would add to that prominence even as a second world "superpower" would arise out of the Russian Empire that spanned the Eurasian super continent.
By the bicentennial celebrations of the declaration of independence, the United States would be a member of political alliances in Europe (NATO) and Oceania (ANZUS), among others. It would see near destruction before the bicentennial of the Constitution, however.
Re-establishment of the USA
Fresh from their victory against the Lakotah, serious talks soon began about re-forming the United States of America. With little to no knowledge of the outside world and without any contact from the federal government in years, it was assumed by all that the old United States had ceased to exist. Various proposals were thus introduced by the various survivor communities to form a new nation.
Unknown to most local politicians, but crucial for the eventual success of the new nation, was a cadre of bureaucrats and high level state government officials in the five founding states, that established the ground work for the provisional status of a continuing United States. With underground communications, connected by state-of-the-art (for 1983) fiber optics and shielded electronics, these officials had kept contact with the office of President Reagan for months. However, after receiving word that the president and vice president were in route out of the country, no further word had come. In May of 1984, therefore, Governor Herschler, put into effect the sealed instructions that had been faxed to his office and that of the other governors of the area days after Doomsday. The states remained under emergency orders until a constitutional convention was called to form a "temporary" government.
1991 Constitutional Convention
- See main article: US Constitution
In June of 1991 a convention of delegates from the various communities met in Torrington, Wyoming, and on July 4th presented a new Constitution for the "Provisional Government of the United States of America." Though similar to the old US Constitution, it specifically stated that this government was only provisional and it would disband upon the re-establishment of the true federal government. Other changes also included the removal of the Electoral College and a revised second amendment. Following the approval of the represented communities, the new US had their first election for the President and the Congress.
Since the new constitution was thought to be a temporary document, changes from the US Constitution of 1787 (as amended) were only to be in effect until such time as the original document could be re-instated by federal authorities from Washington, DC, or wherever the government had moved after the assumed destruction of the federal district. Most changes were just cosmetic, in order to make the document separate from the original. The "new" document only differed significantly on the manner of election of the President and Vice President, and a less ambiguous right to bear arms.
The Election of 1992
The success of General Ray Hunkins in the Lakota War produced a situation reminiscent of 1787. No other leader among the survivor states stood a chance against him, so like George Washington after the first war for Independence, Hunkins ran unopposed and was elected the first president of the Provisional US in May of 1992. By November the various communities had been divided into new states which included Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Citizens in these states confirmed the delegates to the Convention to constitute the first Congress on November 3, 1992.
With hopes for a more efficient provision of services to outlaying populations, President Hunkins in 1993 was able to push through Congress the creation of two new states: Kootenai (western Montana) and Absaroka (made up of parts of Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska). At first, Congress appointed governors to oversee these states, but by 1994 elections were held to establish these governments to be self-governed members of the PUS.
Soon the Provisional United States began expanding into Idaho. Several communities located in the former Idaho counties of Lemhi, Clark and Fremont, petitioned for admission into the PUS as a state and eventually formed the state of Idaho in 1995. The panhandle of Idaho was organized as the state of Lincoln after a PUS expedition has defeated the Neo-Nazi warlord who had taken control of the area. In the 1996 election President Hunkins won a second term as president of the PUS.
In 2011, final legal procedures are being pursued to add the state of Dakota (the eastern parts of the former North and South Dakota) as the next state. The state voted in 2010 to 'rejoin' the United States and has been awaiting congressional approval for almost a year. The acquisition of a portion of the old state of Nebraska from the Republic of Lincoln has made southern Dakota contiguous to the other states. Contiguity, though, has been an issue with the expected addition of the Virgin Islands as a state. With air travel still a problem on the continent, the longtime US Atlantic Remnant is seen has been technologically advanced posting a 'one-way' travel problem between the 'parent nation' and its hopeful returning territory. However, with an affirmative vote there in November, the Congress has indicated an immediate acceptance for the Virgin Islands to become its eleventh state (assuming Dakota as the tenth state).
Following the Dakota Annexation, negotiations began with the Free State of Oregon regarding statehood. Oregon became the eleventh state on August 14th, 2012.
On February 12, 2010, representatives from across the PUS met in Torrington, Wyoming for a constitutional convention. Ever since contact with the outside world in 2009 where they learned that the United States had disbanded in 1995, the people of the PUS had debated about the provisional status of their government. This new constitutional convention was to decide the official status of this survivor state. With a vote of a majority of delegates the PUS would the present nine states to be the successor of the United States. Supporters of this proposal based the legitimacy of such on communications with Ronald Reagan when he was at Mount Weather until he left in May 1984 and on communications with remnants of the American military who were unable to evacuate to Australia following the Gathering Order. Every elected governor had been briefed on the history of the 1984 communique, even admitted outsiders like Sarah Heath (R-Lincoln) who became a vocal supporter of the idea.
On March 6, 2010, talks with a group of survivor communities in southern Idaho lead to the annexation the southwestern part of the state. This increased the size of the new state of Idaho significantly.
On July 4, 2010, the leaders of the Torrington Constitutional Convention announced that it had been decided that the Provisional United States is the successor of the United States of America. The delegates of the new constitutional convention announced that they had ratified the constitution without changes except for dropping the Provisional Clause and a "post script" that included the signatures of the delegates in attendance. The four new states, upon coming into the union, had all voted to ratify the document. The date on the bottom of the document, therefore, is July 4, 2010.
Convention leaders expressed a willingness to offer membership in the restored United States to all American survivor states, but they stressed that they will respect any American nations who desire to retain their independence. They promised to treat their neighbors with the "respect and dignity that all civilized nations deserve" and that the declaration would not change their relationship with the North American Union.
While there were no plans to change the current government, the midterm elections on November 2 did include ballot initiatives to approve the name change of the country and a new flag for the restored United States to reflect the current number of states.
News of the restored USA was greeted with celebrations among certain communities of the American diaspora, especially where the Committee to Restore the United States of America has a strong following.
The American Spring
Within days of demonstrations in the Municipal States of the Pacific, the CRUSA chairman met with President Allard in two days of meetings Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, 2011. In these meetings the chairman repeated much of what he had told the president in their visits in Canberra. Allard made it clear that it was not within the Constitutional powers of the US government to reclaim lost land, but rather to legally pursue those states that are held in good faith by successor governments willing to rejoin the nation.
In part, Allard said:
Though the Constitution does not require that we reclaim lost land to the last acre, nor even to grow beyond our present borders, it does give us the mandate to provide a just and equitable existence to Americans everywhere. I look forward to working with the Committee in what promises to be an exciting campaign to reconnect with our brothers and sisters from 'sea to shining sea.'
- -- US Pres. Wayne Allard, March 26, 2011.
Reports of unrest in the MSP had spread throughout the nation by the time this announcement was made, and many local politicians began to be pressured to take a stand on where they stood. Several chapters of the CRUSA were being hounded by local press as to their intentions. Many feared what they saw as "outside agitators" bringing dissension among Americans everywhere. Others wrote letters to politicians and newspapers stating doubts that such a grand scheme would be worth the effort. Businessmen began to wonder if the trade agreements within the North American Union would be scrapped or endangered.
Negotiations with the Provisional Government of the Dakotas during the Spring would pay off, as many Dakotans still felt as if they were a part of the nation. The two governments eventually agreed to statehood, and the State of Dakota was admitted into the Union on July 4th, 2012.
Following the Dakota Annexation, Oregon began negotiations regarding statehood. The United States currently has no access to the sea, which was a major roadblock in regards to the Atlantic Remnant rejoining the United States. President Cole Grant of Oregon declared that statehood would be of mutual advantage, as much of Oregon still lay in ruins following the Civil War five years back. Oregon will become a US State on August 14th, the anniversary of the creation of the Oregon Territory.
FlagSince its inception, the Provisional United States of America had continued to fly the 50-star flag. However, a proposal passed in the Constitutional Convention to update the flag to reflect the current number of states while preserving the history of the original USA. The flag was voted on in the 2010 elections with a vote between several designs submitted in a public contest. The historical flag had been retained while the nation held out hopes that the whole nation would one day be restored. Now, of course, it is known that the previous government dissolved, leaving the old flag both inaccurate and presumptive. The flag to the right was the favorite in a straw poll at the convention and in informal conversations throughout the states as well, and as was expected the new flag became official as of November 8, 2010 (first day of the work week after the votes were tallied and authenticated).
With the addition of Dakota and Oregon, two more stars will be added on January 2, 2013, by a resolution in Congress as they begin the new term. The flag has been designed and approved, but will not be unveiled until the signing of the bill by outgoing President Allard.
The USA is divided into 11 states:
|Wyoming||Casper||1992||Most of the state||One of the five founding states.|
|Montana||Billings||1992||Most of the former state||One of the five founding states.|
|Nebraska||Scottsbluff||1992||Originally the 'panhandle' region of the former state, extended to include much of the western of the former state||One of the five founding states.|
|Kansas||Dodge City||1992||Western end of the former state||One of the five founding states.|
|Colorado||Fort Collins||1992||Northern and Eastern Colorado||One of the five founding states.|
|Kootenai||Missoula||1993||Northwestern corner of the former Montana||One of the two "Hunkins' states," predominately American Indian tribes and former national forests|
|Absaroka||Sydney||1993||Eastern Montana, eastern Wyoming and northeastern Nebraska||One of the two "Hunkins' states." Dominated politically by the influential Crow Tribe.|
|Lincoln||Coeur d'Alene||1995||The 'panhandle' area of the former state of Idaho along with easternmost areas of the former state of Washington||Founded after the area was liberated from a Neo-Nazi warlord who had terrorized the area. The state is named after President Abraham Lincoln.|
|Idaho||Salmon||1995||Central area of the former state||Created after several Idaho city-states petitioned for membership. Originally the counties of Lemhi, Clark and Fremont, but now including six more counties, from the Snake River to Lincoln.|
|Dakota||Aberdeen||2012||eastern areas of former North and South Dakota||Previously the Provisional Government of the Dakotas, was annexed to the United States following diplomatic negotiations|
|Oregon||Salem||2012||Middle stretch of the former state of Oregon||Previously an independent state, was annexed to the United States following diplomatic negotiations.|
On November 2, 2010, mid-term elections were held all over the US. On the ballot were the ratification of the status of the position of the nine states as the successor of the 50 former United States of America along with choosing a new flag. Both resolutions passed overwhelmingly. Six of the nine states had gubernatorial elections and all of them voted on representatives. Six of the states also elected senators belonging to the third class.
Lincoln: Sarah Heath (R), re-elected.
Idaho: Richard H. Stallings (D)
Wyoming: Colin M. Simpson (R)
Colorado: Scott McInnis (R)
Kansas: Sam Brownback (R), re-elected
Nebraska: Adrian Smith (R), re-elected
Lincoln: Michael Baumgartner (R)
Idaho: Larry LaRocco (D)
Colorado: Cory Gardner (R)
Kansas: Tim Huelskamp (R), re-elected.
Nebraska: John Harms (R), re-elected.
Absaroka: Jason Ward (D)
The apportionment of the House of Representatives remained the same as the previous election, using the census of 2002.
Wyoming: Five seats total. Four Republicans and one Democrat.
Montana: Seven seats total. Four Republicans and three Democrats.
Nebraska: One seat. One Republican.
Kansas: Three seats total. Three Republicans.
Colorado: Six seats total. Three Republicans and three Democrats.
Kootenai: Three seats total. Two Democrats and one Republican.
Absaroka: One seat. One Democrat.
Lincoln: Three seats total. Two Democrats and one Republican.
Idaho: One seat. One Republican.
Overall, this meant that the Republican party under Speaker Denny Rehberg maintained its majority in the House, and although they gained a seat in Lincoln, they also lost one each in Wyoming and Kootenai, for a net loss of one seat.
2012 Presidential Race
Candidates began to announce their intentions for the office of President in the 2012 elections in late 2010. The Supreme Court ruled that any candidate that was born in a state of the former United States and presently a resident in a state recognized as under the jurisdiction of the US government at the time of the election (November 2, 2012) would be eligible as a candidate for the office of president (and vice president).
For the Democrats, sources from Charlotte Amalie, VI, claimed that the charismatic chairman of the Committee to Restore the USA, might announce sometime after the November 8, 2011, general election in that area that, should the independent state vote to join the US, they were running. Despite the vote being overall in favor, the Chairman ended up not running for the position, announcing that it would not be possible for the 2012 elections, and expressing hope for the future. Soon after this announcement in December of 2011, several other Democrats who had not declared themselves in the race declared their candidacies, joining early entrants to the race.
By the start of the primaries, Vice President Mike Simpson of Idaho, Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas, Governor Sarah Heath of Lincoln, Representative Jim Geringer of Wyoming, Senator John Harms of Nebraska, and Representative Kevin Lundberg of Colorado had declared their candidacies for the Republican nomination and filed the appropriate paperwork. By the end of the primary season in May of 2012, Vice President Simpson had managed to win the nomination, and fairly easily at that, with Governor Brownback coming in second. Simpson asked Brownback to fill out the lower half of the ticket, and he accepted.
For the Democrats, Senator Jon Tester of Montana, Mayor and 2010 Gubernatorial candidate John Doll of Garden City, Kansas, Senator Jason Ward of Absaroka, Representative Shirley Ringo of Lincoln, and Senator Bob Bacon of Colorado all eventually ran for the nomination. Of these, Mayor Doll and Senator Tester had been in the race prior to the CRUSA Chairman deciding not to run. Between this, his role as Senate Minority Leader, and the standing of the Democratic Party in Montana, Senator Tester secured the nomination after the first couple of primaries. He chose Representative Ringo for the lower half of the ticket.
The restored USA is a member state of the North American Union. As a founding member of this alliance, the United States held a dominant role until the neighboring nation centered in the former US state of Utah joined. Now, influence across the Union is evenly spread by its two largest members.
There have been lingering territorial disputes with the USA's neighbors. The borders of Utah and the state of Idaho had been issue until Utah's joining the NAU. The Republic of Lincoln also claims the entire state of Nebraska, a claim which is not recognized by the current state of Nebraska. Negotiations for the consolidation of that state's lands to its former borders died quickly as the vehement government in Lincoln (the city) claimed legal secession. Constitutional scholars are divided on the legitimacy of that claim.
Upon ratification of the Constitution of 2010, President Allard traveled to Australia to talk with representatives of the CRUSA and former members of the APA in order to formalize the legitimacy of the restored United States. Recordings of discussions with Ronald Reagan and George Bush, along with copies of the sealed emergency government documents, were put in the hands of former APA president George Bush himself. Once these legal details are worked out, it is hoped that membership in the League of Nations will be forthcoming.
Relations with the governments within the former US state of Texas (presently in the process of consolidation) are cordial, but officials of West Texas do not seem to be interested in rejoining the United States any time soon. Talks will continue, however, towards that vital extension towards the "outside world."
Negotiations continue with neighboring Cascadia to get a railroad rebuilt to the Pacific coast where a port can be accessed. The unrest in Oregon is a concern, but a temporary embassy has been established in Victoria. On the other side of the country, the survivor state known as the Republic of Lincoln centered in the old state capital of Nebraska, has continued to refuse to recognize the USA's claim on the state. Negotiations, though, have succeeded in the annexation of portions of the northeast of the former state to the US state now recognized as Nebraska by the international community as a whole.
Contact has been established with the survivor community known as the United States Atlantic Remnant, once the only known American community in the world. President Allard had flown back to US via the Caribbean islands, visiting Puerto Rica, the USAR, and Jamaica, before flying into Midland, West Texas, for one last presidential conference in December of 2010. A planned annexation of the Virgin Islands (the USAR) as the 12th state is now being reconsidered in Torrington as unrest rather than excitement has been the rule across North America in what has come to be known as the "American Spring."
The United States Armed Forces is the military forces of the United States. They currently consist of the Army and Air Force. The military is equipped with a mixture of weapons like the M16, M2 HMG, Dragon AT missile launcher. The US Army also uses combat vehicles like the M60A3 Patton, M113, and the M109. The Air Force uses small numbers of F-111 Aardvarks, C-130 Hercules transports, C-141 Starlifters, UH-1 Hueys and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters. There is a movement within the United States to rename the military as the United States Defense Forces.
Economy and Transportation
The economy of the restored United States is primarily an agricultural economy. With few industries located in the members' states other than some manufacturing in Colorado, the new nation was faced with an industrial crisis nearly as crippling as the agricultural one faced by many survivors on the east coast. Obtaining fuel for existing farming equipment was probably the single largest difficulty facing the communities that would one day re-establish the United States. In the present day the primary means of transportation is still by horse, with large herds dominating the Great Plains. Most trade in the animals is through the nomadic clans associated with the NAU.
There is limited oil that comes from Nebraska, but it is exclusively used for government purposes. Fuel and some manufactured goods have mostly been obtained from neighboring Utah, though there has also been trade with other members of the NAU. With the promise of a rail-line to connect the NAU with the Municipal States of the Pacific, many Americans now look forward to an economic windfall as the restored USA establishes a reliable connection to the Pacific coast with the wealthy Pacific market of the "first world."
The traditional American sports - American football, Baseball, Basketball and, in the northern states, Ice hockey, along with tennis and golf - retained their interest and popularity among the public. Today, various semi-professional leagues have been established across the restored USA.