Confederate States (Washington's Flu)

The Confederate States of America (also referred to as the Confederate States, the C.S.A., the C.S., or the Confederacy) is a federal republic currently composed of 29 states, spanning a large part of North America, from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Lakes. It is bordered to the north by Canada, to the south by Mexico, and to the northeast and southeast by the United States and the Federated States.

The C.S.A. declared its independence from the United States in 1799, forming into its current union in 1800. It won its independence in 1802. It then began a period of rapid expansion, reaching the Pacific by 1848. In 1878, 11 states in the southern part of the nation seceded from the Confederacy, seeing threats to slavery and their rights. After a bloody war, the south won its independence in 1883 and formed the Federated States of America. The C.S. has since participated in World War I, the Slave War, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Recently (2001-2010), it had been fighting a war on terror in the Middle East and Asia.

The Confederacy is one of the world's foremost powers, nearly a superpower. It has nuclear weapons and is a global leader in technology.

American Revolution and the United States
The 13 original British colonies declared war on Great Britain in 1776, winning their independence in 1783. They formed the United States of America, writing their constitution and adopting their government in 1787. George Washington was elected as the nation's first president.

Problems arose when President Washington fell terribly ill in 1790. He fought very hard, but died on June 5th. A new president was not chosen until after the funeral, and many debates were held on the powers and role of the new president. Eventually, John Adams was sworn in as the nation's second president.

Events went smoothly until 1794, when the Whiskey Rebellion sprung up in opposition to the unpopular whiskey tax imposed by the federal government. Things became worse when the poorly led force of men that Adams had sent panicked and opened fire at the rebels, killing up to 100 people. This event came to be known as the Whiskey Massacre.

Emotions flared up again in 1799 when revolts sprung up in opposition to war taxes levied by the government. This led to more than a few armed conflicts, and, eventually, calls to leave the union which the people felt didn't care for their needs. These calls were answered on November 19th, 1799, when several counties in western Pennsylvania agreed to declare independence from the U.S. This was initially regarded as a bit of a joke by government officials, but then Kentucky and Tennessee also declared independence. They were followed by counties in western Virginia (eventually the state of West Virginia) and the states of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. The Pennsylvania counties formed the state of West Pennsylvania.

The First American Civil War (1799-1802)
These states formed the Confederate States of America and began to fight a bloody war against the U.S. They gradually lost this war, until the tide of the war was turned when Virginia (and some counties in New York) left the Union and joined the Confederacy. They then began on the path to a fairly quick victory, earning their independence on September 17th, 1802. They also gained all U.S. territory west of the Appalachian Mountains.

The War of 1812 and the Mexican-Confederate War (1802-1848)
After the war, the C.S.A. made the Louisiana Purchase from France, more than doubling the size of their nation. Not much else happened from that point, until the Confederacy declared war on Great Britain. The United States joined this war on Great Britain's side, hoping for revenge and possible reunification. The war progressed slowly, though, and it ended in 1815 with the Treaty of Ghent, with neither side gaining anything.

Again, nothing major happened for decades, with an Era of Good Feelings taking hold. This era was ended when the Democratic-Republican Party split into two separate factions. Later, the Confederacy annexed Texas and declared war on Mexico. The C.S.A. won handily, expanding their territory to the Pacific Ocean.

Conflicts Over Slavery and the Second Civil War (1848-1883)
With the increasing number of free states in the Confederacy, slavery began to become an issue around the year 1850. This issue brewed for over a decade before there were enough free states to elect the first Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, in 1865. Many compromises were offered over this time, but nothing took hold. In 1878, the final straw was pulled, and 11 states (Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas) seceded from the Confederacy, forming the Federated States of America. The United States joined the war on the Confederacy's side. In 1881, though, after three long years of fighting, newly elected US President Samuel Tilden withdrew from the war. The election of an anti-war president in the Confederacy led to the end of the war in 1883, with the Federated States becoming independent. After the war, the Confederacy outlawed slavery for good.

The World Wars (1883-1945)
Over the next 30 years, the Confederacy focused on rebuilding the nation after the war. Otherwise, it was peaceful in the nation during this time. The peace was broken in 1916 when the C.S.A. decided to enter World War I. They stayed in until the end, helping with the European war effort.

The nation then entered the Roaring Twenties, a period of great prosperity. Midway through the decade, with the Federated States refusing to completely outlaw slavery (most F.S. states had outlawed it themselves, but there were still 5 that hadn't), the Confederacy and the United States declared war on them. This was called the Slave War. The U.S. and C.S. quickly won, being vastly superior in industrialization and population. This forced the F.S.A. to outlaw slavery.

It wasn't long after that that the Great Depression began, and fascist regimes in Germany, Italy, Japan, and the Federated States sprung up. This led to World War II. The C.S. joined the war after Japan attack Pearl Harbor. In the deadliest war in human history, the Axis Powers were defeated, including the F.S.A. In the peace treaty, the Confederacy received Kentucky and the western half of Texas (organized into the state of West Texas).

The Cold War (1945-1991)
A few years after World War II, a rivalry developed between the capitalist American nations, mainly the C.S.A., and the communist and socialist Soviet Union. This was called the Cold War. While the two nations never actually met in combat, they participated in several sub-wars such as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Luckily, the Cold War did not result in nuclear doomsday and the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 due to internal and external pressures.

The Gulf War and War on Terror (1991-2010)
In 1991, the C.S., U.S., and F.S. participated in the Gulf War against Iraq, which the coalition (anti-Iraqi forces) won. The 90's were then relatively quiet, but that ended quickly upon the dawn of the new millennium. On September 11th, 2001, the day of George W. Bush's presidential inauguration, hijacked planes crashed into the Sears Tower and Aon Center in Chicago, and the Confederate Capital building in Columbus, killing over 3,000 Confederate citizens. In response, President Bush began his "War on Terror". This lasted until Democratic presidents Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton brought many troops out of the targeted areas, though many argue that it is still happening today.

Current Events (2010-present)
Since 2010, a new terrorist group called ISIS has sprung up in Iraq and elsewhere, which the Confederacy, U.S., and F.S. are currently focused on. Controversy over white police shooting or killing some black people unprovoked has also gripped the nation.

There have also been recent movements to hold referendums to allow the "World War II states" (states that joined the Confederacy after World War II) to rejoin the Federated States, if they desire. These referendums have recently been approved by the Confederate Congress and President Obama. They will be held in November of 2016 in Kentucky and West Texas. While the vote won't be legally binding, the government has pledged to let the states go if they vote that way.

Government and Politics
The government of the Confederacy is a federal representative republic. The government operates as outlined in the Confederate Constitution, which is very similar to the United States Constitution. Thus, the government is nearly identical to the U.S. as well. There are some key differences, though.

For one, the Confederate Constitution specifically states that "no tax shall be levied upon the people of any one of the several States, without the approval of the government of those states." This means that if the federal government imposes a national tax, any state government can decide to not allow that tax to be collected in their state. (Some people have tried to claim that it actually means that if even one state objects to the tax, then it can't be collected at all, but most people agree that that isn't what the writers intended.) The tax clause was added in direct opposition to the Whiskey Tax and the war taxes that caused the C.S.A. to declare independence. Also, the constitution said that any new state to enter the Confederacy would hold a vote of its people to determine whether they would allow slavery. This part was repealed with the 4th Amendment.

There are also some changes to presidential terms. The writers of the constitution didn't like being stuck with a single president for four years, a fact which was highlighted after their displeasure with Adams' 1796 election. So, they shortened the presidential term length to just two years. They also didn't allow a single person to be president for consecutive terms. (Vice presidents also cannot be president immediately after their vice presidential term ends, and presidents cannot be vice presidents immediately after their presidential term.) Finally, a single person could only serve up to three terms as president. (This was later changed to four.)

List of Constitutional Amendments
1st Amendment (ratified July 1st, 1805)- The 1st Amendment is an exact copy of the United States' 12th Amendment. It changes voting procedures for president.

2nd Amendment (ratified March 26th, 1834)- The 2nd Amendment, nicknamed the Jackson Amendment, allowed presidents to serve up to four terms instead of the previous three.

3rd Amendment (ratified January 7th, 1879)- The 3rd Amendment grants special wartime powers to the president and establishes a way for Congress to give one year term extensions to presidents during wars that "threaten the unity and survival of the nation." This amendment was eventually replaced by the 5th Amendment.

4th Amendment (ratified June 2nd, 1884)- The 4th Amendment outlaws slavery in the Confederacy and gives every citizen the right to vote. It also ends the process where states vote to allow or disallow slavery.

5th Amendment (ratified September 10th, 1885)- The 5th Amendment replaces the 3rd Amendment. It grants the same wartime powers, but revokes the ability of Congress to extend a president's term. Instead, if 2/3rds of Congress and 2/3rds of the states decide to allow it, the president is allowed to run for consecutive terms in wars that threaten the survival of the nation.

6th Amendment (ratified April 7th, 1886)- The 6th Amendment prohibits people presenting amendments to congress that only serve as personal gain or stand very little chance of ratification.

7th Amendment (ratified October 30th, 1913)- The 7th Amendment establishes the popular election of senators. It is an exact copy of the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

8th Amendment (ratified December 13th, 1914)- The 8th Amendment makes it impossible for anyone who has ever held a public office or title of nobility in another nation to be president. It also makes it impossible for anyone that currently holds a public office or title of nobility in another nation to be elected to the Confederate Congress. (So they would have to give up that office or title in order to be a congressman.) This is an exact copy of the Federated States' 2nd Amendment.

9th Amendment (ratified February 3rd, 1920)- The 9th Amendment grants women the universal right to vote.

10th Amendment (ratified July 7th, 1920)- The 10th Amendment established prohibition in the C.S. It is an exact copy of the Federated States' 3rd Amendment.

11th Amendment (ratified October 5th, 1968)- The 11th Amendment, nicknamed the Romney Amendment, allows people not born on C.S. soil to be president. (The Confederate Constitution didn't allow anyone born outside of the "territories of one of several States belonging to the Confederacy" to be president.) This amendment says that if a person had at least one parent born on C.S. soil, had been a full Confederate citizen for at least 30 years (which wouldn't really be an issue as in most cases people born to a C.S.A. citizen were C.S.A. citizens from birth themselves), had been a permanent resident of the C.S.A. for at least ten years, and was able to attain a special waiver from a federal judge, then they could be president.

Politics
The two main parties in the Confederacy are the Democrats and Republicans. The Democrats are the liberal party, believing in larger government and acceptance for all. They were established in 1835 after the split of the Democratic-Republican Party. The Republicans are the conservative party, believing in smaller government and personal liberties. They were established in 1858 as the anti-slavery party.

Currently, the Democrats hold the presidency with President Barack Obama and the Republicans hold Congress.

Flag Design and History
The original flag of the Confederacy is based off of the Star-Spangled Banner, the U.S. flag at the time that the C.S. declared independence. The Confederates decided to adopt a simple design, in order to represent the simple lifestyle and government they desired. Where the stripes were on the U.S. flag, they colored completely red. They also replaced the many stars on the flag with a single star, to represent the unity of the states and, again, simplicity.

In 1836, the flag was elongated to better match the U.S. flag at that time (though the canton remained the same size). A blue stripe was also added at the end of the flag to balance the colors out. At the same time, 16 stars were added around the single star, one for every state. From then on, the number of stars around the main star would match the number of states in the Confederacy.

The current version of the flag has been in use since 1959, when Hawaii was admitted to the Confederacy. It has 29 stars, one for every state. There are currently no areas in the C.S.A. close to achieving statehood, but the potential departures of Kentucky or West Texas, or both, could bring the number of stars down to 28 or 27.