When the United States almost broke into several pieces

[lpetrich]

Most of us know about the split between the Union and the Confederacy in the US Civil War. But what's less known is some plans to split the US even further just before the war. Plans to split the US into 3 or 4 nations.

One of them was the Central Confederacy. It was a proposed nation consisting of the mid-Atlantic and northwestern states, the states between New England and the Deep-South states. One proposal mentioned New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, and Missouri.

It was motivated by dislike of both strong support for slavery and strong opposition to slavery; it was moderate free states + moderate slave states.

So the US would have gotten split into a layer cake: New England, the Central Confederacy, and the Southern Confederacy.

Around then, New York City mayor Fernando Wood proposed that that city secede and become an independent city-state, the Free City of Tri-Insula. Latin for "three islands": Staten Island, Manhattan, Long Island. Even more nations.


But on April 12, 1861, the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston SC's harbor. That was the end of such proposals.


 Central Confederacy
 Secession in New York
THE PROPOSED CENTRAL CONFEDERACY. - Letter - NYTimes.com
A Great Central Confederacy
Central Confederacy
American Nations: The Official Homepage at colinwoodard.com

 

[gmbteach]

It is interesting how nations are formed.

Last term, my class was learning how primary and secondary colonies were developed. It is interesting to not that the reason Moreton Bay, now known as Brisbane, was colonised as a penal colony, was to stop the French from claiming it. It is the same reason why Perth and Adelaide were also colonised. If the French had of settled here first, Australia would be a very different country indeed.

 

[rjh01]

And in the late 1800s New Zealand was invited to be part of Australia. They declined as they were not racist towards their native people. Australia was very racist. The first legislation passed by the Federal government was the white Australia policy which lasted until the 1970s. Also blacks were not counted in the census as they would be extinct soon anyway. Or that was their logic. This was only changed in the 1960s. Western Australia once tried to become independent of Australia.

 

[Tigers!]

A Western Australia once tried to become independent of Australia.

And sometimes I would be happy to left them go.