Jeremy quickly adapted to his new life at Lincoln High. The teachers were much friendlier and willing to help the students. The students seemed much more relaxed and cheerful. The whole atmosphere felt much lighter and fresher. Students and teachers spoke to each other more freely and openly. Jeremy had never believed he could enjoy school this much.
While the students and faculty easily deduced that he had just arrived from Virginia, Jeremy nonetheless made friends quickly. In fact, his status as a Virginia escapee made him something of a celebrity. This provided Jeremy with an extra level of comfort at the school. If anybody helping General Krakowski tried to do anything to him here, practically the whole student body would protect him.
Two boys named John Humpert and Randy Flagler quickly became his best friends. They were each other’s next-door neighbors. They both were in some of Jeremy’s classes. When Jeremy learned that several boys would get together after school to play baseball, he quickly joined. It turned out that John and Randy also were avid baseball players who nearly always participated. Soon he started interacting with both boys frequently. Sometimes he would even go home with them after baseball, occasionally staying for dinner and even staying later for studying or socializing. Jeremy’s caretakers back at the complex had no concern about him visiting his friends as long as he kept them informed. Whenever he was ready to go home, John and Randy would often offer to drive him there. But Jeremy stuck by the rules. He would always contact his home. Don would then drive out to get him.
The girls looked particularly attractive to Jeremy. They seemed so much cleaner, neater, healthier, happier, more vibrant, better dressed, and kinder than the girls in Virginia. Remembering how much he had been attracted to Cynthia Sullivan, he believed Lincoln High had scores of girls who were more desirable. Alicia Shelby appealed to him most. He did not have any classes with Alicia, but sometimes he would see her in the hallways. He always said hi to her, and she always replied in kind, with a smile that made Jeremy feel like a million neurons were being released throughout his body.
While Jeremy sometimes overheard things about boys and girls going to restaurants and movies together, one-on-one, the concept of dating was foreign to him. In Virginia, boys and girls were only able to see each other socially in activities put on either by the school or the state. While there probably were instances of boys and girls getting together one-on-one there, it was never talked about openly. This left Jeremy unsure how to advance his interests in any girls.
Jeremy’s favorite part of school was his after-lunch period with Mr. Curry. This white-haired, bearded man maintained a very distinguished look, always neatly but never garishly dressed. The man encouraged Jeremy to refer to him by his first name, George. They met in an office not much bigger than Mr. Brown’s. The main difference was that this office had a blackboard and a large US map inside. They would always sit on chairs across from each other and talk like they were having a casual conversation, with George taking the lead to help correct the misinformation that Jeremy had been taught in Virginia.
Starting with the original colonies, George agreed that when the settlers at Jamestown named the area “Virginia,” it was not known how far Virginia would extend. Some people really did believe that Virginia should refer to all of British-claimed North America. But as other settlements grew along what became the Eastern Seaboard, the British crown determined which portions of land would belong to each of the colonies. The colony that became known as Virginia may have included areas outside its present boundaries, but it certainly did not have any dominion over the other colonies, let alone all of English-claimed North America.
Moving on to the American Revolution, George explained that up until then, the colonies had mostly acted independently from one another, all subject to Britain’s leadership. Then the British became involved in a war that was referred to in the United States as the French and Indian War. It included significant fighting on the North American continent. While the British won the war and gained claim to considerable land in present-day Canada and the United States, it was also a very costly war. Reasoning that it was only fair that the colonists pay for their own protection, the British levied taxes on the colonists to help pay for the war.
Naturally, nobody likes to have to pay more taxes. Many colonists objected. Some colonial leaders pointed out that, as British citizens, they should not be taxed unless they had representatives in the lawmaking body that was assessing the taxes. Therefore the colonists should not be taxed unless they had representatives in the British parliament, which they did not. The colonies started banding together to redress their grievances to the British government.
As each tax was resisted by the colonists, the British tried to come up with other ways to raise tax money from the colonists. Gradually, tensions escalated to the point that violence occurred. While the agitation was greatest in the North, every colony that became part of the United States had grievances. Thirteen colonies banded together in a movement for independence. None of them were coerced or bribed into joining, as General Krakowski wanted people to believe. One colony, Vermont, decided to go its own way, not joining the nation until after the revolution. Many people who wished to remain loyal to Britain migrated to present-day Canada. Meanwhile, the French people in present-day Canada, who had come under British rule after the French and Indian War, could not understand what the quarreling was about. They felt that the British leaders treated them much better than their old French leaders did. For those reasons, the colonies in present-day Canada did not join the rebellion.
Several years after the colonies won their independence, they formed a document called the Constitution. This became the supreme law of the United States. Once again, no states were coerced or bribed into approving it. The Constitution did allow one concession to the South by not prohibiting slavery. This was not so much a bribe as it was a compromise to get the approval needed. At that time, in fact, national leaders both Northern and Southern believed that slavery would eventually dissipate.
But the slavery problem did not dissipate. After the cotton gin was invented, Southerners started building huge cotton plantations. They believed that slaves were necessary to perform menial tasks cheaply enough to make their plantations profitable. As the nation expanded westward, so did slavery. Meanwhile, many citizens, particularly in the North, became increasingly agitated over slavery. The grueling, long hours in hot cotton fields. Brutal beatings that often resulted in injury or even worse. Slaves being forced to have sex with their masters. Families being broken up because someone had been sold to a different owner. A master could even kill a slave and not face prosecution.
As more Northerners demanded an end to the inhumane practice of slavery, the Southerners became more adamant about retaining it. Confrontations became violent, with people even being killed. Finally, a political party called the Republicans arose in the North with a platform against slavery. In 1860, the Republicans succeeded in getting one of their men, Abraham Lincoln, elected president. The same Abraham Lincoln who was so viciously reviled in Virginia but after whom this school was named.
Right away, some Southern states declared that they were no longer part of the union. Lincoln tried to maintain a friendly stance toward these states but refused to accept their claim that they were no longer part of the nation. After some Southerners fired upon Fort Sumpter in South Carolina, Lincoln declared that the Southern states were in armed rebellion, calling for troops to stop it. Four more Southern states, including Virginia, broke ranks with the nation and joined the South. The Civil War had begun.
At first, people on both sides believed the war would end quickly. But soon Robert E. Lee, the same man for whom Jeremy’s old high school in Virginia was named, built a formidable army to defend Virginia and the Confederate capital in Richmond, while Northern forces, mainly the ones under command of Ulysses S. Grant, achieved success in the West. Both sides determinedly resolved to win. The war ended up dragging on through four painful, costly years. It only ended when General Grant, brought east to battle General Lee, wore down his opponent, while General Sherman laid waste to much of the Deep South. Neither Grant nor Sherman had wanted to wreak such havoc on fellow Americans, but war necessitated it. Sherman even said that after the war, he would gladly help the same Southerners whom he and his men had so horrifically devastated.
The healing process occurred slowly, hampered by much bitterness on both sides. Abraham Lincoln had wanted to show lenience to the South. But his plan was thwarted when a Southern fanatic named John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln. The next president, Andrew Johnson, lacked Lincoln’s political adeptness. So the South was punished. But many Southerners did not behave any better. They devised schemes that forced the freed slaves and their descendants into second-class status.
But reunited the country was, and reunited it remained. The United States grew into one of the world’s largest nations. It became the most prosperous country in history. North and South shared in this tremendous boom. They fought alongside each other for the cause of freedom in two of the nastiest wars ever fought. Together, they were all united in one mighty nation.
The tremendous luxury could not last forever. In its efforts to be all things to all people, even to the point of trying to help people in many other countries, the national government spent astronomically more money than it could obtain. Eventually, the national debt soared past the point that the world financial markets could accommodate. The federal government tried vainly to resolve the mounting deficit problem. Raising taxes only stifled economic activity, both dragging down government revenue and increasing welfare demands. Selling off government land and other possessions only produced limited results. Finally, the government resorted to printing more money to meet its needs.
The result of monetizing the debt was predictable. Inflation skyrocketed. People’s incomes could not keep pace with the escalating prices. Convinced that their money would continue to lose value, people spent it as quickly as they could get it. Institutions worldwide did the same. This only exacerbated the inflation. Prices of some commodities could double within one day. Essential government services were cut because the vendors would no longer accept such unreliable money. Finally, with its money totally worthless, the federal government simply dissolved.
Without the federal government, the states were left to fend for themselves. Efforts to form a new national government were stymied by various politicians who could not agree on terms that would satisfy enough of their various interests. As if that were not bad enough, Canada and Italy, both crippled by the loss of the economic vitality provided by the United States, soon dissolved as well. One of the worst crises in world history began.
At first, crime exploded rampantly around the country. People without sufficient resources would steal to obtain what they needed to survive. Foreign invasion became a major threat. Mexico took advantage of the disarray to invade the Southwest, claiming that it was retaking land that the United States had stolen from it. The entire states of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona fell to the Mexicans, along with most of California, Nevada, and Utah. The Mexicans also took parts of Colorado and Oklahoma.
Cuba, hoping to emulate Mexico’s success, invaded Florida. The Cubans managed to take over a portion of the southern part of the state, but Florida marshaled sufficient forces to stop the Cuban advance. As one Florida official put it, the Cubans mostly got islands and swampland. Key West was the only sizable community that the Cubans held.
Russia, stating that the United States had negotiated in bad faith when it purchased Alaska, likewise invaded that state. With only a small population, Alaska was no match for the powerful Russians, who soon occupied the entire state.
All parts of the country faced their own challenges. New York City plunged into complete anarchy. Washington, DC, was almost entirely abandoned. Other major cities reported tremendous amounts of arson, assault, and looting. With so many office buildings sitting empty, squatters settled into them for cheap shelter.
Order was gradually restored. Iowa and the other major farming states fared better than most. With sufficient food production, at least people there would not starve. States with ocean ports began participating in foreign trade. Many communities started creating local currencies, often backed by local commodities, to help restore some sense of normalcy. Churches became popular as people often turned to them for guidance in their misery. Churches also became depositories for food and other necessities, helping assure that the local citizenry would be sufficiently provided for.
Quebec, with its strong French ties, formed an alliance with France. This helped prop up the well-being of this predominantly French-speaking province. Following Quebec’s example, Oregon and New Jersey sought foreign assistance also. Oregon quickly developed strong ties with Japan, which had a large need for Oregon’s timber. Meanwhile, New Jersey found a receptive nation with Saudi Arabia. New Jersey’s extensive chemical operations provided a much-needed market for Saudi oil, creating a mutually beneficial alliance. Both Oregon and New Jersey began to experience improving conditions.
Some states managed reunification to some degree. The six New England states formed a type of confederation with Canada’s Maritime Provinces. While there was no authority governing the ten entities, there was a mutual agreement to cooperate with and help each other, which did stabilize the area to some extent. Delaware, small in both size and population, did not want to fend for itself. Its leaders approached Maryland with a proposal to unite under one government. The Marylanders accepted, thus causing Maryland and Delaware to be the first two states to become officially reunited.
Other states were not nearly as fortunate. New York split into three self-governing entities. New York City became a type of city-state under a police-state-type of leadership. Its objective was to establish firm trade connections throughout the rest of the world. Nassau and Suffolk Counties, on Long Island, joined in with the New England states and Maritime Provinces. Together, the two counties became known as East Long Island. The remainder of New York, often referred to as “upstate,” became known as Upper New York and functioned much like most of the other states.
While the areas that avoided foreign occupation typically retained some form of democracy, there were exceptions. New York City’s police state was a prime example. In Louisiana, an obscure group of about twenty people, mostly white men, managed to get control of the state. There followed a bizarre type of oligarchy dominated by bribery, favoritism, and other insider connections. Living conditions for the general citizenry improved little, with instability constantly undermining the state’s recovery.
As bad as things were in Louisiana, conditions were even worse in Virginia. General Krakowski approached the governor of Virginia and offered to use the soldiers under his command to quell the disorder. The governor unhesitatingly accepted. After order had been restored, the governor offered the general his gratitude. But General Krakowski declared that it was the troops under his command that held control of the state, and he was therefore in charge. The governor was quickly deposed from his office, with General Krakowski proclaiming himself as the state’s new leader. He placed the entire state under a military dictatorship.
While General Krakowski seized control of all vital functions in Virginia, effectively cutting the state off not only from the other states but also from the rest of the world, the other states started discussing reunion. Conventions had been held at various times and in various locations. Sometimes, most of the states would attend. Other times, not many attended. But each convention would end in a kind of disarray. The delegates could never agree on terms and conditions for reunification well enough to achieve any viable plan.
The centrally located states, such as Iowa, expressed the most interest in reunification. Being landlocked and therefore having less ability to reach foreign countries, these states believed they had the most to gain from reunion. Eventually, a newspaper editor from Des Moines named Troy Adair gained attention for his viewpoints on reunification. Citing the disagreements that always undermined the reunification conventions, he suggested that those states that could agree on reunification terms should reunite, then work out terms with the other states with the objective of getting them all back under one federal government. Any state that subsequently approved of the arrangement would likewise be considered part of the reunion.
Troy Adair even came up with a name for the states that would participate in the reunion. He said they could be called the Reunited States of North America. In suggesting this name, he asserted that the words “United States of America” still referred to all fifty states together and that they still were all part of one nation. This viewpoint mirrored that of Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.
Adair’s popularity soared as his editorials became known worldwide. People began to ask him to run for public office. He resisted at first, claiming he liked his job as a journalist and did not want to change careers. But public pressure mounted. When Byron Ohrt, the Iowa governor, promised to step aside in an upcoming gubernatorial election if Adair would run, he finally relented. On that election, Troy Adair was the only candidate for governor on the ballot. Victory was assured.
With Byron Ohrt working beside him as lieutenant governor, Governor Adair took the reins of leading his home state. Ohrt managed most affairs pertaining to the state’s business, providing the governor with guidance whenever needed. But the new governor focused most of his energies on the much bigger task of how to reunify Iowa with its brother states.
During his first several months in office, Governor Adair conferred with many politicians and political experts across the states. He always did his conferring in private. Sometimes it would be behind closed doors in his office at the capital, but he often preferred to work either in the governor’s mansion or at his personal home on the city’s east side. Despite intense media attention, very little was known about the progress of his work or how it was taking shape.
It was almost a year before Governor Adair submitted anything to the Iowa legislature regarding reunification. This document proposed a new national constitution. It was based on the premise that even though the original constitution was still the supreme law of the United States, and that all the fifty states were still legally bound by its provisions, the government created to enforce these provisions no longer existed. Next, it claimed that in order to form a new unity among the states, a new government under the authority of a new constitution was needed. It then proposed to submit this new constitution for consideration by the states.
For the most part, this constitution mirrored the original. Its main difference was that most amendments to the original constitution were incorporated into the main document. But it also contained some substantive changes. One big change was that presidents were to be elected via popular vote instead of the old electoral college system. Another provision mandated that the national government must maintain a balanced budget except in times of war or economic emergency. This provision was designed to avoid the calamity that ruined the first national government.
The closing provision generated the most interest. First, it claimed that all states that approved this document would be considered reunited and subject to its provisions. Then it concluded with the provision that if thirty-eight states (three quarters of the total fifty) approved it, this constitution would become effective for the entire nation as the supreme law of the land, replacing the original constitution.
News of the submission spread instantaneously. People all over the world speculated on if the document would get the approval of enough states to achieve full passage. Others wondered what objections might be raised and how they would be dealt with. There was also speculation on how the problem states, like New York, Louisiana, and especially Virginia, could be brought in. Similar concerns were raised about states occupied by foreign countries.
Concerns about the document getting approval in Iowa did not last long. Within days of receiving it, both houses of the Iowa legislature passed it by unanimous vote. It sailed through without even the slightest hint of objection or even the slightest modifications. The document was then immediately returned to Governor Adair, who promptly signed it into law. Pictures of the smiling governor affixing his signature went viral.
The day’s excitement was not over. Within minutes, the proposed constitution was wired to the other states. Some states, like Virginia, ignored it. But most gave it a good look right away. The biggest surprise came from neighboring Missouri. It had long been known that Governor Adair had become close friends with the Missouri governor, Hector Stevenson. Since Governor Adair took office, the two men met with each other frequently. Governor Stevenson must not only have known exactly what was in the proposed constitution, but he also must have secretly passed it along to the state’s other political leaders. Five minutes after the document was wired to the other states, Missouri announced the unanimous approval from both chambers of its legislature, complete with the governor’s signature. There had been no debate. Iowa and Missouri were now reunited. Pictures of Governor Stevenson signing the document spread just as quickly as the Governor Adair picture did. At points along the Iowa-Missouri border, pictures of people shaking hands across the state line spread just as fast.
At first, the new constitution seemed like it would quickly gain most of its self-mandated approval. Within a week, Nebraska approved it. Two weeks later, North Dakota voted its approval, followed within days by South Dakota. The movement seemed to be gaining strength when, after two more weeks, Michigan approved the document. Not only was Michigan the most populous state, at that point, to join the reunion, but it was also the strongest, financially, of all the fifty states, thanks mainly to the efforts of its treasurer, Omar Fields. Through prudent financial maneuvering, he had maintained the integrity of the state’s bonds so that none of its bondholders suffered loss, despite the dollar’s worthlessness. He had backed the bonds with gold, silver, and platinum. When concerned bondholders wanted to redeem their bonds, he made good on the promise, using those metals. Concern quickly abated. The state government then started issuing its own money, which quickly became the most stable currency within the states. A state that had experienced some of the worst fiscal struggles before the dissolution had suddenly become a fiscal powerhouse. One RSNA political leader called Omar Fields “a money genius.”
When Michigan joined the RSNA, the Michigan dollar became its main currency. Buoyed by the stable currency, the standard of living within the RSNA raced ahead of the other states. Optimism soared that the other states, noticing such a huge benefit of reunion, would rush to join.
The killjoy of this reunion effort was Governor William Woodring of Illinois. Using heavy-handed political maneuvering, he squashed the Illinois effort to approve the new constitution. This constitution, he claimed, was written by one state, and only one state. A good constitution should only be approved after each state had participated in its drafting. When reminded of the futility of such efforts thus far, and that experts from many states, including Illinois, had advised Governor Adair on the document, Governor Woodring stood firm. He would not support such a document unless Illinois had representation in its preparation.
Had Illinois been the only defector state besides Virginia, Louisiana, and the states under foreign control, the process might have continued. But Governor Woodring was no political novice. A big man with a strong will, he was affectionately called “Big Bill” by his constituents. But while he seemed warm and gentle to the public, few politicians were more adept at manipulation. Some politicians claimed he could seemingly switch sides on an issue without even blinking. The man was also artfully persuasive, often enticing people into agreeing to something he wanted by seemingly promising something in return but later claiming that whatever he supposedly promised was not really what he meant.
After renouncing the proposed constitution himself, he persuaded the Minnesota and Wisconsin political leaders to do the same. His pitch to Wisconsin was that this document maintained the original constitution’s right to a trial by jury. Wisconsin had experienced good success by switching to the German method of trial by tribunal. Tribunal judges were much more objective and much less swayed by persuasive lawyers than juries. Big Bill convinced them that they risked losing this successful concept if they joined the RSNA.
With Minnesota, Big Bill needed a different approach. He correctly pointed out that the original constitution was based on Biblical principles. No other state had used the Bible for guidance since the dissolution more than Minnesota. Agreeing that law should be based on Biblical principles, he convinced the Minnesotans that they risked losing some of their solid basis if they hurried into approving this new constitution.
Big Bill’s final strike against the reunification effort was when he started calling the proposed constitution the “Iowa Articles of Reunification.” Before, it had always been called the “proposed new constitution” or by its given title, “Second Constitution,” often preceded by the word “proposed.” While there was nothing derogatory about Big Bill’s new nickname for it, the strategy worked. Now it sounded more like an Iowa proposal, not something that the whole nation had collaborated on. The nickname caught on. Soon, most people started referring to the Second Constitution by Big Bill’s nickname. States stopped approving the Iowa Articles, with some maintaining more interest than others. The more interested states started taking a “wait and see” approach.
The six reunified states proceeded with their new government. At first people thought it would be awkward, with Michigan not being connected to the other five states. But modern technology and transportation enabled Michigan to participate seamlessly. Detroit, in fact, accelerated its pace toward becoming a world financial center. Des Moines became the de facto capital of the RSNA. Much debate centered around a permanent location for the capital. Some people wanted to restore Washington, DC, as the national capital, but most agreed that the city was too far removed from the participating states, not to mention right next to troublesome Virginia, and that a new location was needed.
After considering several locations, the RSNA leaders decided it would be best to establish some city as not being a part of any state, just like Washington, DC, had been. This location would likewise be carved out of two existing states. Those states would be Iowa and Missouri, because they were the charter members of the RSNA, but also because, as the rest of the country came together, it would be centrally located. A small town called Lamoni, located just north of the border between the two states and near the center of the borderline, was selected. Even the shape of the new capital was to be the same as the old one. It would be a diamond-shape, with each side of equal length and corners meeting at right angles. The land contributed by the two states would be symmetrical opposites, with the east and west corners located right at the existing state line. The existing community of Lamoni, located near the center of the diamond, would be applied to the entire city.
The citizens of Lamoni were both surprised and honored that their community would become the RSNA’s capital. But they also had reservations about the changes that would inevitably begin. Some even hoped that their status as a capital would only be temporary, that a different city would eventually be chosen. But as new streets were mapped out and edifices to serve the new government were built, it became obvious that Lamoni was never going to be the same.
The first “national” elections were held the following November. As expected, Governor Adair ran virtually unopposed for president. Prevailing belief held that Governor Stevenson was equally likely to become the RSNA’s first vice president. Shockingly, Governor Adair selected an obscure state senator from Michigan named Calvin Marshall as his running mate. Critics theorized that Governor Adair was pandering to African Americans by selecting one for such a high position. But the governor made his choice, and he stood by it. On Election Day, Troy Adair cruised into the presidency with 82 percent of the popular vote. Marshall’s victory was likewise never in doubt, and he won the vice presidency with 73 percent of the vote.
Quickly, President Adair established his cabinet. Hector Stevenson was appointed Secretary of State. Omar Fields became Secretary of the Treasury. Nebraska and the Dakotas were represented among the remaining cabinet posts. The Supreme Court would have nine justices, just like the original. President Adair appointed two justices each from Iowa, Michigan, and Missouri and one justice apiece from Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. While the president took some criticism for not selecting enough minorities, most notably not any women, his appointments were readily accepted by the newly established Congress. The new government was up and running.
It soon became apparent why President Adair selected Calvin Marshall as Vice President and Hector Stevenson for Secretary of State. Vice President Marshall turned out to be particularly adept at dealing with Congress, helping to pass meaningful legislation while also carrying out President Adair’s agenda. Secretary Stevenson, meanwhile, proved equally adept with foreign policy. The United Nations awarded the position once held by the United States to the RSNA. Dozens of countries, including the key nations of Great Britain, Germany, Russia, China, and Japan, recognized the RSNA as a sovereign government, granting it the diplomatic positions within their governments that had once been held by the United States.
Of the top members of the Adair administration, the only one who seemed to be struggling was the president himself. He took upon himself the task of convincing more states to join the RSNA. He visited most of the other states, omitting only Virginia and the states under foreign control. He was always cordially received. State leaders seemed to agree with his viewpoints. But somehow, no states were willing to approve the Iowa Articles. Some people speculated that President Adair was too inflexible in his ideals. Others thought that too many legislators were heeding Big Bill’s demand for a national convention to discuss the issue. Whatever the reasons, the fact remained that two years after Troy Adair became president, no more states had joined the RSNA.
Then, just last spring, when the whole movement to get new states to join the RSNA seemed hopelessly bogged down, President Adair’s worst enemy, General Krakowski, unwittingly did him a huge favor. The general unleashed his well-armed military on West Virginia. With a smaller population that was much less prepared to fight, West Virginia proved to be an easy target for the general and his minions. Within days, the entire state was occupied. The whole invasion was completed before any other state could even react.
Soon, images from the invasion flashed worldwide. Fires were everywhere. Almost everybody of any means was robbed of all their possessions. Innocent people were being beaten, raped, and killed. Even toddlers were among the victims. Outrage spread just as quickly as the images. President Adair loudly proclaimed that an attack against one state was an attack against all, and that the RSNA would readily help defend any state that was so attacked. He also demanded that General Krakowski pull his troops from West Virginia.
Naturally, the general refused to comply. He declared that West Virginia was rightfully a part of Virginia, that it had no right to break away from Virginia during the Civil War. When reminded that the Supreme Court had upheld West Virginia’s right to form a separate state, Krakowski replied that the ruling was irrelevant. When criticized about the carnage inflicted on West Virginia, he said that the Confederacy suffered similar carnage during the Civil War. Many quickly pointed out that what had just been done to West Virginia far exceeded anything inflicted on the South during the Civil War. Others claimed that what had just happened was more like the Nazi German invasions during World War II. Krakowski turned a deaf ear.
Soon, the power-mad general began massing his troops along the Ohio River in West Virginia and along the Virginia and West Virginia borders with Kentucky. His next move was obvious. Ohio and Kentucky promptly made a mutual defense alliance. President Adair contacted the governors of both states, asking if they wanted some RSNA troops. Both governors promptly said they did. President Adair promptly sent more than double the troops that Virginia had. Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Upper New York, New Jersey, and Minnesota provided additional support. Soon, the Ohio and Kentucky borders with Virginia and West Virginia were so well fortified that General Krakowski did not dare attack.
Within a week of the arrival of the RSNA troops, the Kentucky legislature ratified the Iowa Articles of Reunion. Shortly thereafter, the Ohio legislature did the same. Indiana had expressed some of the highest interest in joining the RSNA. With three of its four neighbors in, the Hoosier State leaders decided this would be a good time to join, bringing the total number of states to nine.
General Krakowski soon withdrew his troops from the Ohio and Kentucky borders. But somehow, he did not comprehend the implications of what he had just tried. Over the next few weeks, he started massing his troops along the Potomac River. Frightened Marylanders braced for an invasion. Maryland’s governor asked President Adair for help, which the president quickly provided. Once again, the RSNA took position and showed it was ready to fight.
Once again, General Krakowski backed down. But it was too late to stop the rising tide against him. The Maryland-Delaware Congress unanimously advised its constituent states to approve the Iowa Articles. Because Delaware was the first state to approve the original Constitution, the Maryland legislature let Delaware go first. As expected, Delaware approved the articles. Maryland soon followed. A few weeks later, Pennsylvania cast its lot with the RSNA. After two years of not gaining any new states, in less than two months, the RSNA had doubled its number of participating states and more than doubled its population. Now the RSNA was a much more powerful force to contend with.
While General Krakowski began to look for less high-handed ways to expand his power, pressure in Illinois on Big Bill to approve the Iowa Articles mounted. Illinois residents would visit neighboring RSNA states and spread news about the improving conditions there. Some Illinoisans found jobs in Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri. They were paid in Michigan dollars. That money was so much sounder than Illinois money that these people started living better than people with Illinois jobs. While the Michigan dollar was not legal tender in Illinois, its circulation became too pervasive to stop.
An Illinois state senator named Frank Fletcher had long been a well-known proponent of the Iowa articles. Support for him grew to the point that Big Bill could no longer put him off. When Frank Fletcher informed Big Bill that he had enough support in the legislature to ratify the Iowa articles, Big Bill continued his strong-arm tactics, saying he would veto the move. Referring to a law passed by the RSNA Congress requiring every state to recognize the Michigan dollar as legal tender, he retorted, “First they want to force Iowa’s constitution on us. Now they want to force Michigan’s money on us! What will they do next? Try to force us to drink South Dakota’s water?”
But Big Bill knew his hand was being forced. Conferring with other governors, he arranged a convention for the purpose of discussing the Iowa articles. The convention would be held in Chicago this November. For the time being, pressure on him abated.
The recent turns of events raised some questions from Jeremy. “Why doesn’t Big Bill want Illinois to join the RSNA?” he asked.
“He is probably playing some kind of political angle,” George replied. “He might want Illinois to get some special deal out of joining. More likely, he is doing it to advance his own ambitions. But he certainly is taking full advantage of being located in between so many RSNA states. All RSNA traffic that enters Illinois has to pay tolls.”
“Couldn’t the RSNA require Illinois traffic to pay tolls when they come to one of our states?”
“That idea has been mentioned,” continued George. “President Adair does not like it. He is very conciliatory. He said that such a move would have too much of a ‘turnabout is fair play’ mentality.”
“But why do we all have to use the Michigan dollar?”
“Because the Michigan dollar is the strongest,” George stated. “Efforts are underway to transition to an RSNA dollar. But that is not particularly easy. There is an old saying that says, ‘He who has the gold makes the rules.’ Right now, that gold, along with the silver and platinum, belongs to the State of Michigan. In order for the RSNA to take over the issuance of money, it really needs the backing of those precious metals.”
Jeremy also wondered about General Krakowski. “Do you think he will get more power?” he asked.
“He could,” acknowledged George. “But events are turning against him. He is trying to make the RSNA look like a kind of Northern threat to the South, using analogies to the Civil War. But nobody is listening to him.”
Jeremy asked about the general’s visit to Tennessee shortly before his escape.
“That trip to Tennessee was a big pack of lies,” replied George, with a bit of a chuckle. “If he were to go to any state other than Virginia, West Virginia, or Louisiana, he would be arrested on the spot, and he knows it. He feels no remorse about lying to maintain his power. He controls all of the media in Virginia, so they will say anything he tells them to.”
“Is Louisiana helping him any?”
“Not really,” answered George. “In Louisiana, the political leaders are mainly interested in getting payola. If Krakowski is willing to give them that, they’ll let him talk. But they really do not want to stir up trouble with the other states.”
Through all his history lessons and other experiences in the RSNA, Jeremy frequently thought about his friends and family back in Virginia. Within days of starting school at Lincoln High, he was informed by Bernie Williams that his family and his schoolmates at Lee High School had been told that he drowned trying to swim across the Potomac River, that his body had been found and dumped into the Atlantic Ocean. But Virginia officials familiar with his situation, while believing he had probably drowned, also knew there was a chance he might still be alive. Furthermore, these officials were particularly interested in finding out for sure. If, by chance, he had survived his swim across the Potomac River, they wanted to bring him back to Virginia to face murder charges. For this reason, it would be impossible to get the truth to his parents. If he were caught and taken back to Virginia, he would surely be killed. Meanwhile, the RSNA would act as if it did not know anything about it but would also take extra precautions to protect him.
Knowing that some people wanted him to be killed, Jeremy became more nervous, moving about cautiously. Between classes at Lincoln High, he noticed a man whom he had never seen before who would follow him at a distance between classes. When he asked Randy Flagler, he assured Jeremy that the man was a vice principal and that he was there for Jeremy’s protection. If any of Krakowski’s cronies tried to pull anything while Jeremy was at the school, this vice principal could summon help immediately. Randy then explained that the reason why he knew was because his parents and John Humpert’s parents had been advised to be on the alert for suspicious activity, particularly whenever Jeremy was visiting.
Whenever he rode the bus to and from Lincoln High, Bernie Williams started riding along. Jeremy instinctively knew this was another safety precaution. But these precautions created decidedly mixed feelings. He was glad that all these people cared to help protect him. But it made him even more nervous to think about how badly the leaders in Virginia wanted to catch him. If they did, and they forced him back to Virginia, his life would be over.
Bernie’s continued assurances that there had never been any reports of Virginia spy activity in Iowa provided little comfort. Jeremy knew well the great lengths General Krakowski would go to if he wanted something badly enough. His cronies could find out that Virginia escapees were routinely sent to Iowa. From there, locating the compound would be the next step. After that, discovering him would not take much longer.