The Great State of Jefferson

Will

Will writes from Washington, D.C. (well, Arlington, Virginia). You can reach him at willblogcorrespondence at gmail dot com.

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10 Responses

  1. Ian M. says:

    The boundaries look like it was planned by pot farmers.Report

  2. Simon K says:

    There’s still a building off I-5 with a “State of Jefferson” written on its roof. You can see it as you go over the mountains.

    What went wrong? I can’t imagine California caring much about losing a bit of the far north. As far as most people round here are concerned the state stops somewhere just north of Sacramento.Report

  3. Trumwill says:

    Not sure if my comment got eaten or is being held for moderation because it included a link to my website (sorry if that’s uncool, guys). So I’ll try to recollect what I wrote:

    I did some research in various proposed states and nations within the US (like “West Florida”) for my “Trumanverse” map (an alternative map of the US to help preserve my anonymity). It’s really fascinating stuff. Have you guys seen the map of the proposed State of Deseret? Spans all the way from San Diego to Wyoming.

    It’s not hard to see why Deseret didn’t pass muster. Even leaving aside the likely hom0genous population with unacceptable social customs, a state that large would be ripe for independence.

    I suspect that Jefferson has the opposite problem. While Deseret was too big, Jefferson too small. It’s hard to imagine the other states being cool with giving two senators and three electoral votes to such a small area.Report

    • Simon K in reply to Trumwill says:

      @Trumwill, Wasn’t the main problem with Deseret the fact that they initially proposed it as a completely independent nation? I’m a bit hazy on the history, but they didn’t initially accept US sovereignty, right? I’m sure like Spain they didn’t quite grasp the magnitude of what they were claiming.Report

      • T. Greer in reply to Simon K says:

        @Simon K,

        By the time the Mormons had set up shop in the Great Basin, everything North of the future Gadsen Purchase was in American hands. Deseret’s was a bid for statehood, not sovereignty. The reasons sovereignty were never granted can be summarized as thus:

        *The Mormons wanted to keep their theocratic leadership structure in power, and the Fed didn’t much like the idea.

        *One big Free State. The South was not ready to take in two more free state Senators, and the Northerners only had so much political capital to spend on bringing free states in – a polygamous theocracy did not make the cut.Report

  4. Jason Kuznicki says:

    I think Orofino is a beautiful name. But then, I would, wouldn’t I?Report