By Brad Dison
When the forefathers of the United States of America began considering a total separation from Great Britain, our leaders had to plan ahead. If the efforts of the colonists were successful, they would have to construct a new form of government almost from the ground up. They would have to take bits and pieces from governments from all over the world to create what they later described in the preamble to the Constitution as a “more perfect union.” What would the union be called?
When, in June 1775, the Congress appointed George Washington as commander in chief of the Army, our country was referred to as the “United Colonies.” The moniker itself defined the colonies as being an offspring of and answerable to the mother country, Great Britain. Our forefathers recognized the need for a new title for our collection of colonies. In early draft of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson began the document, “A Declaration of the Representatives of the UNITED STATES OF AMERCA, in General Congress assembled…” Notice that each letter in the name of our country is capitalized for emphasis. After several revisions, the final version of the Declaration of Independence began, “The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America…” The final version of the Declaration included less emphasis on the title. The “thirteen united States” was used as a description of the colonies, to show that they stood together against Great Britain, rather than an official name.
Four days later, July 8, 1776, the words “United States of America” was included in the first draft of the Articles of Confederation, but the articles were not ratified by the states until 1781. In September 1776, our forefathers approved several resolutions including payments to the soldiers. The fifth resolution stated, “That in all continental commissions, and other instruments, where, heretofore, the words ‘United Colonies’ have been used, the stile be altered for the future to the “United States.” It was on that Monday, September 9, 1776, that our country officially adopted its legal name. During the American Revolution, government inspectors needed an easy way to show which casks of gunpowder had been approved for use by colonial soldiers. In August 1776, a month before “United States” became an official title, government inspectors began marking casks of approved gunpowder with the initials “U.S.A.”
In 1891, Lucas Miller became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin’s 6th district. He thought our country was not living up to its full potential and he, a first term representative, was the person to lead the country toward its destiny. He introduced numerous bills which, if they had passed, would have forever changed our country. Miller proposed 46 bills that, if they had become laws, our daily lives would be much different. His proposals would have provided for the governmental control of “pretty much everything that can be controlled, and some things that cannot be.” He proposed that 37 departments, each controlled by a secretary, such as the secretaries of fluids, forces, fairs, lectures, amusements, and more. “The comfort of the general public,” he proposed, “is to be provided for by a department of public health, their cleanliness enforced by a department of public baths, and their clothing washed through the medium of a department of public laundries.” Had his bills been approved, the government would have had control over every aspect of our lives in America, the home of the free. A couple in love would have to petition the government for permission to marry. Governmental permission would have been necessary to have children or to get divorced.
The United States of America is always changing. We have enlarged the United States with the addition of states and territories, but Miller’s proposals went too far. Lucas Miller completed his first term in 1893. His bid for a second term was unsuccessful. One of the main reasons why his reelection campaign failed was his desire to change the name of our country. He reasoned that “it is possible for the Republic to grow through the admission of new States into the Union until every Nation on Earth has become part of it.” Miller rationalized that he was just planning ahead. His plan even included a new title for our country which reflected its eventual growth. The new title Miller proposed for our country was “the United States of Earth.”
Sources:
1. The Union Times, February 24, 1893, p.1.
2. “The 0th Article of the U.S. Constitution,” National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org,https://constitutioncenter.
3. “Five ‘Unusual’ Amendments That Never Made It into the Constitution,” National Constitution Center – Constitutioncenter.org, 2018, https://constitutioncenter.
4. “On This Day, the Name ‘United States of America’ Becomes Official,” National Constitution Center, Constitutioncenter.org, https://constitutioncenter.