After one and a half centuries since the last national US catastrophe, a civil war, the oldest continuous democracy has eroded from within the government itself. There are a multitude of reasons that led to the disunion amounting to a fragmentation of the country. Once again, “we the people” encroach a paramount decision. “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved—I do not expect the house to fall—but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other.” Abraham Lincoln (June 16, 1858).

This story is about the circumstances influencing the capitulation of the US federal government and the fracturing of the Union among the several states. This is the prequel to Unfurled.

About the Author

Daniel P Aude was born into an America that had, only months before, passed the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. He is the second youngest of nine children and was technically skilled even in youth, leading him into a career path of factory work then skilled trades.

In the 1980s, anti-union sentiment was jeopardizing secure jobs in the air traffic industry, and many PATCO union members lost their jobs. It was in this environment that Dan Aude learned about the labor movement and corporate America, and he forged lifelong relationships with members of UAW who continue to provide him with insight into achieving a path to dignity and prosperity for working people.

Dan Aude has two adult children, three grandchildren, and one on the way at the time this book was written, all of whom he loves very much. When not writing, Dan Aude enjoys thinking and learning about people, places, and things all over the world. His travels include Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; Bologna, Italy; Braubach, Germany; Ibiza, Spain; and Bucharest, Romania—where some of his dear friends reside.