I opted to just do a total rework. I wrote this at 3-am, so there may be some errors and honestly dumb shit. I'll review it when I get home from work tomorrow, since I'm sure there's areas that need elaboration, at least. 

Name:
The Superior Confederation

Location:
[img]http://i.imgur.com/ot7OTS5.png[/img]

History:
Following the fall of the union, the remaining Midwestern States banded together under the name of the Great Lakes Commonwealth, consisting of Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. The goal of the Commonwealth was to keep the American spirit alive, while also trying to support the border states of Wisconsin and Illinois. These two states had fallen on hard times due to the influx of Western refugees, and when the union died, it seemed like they would follow. Under the Commonwealth, however, they managed to hold on, and maintain order by the skin of their teeth. 

However, a vote passes in Ohio. The people voted nearly unanimously to pull out of the Commonwealth, taking the path of independence. They had their own problems to deal with, and their own people to support. They didn't want their low supplies heading West towards a “lost cause” any longer, and officially broke ties with the rest of the Commonwealth. 

With Ohio's population and resources made unavailable, the border states soon fell into anarchy, the government's unable to support the people any longer. Finding themselves the new border states, for all intents and purposes, Michigan and Indiana dissolved the union, following Ohio's lead. From here on out, they were fending for themselves.

After the Commonwealth dissolved, it didn't take long for Michigan's large metro area's to fall into chaos. The people in the more rural area's refused to send food to urban zones, refusing to let lazy city-dwellers leech off of the products of their hard work. On top of that, people were flooding in from Wisconsin, taking up job's on farms and fisheries, which created an even bigger demand for food. 

It wasn't long until Michigan followed in Wisconsin's footsteps, and fell into anarchy, unable to support the population in this crisis. Many attempts were made to piece the state back together, but they failed, one after another. Amidst this chaos, the upper peninsula officially cut ties with the South, declaring itself an independent state, and securing Mackinac Bridge, preventing anybody from entering from the South by land. 

Ten days later, Superior declared Henry Chambers, a former navy admiral who had been deeply involved in politics before everything went to hell, as their interim leader. The plan was to eventually hold a real election, once it was possible, with Chambers simply being a figurehead to attempt to solidify the state's existence. 

Chamber's, however, quickly proved to be a strong leader. He sent out a call to arms, to any man who owned a gun, and was willing to help his nation. The plan was to take Northern Wisconsin, by force, in order to acquire more farmland. Hungry, and scared of failing like their neighboring states had, this call to arms had a massive turnout, and Chambers effectively had a small army behind him, rather than a militia. 

When they began their march West, however, they quickly ran into a roadblock. Most of the territory Superior had planned on taking was already under the control of others, armed just as well as they were. Rather than marching in, Chambers went to meet the leader of this group, a native man going by the name Biskane. The two talked for hours, and when they emerged, they did so shaking hands. Biskane's confederation of tribes and towns agreed to join with Superior. They realized each others competence, and saw the mutual gain of working together, rather than fighting a pointless war. The two men formed a council around them, serving as heads of governmental parties, which had equal say in the governing of the nation. This worked well for a couple years, until Chamber's age caught up to him, and he died in his sleep, at 57 years old. Without Chambers, the Superior council quickly succumbed to infighting, as they couldn't agree on anybody to take Chamber's place. In the meantime, Biskane was having a lot of success governing on his own, drafting military plans for retaking the rest of Northern Wisconsin, as well as creating a food distribution system that actually worked, and didn't upset the farmers. Eventually, the Superior council decided to just allow Biskane to be the sole head of state, since he had done so well already. The only thing they asked for in exchange was his immediate approval of a risky excursion into the Southern Peninsula. He gave it his okay, and the militia immediately began it's march South. Within months, Superior had taken control of the upper-quarter of the peninsula, liberating it and it's people from urban raiders. 

At the same time, a group of small communities based out of the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie came to Superior, asking that they be taken into the union. Biskane, much preferring peaceful resolution, accepted their request, tacking a third state into Superior's union. In the following days, the territories taken in the South were given a governor of their own, bringing the total number of states to four, which prompted the name of the state to change from “Superior” to “The Superior Confederation.” While most still refereed to the state simply as Superior, the significance of the name change was not lost. It solidified the union of the four states, giving them a unified pride, hope, and drive. 

During the first election held by the new union three months ago, forty-eight year old Maurice “Biskane” Little won by a landslide eighty-seven percent, solidifying his continued position as the leader of the Superior Confederation.