Sorry, it didn't sound that way when I read it to myself. You usually post the link ahead of time and I don't have to worry about making a fool of myself.
Red, you are the Google Mac Daddy.:thumb: You meant 1777 on The Articles of Confederation, right? But, the dictionary definition of confederate (v) is "to unite in a league, alliance, or conspiracy." So I guess we were and are a confederacy, but its pretty depressing to think of the USA in those terms. Most definitions of the word or its derivitaves carry a negative connotation. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/confederate
I'd say that the primary definition simply means an alliance. Only the third definition has conspiracy connotations.
FYI the Hall of Presidents is getting a major rehab along with adding Obama to the attraction. Rumor is that the current president may no longer speak (because of the people who would come in and boo W.). Unknown whether the storyline will be changing. Hall of Presidents is expected to be closed until the 4th of July 2009, so we have a while to wait to see what happens.