Straha
Banned
One of the most overlooked but important factors in the history of anything/ any place, etc. lies in the development of political boundaries, frontiers, etc., and corresponding jurisdiction(s)-- these latter can overlap, such as the municipal, county, state, and federal layers we have here in the US. I therefore posit below various ah scenarios that cross my mind as 'what-ifs' for various alternate boundary/ political unit possibilities (note that most of these are not based on definitive natural frontiers, such as non-fordable water-bodies or mountains lacking in sufficient gaps or passes. I further invite similar guess work here:
1)State of Erie: in the early 19th century, NY State Gov. De Witt Clinton built his famous 'Erie Canal' from the Hudson at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. This had the virtue of cementing NYS, rather than PA, as the main economic power in the American republic, as NYC could be the port from which goods coming to and from the midwest would pass to the sea. Similar canal routes were tried in PA but the geography was less conducive to profitability. The ah scenario goes like this: the western part of NYS, aka 'the Niagara Frontier' region around lake Erie, and the small triangular region of NW PA around the city of Erie, were not originally part of their respective states, but merely federal territories ceded early by Britain to the US. The federal govt. sold these territories to NY and PA historically, but this ah posits it did not do so, and instead set up a large territory stretching from WNY to Toledo, as the new territory and later State of Erie. NYS thus has no incentive to canal to Lake Erie, lacking the tax control of Buffalo. What happens?
2)Republic of Vermont: In a variation of VT history, Col. ethan Allen accepts brit offer to make VT a separate, self-governing colony, and this sticks. VT part of Brit North America, later Canada.
3)Franco-Spanish Empire: as Turtledove postulates, Bourbon Spain and France unify under a single throne, c. 1790, and this sticks. Consequences?
4)NYC: 5 boroughs of NYC never unify. Does this make a difference?
5)Western Australia: becomes an independent commonwealth country, 1901. Consequences?
6)Annexation: Israel annexes Sinai, 1968.
7)Nova Scotia and bermuda: NS and bermuda join 13 southern colonies in revolution from Britain.
8)kingdom of Hawaii: Hawaii not annexed by USA, USA formally recognizes independence of Hawaiian monarchy, 1898, and sets up formal diplomatic relations with same.
9)Chicagoland. Originally northern Illinois area part
of Wisconsin area of joint MI territory. IL line
extended northwards to give IL territory some
coastline of L. Michigan. This does not happen, IL
remains south of the lake only.
10)Texas. 1855, TX invokes its annexation treaty rights to divide itself up into 8 separate states. Yankees huff and puff but Supreme Court forces acceptance of this treaty provision. What happens?
11)States of California. 1870-- Cal. broken up into two states, roughly equal, along N/S lines.
12)Low Countries: Nl and Belgium do not divide in 1830, remain unified and add Lux. to this country. What happens?
13)Italian states: a North Italian republic is set up, consisting of major N. Italian cities north of Po. Never joins post-1860 'Italy'.
14)Greeks retake Constantinople and W. Ionian coast after WWI, allies force Attaturk to allow this.
15)Mesopotamia Magna: After european mandate holders leave, a super state consisting of modern Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon is successfully established.
16)Japan regains Sakhalin after 1953, as US forces Russia to give it back to them as a condition of not prosecuting Korean War further.
17)Denmark retains control of Schleswig-Holstein.
18)Modern 'Spain' founders after death of Ferdinand, as Aragon retains its independence.
19)Modern state of 'Delaware' never forms-- Pennsylvania retains control of this territory.
20)Modern state of 'West Virginia' disallowed by US SC after 'Civil War', territory returned to VA proper.
21)After US Civil War, Yankee government afraid to continue capital at DC for the near term. Relocates capital to someplace safe in Midwest. Say, Dayton,
OH? Somewhere else?
22)Frenchies kick brits out of Quebec, after 1776. Set up independent francophone republic there.
23)State of New England: 6 state NE region chooses to become One state.
24) what if the state of deseret had been axcepted, a morman super state reaching from the contenetal devide covering all of western colorado ut nevada and southern california including san diago and los angeles. greatly enhanced resources, and wealth for the struggling religion. it possable could now have 10 milion americans members now insteed of 5 and 20 milion world wide.
25)Thomas Jefferson proposed that new states added to the origional 13 be sized at an average areaof the origional 13. had this been done the origional unorginized territories would have formed 14 states but the origional states did not want to be out voted in the senate. had this hapened the country today might have 300 states with a more ballanced represtation and a more
consevitive, and wealthy country. with more states there would have been more opertunity ( you do not like things here move 25 miles and be in another state) ....
1)State of Erie: in the early 19th century, NY State Gov. De Witt Clinton built his famous 'Erie Canal' from the Hudson at Albany to Lake Erie at Buffalo. This had the virtue of cementing NYS, rather than PA, as the main economic power in the American republic, as NYC could be the port from which goods coming to and from the midwest would pass to the sea. Similar canal routes were tried in PA but the geography was less conducive to profitability. The ah scenario goes like this: the western part of NYS, aka 'the Niagara Frontier' region around lake Erie, and the small triangular region of NW PA around the city of Erie, were not originally part of their respective states, but merely federal territories ceded early by Britain to the US. The federal govt. sold these territories to NY and PA historically, but this ah posits it did not do so, and instead set up a large territory stretching from WNY to Toledo, as the new territory and later State of Erie. NYS thus has no incentive to canal to Lake Erie, lacking the tax control of Buffalo. What happens?
2)Republic of Vermont: In a variation of VT history, Col. ethan Allen accepts brit offer to make VT a separate, self-governing colony, and this sticks. VT part of Brit North America, later Canada.
3)Franco-Spanish Empire: as Turtledove postulates, Bourbon Spain and France unify under a single throne, c. 1790, and this sticks. Consequences?
4)NYC: 5 boroughs of NYC never unify. Does this make a difference?
5)Western Australia: becomes an independent commonwealth country, 1901. Consequences?
6)Annexation: Israel annexes Sinai, 1968.
7)Nova Scotia and bermuda: NS and bermuda join 13 southern colonies in revolution from Britain.
8)kingdom of Hawaii: Hawaii not annexed by USA, USA formally recognizes independence of Hawaiian monarchy, 1898, and sets up formal diplomatic relations with same.
9)Chicagoland. Originally northern Illinois area part
of Wisconsin area of joint MI territory. IL line
extended northwards to give IL territory some
coastline of L. Michigan. This does not happen, IL
remains south of the lake only.
10)Texas. 1855, TX invokes its annexation treaty rights to divide itself up into 8 separate states. Yankees huff and puff but Supreme Court forces acceptance of this treaty provision. What happens?
11)States of California. 1870-- Cal. broken up into two states, roughly equal, along N/S lines.
12)Low Countries: Nl and Belgium do not divide in 1830, remain unified and add Lux. to this country. What happens?
13)Italian states: a North Italian republic is set up, consisting of major N. Italian cities north of Po. Never joins post-1860 'Italy'.
14)Greeks retake Constantinople and W. Ionian coast after WWI, allies force Attaturk to allow this.
15)Mesopotamia Magna: After european mandate holders leave, a super state consisting of modern Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon is successfully established.
16)Japan regains Sakhalin after 1953, as US forces Russia to give it back to them as a condition of not prosecuting Korean War further.
17)Denmark retains control of Schleswig-Holstein.
18)Modern 'Spain' founders after death of Ferdinand, as Aragon retains its independence.
19)Modern state of 'Delaware' never forms-- Pennsylvania retains control of this territory.
20)Modern state of 'West Virginia' disallowed by US SC after 'Civil War', territory returned to VA proper.
21)After US Civil War, Yankee government afraid to continue capital at DC for the near term. Relocates capital to someplace safe in Midwest. Say, Dayton,
OH? Somewhere else?
22)Frenchies kick brits out of Quebec, after 1776. Set up independent francophone republic there.
23)State of New England: 6 state NE region chooses to become One state.
24) what if the state of deseret had been axcepted, a morman super state reaching from the contenetal devide covering all of western colorado ut nevada and southern california including san diago and los angeles. greatly enhanced resources, and wealth for the struggling religion. it possable could now have 10 milion americans members now insteed of 5 and 20 milion world wide.
25)Thomas Jefferson proposed that new states added to the origional 13 be sized at an average areaof the origional 13. had this been done the origional unorginized territories would have formed 14 states but the origional states did not want to be out voted in the senate. had this hapened the country today might have 300 states with a more ballanced represtation and a more
consevitive, and wealthy country. with more states there would have been more opertunity ( you do not like things here move 25 miles and be in another state) ....
