American North Borneo

Just a quick question: What would an American North Borneo have become had the US maintained its lease on the territory? Assuming that it started with the western portion of what is now Sabah, with the first settlement being at Ambong, how would the territory evolved, even up to modern day?

For the US to even maintain the territory in the first place, it would either need to avoid all the destruction of the Civil War (this is assuming the lease is still made in 1865, of course) which would necessitate an earlier end to the war. Without so much destroyed, and without so much men and material lost, the US might not completely withdraw into isolation for a few decades. The other PoD might involve a Great Britain that is more hostile to the US. While not joining the CSA, they could be more overt in their support. If this is judged to have extended the war any longer, the US could have relations with the UK be severely chilled. Seeing the UK as a threat, the US might look towards any opportunity to limit UK influence where possible; establishing their own lease on North Borneo might be the first step.

These probably aren't very good PoDs, but they seem fairly reasonable. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The only immediate results from either PoD might be the continued maintenance of the Navy as a fighting force, with the Navy not going through the doldrums as it has to maintain some presence in the Pacific. I'm not sure how the colonial race might unfold from there, or how the US might interact with the Sultans of Sulu and Brunei, much less with the Spanish or the British, or even the Dutch.

Well, besides butterflying the formation of Ambong or the Civil War, any colony in Borneo and especially any coastal colonies would have to face war on two fronts: from the Dayaks in the interior and the piraates of the Sulu/South China Seas. It took the Dutch and the British decades to fully pacify Borneo and even Brooke Sarawak had to rely on the Royal Navy whenever things got too much.

This was what doomed Ambong and Marudu IOTTL; It had no native allies and a mother country too busy with itself on Reconstruction to bother with colonial affairs in faraway Borneo. Perhaps the colony would be founded by an American James or Charles Brooke: eccentric and slightly kooky, but competent and pragmatic enough to hold his own. That would at least lengthen the colony's lifespan enough to stay on the map once the U.S. regains it's imperialist fervor.

Once that happens, then whooooo boy will things be different. Brunei would probably try to pit the colony against Brooke Sarawak to ensure it's independence while Sulu would try to make deals with it to gain it's mother country's attention (especially once Manila wants the sultanate to bend the knee). Spain would be very apprehensive at another colony in Borneo while the British and the Dutch would probably make territorial deals with it to resolve any possible conflicts.

From then on, well, anything goes.

sketchdoodle said:

Well, besides butterflying the formation of Ambong or the Civil War, any colony in Borneo and especially any coastal colonies would have to face war on two fronts: from the Dayaks in the interior and the piraates of the Sulu/South China Seas. It took the Dutch and the British decades to fully pacify Borneo and even Brooke Sarawak had to rely on the Royal Navy whenever things got too much.

This was what doomed Ambong and Marudu IOTTL; It had no native allies and a mother country too busy with itself on Reconstruction to bother with colonial affairs in faraway Borneo. Perhaps the colony would be founded by an American James or Charles Brooke: eccentric and slightly kooky, but competent and pragmatic enough to hold his own. That would at least lengthen the colony's lifespan enough to stay on the map once the U.S. regains it's imperialist fervor.

Once that happens, then whooooo boy will things be different. Brunei would probably try to pit the colony against Brooke Sarawak to ensure it's independence while Sulu would try to make deals with it to gain it's mother country's attention (especially once Manila wants the sultanate to bend the knee). Spain would be very apprehensive at another colony in Borneo while the British and the Dutch would probably make territorial deals with it to resolve any possible conflicts.

From then on, well, anything goes.

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Thanks for that! I didn't even consider piracy or anything being involved in that sort of matter.

The biggest problem is making the colony stay in the first place. I definitely agree; there is the matter of the Reconstruction focusing the US's view inwards for decades. Perhaps, then, if the war in the US ends earlier, with a less intensive Reconstruction period, there would be enough men and material to support it.

Although, mentioning the White Rajahs did make me think of Emperor Norton. I don't know if that'd be a good idea, but it'd be an interesting turn of events. If he doesn't go bankrupt in 1849, and manages to become successful.

You think that Sulu might actually maintain its independence? If the colony is de facto independent for 10 to 20 years, and only nominally part of the US, it might simply try to maintain borders with its neighbors (don't want to open up too much territory to raids from the interior) by the time it joins the US. (If it does.) Might be interesting to see if that's the trigger for the start of any war with Madrid. Who knows what else might happen then.