And now for somewhere ITTL which is completely different. Thanks to
@Turquoise Blue for a lot of the background ideas to this.
Presenting, the
Green Mountain Province:
Vermont, officially the
Free Province of Vermont, is a province of New England located in the northwest of the country, bordered by New Hampshire to the east, Massachusetts to the south, the Columbian provinces of Nassouwen and Adirondack to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the north. The only landlocked subdivision of New England, the geography of the province is dominated by the Green Mountains which run north-south and separate Lake Champlain in the west from the Connecticut River valley in the east. Vermont is the third-smallest province by population and one of three provinces to recognise French as an official language, with 10% of the population identifying French as their first language in the 2011 census.
Indigenous people have inhabited what is now Vermont for some 12,000 years, with the Algonquian-speaking Mohican and Abenaki people inhabiting the western part of the province. During the 16th century, the Iroqouian-speaking Mohawk drove many of these tribes out of the Champlain Valley, warring with the surviving Abenaki. French explorer Jacques Cartier first visited what is now Vermont in 1535, but it was Samuel de Champlain who claimed the area as part of France's colony of New France in 1609. The late 17th century brought a period of colonial competition in the area between French settlements in the west and England's colonies in the east, and the frontier region was an important battleground during the Seven Years' War. Following the 1763 Treaty of Paris, France's colonies east of the Mississippi River, including Vermont, were ceded to Great Britain. From 1749, the colonial government of New Hampshire had made land grants on the territory claimed by New Hampshire west of the Connecticut River, territory that was also claimed by New York. The competing land claims in the region between the two colonies would continue for decades, contributing to the growing unrest in the British American colonies.
In January 1777, delegates from 28 towns met and declared independence from the jurisdictions and land claims of the colonies of Quebec, New Hampshire and New York. Then known as the "New Hampshire Grants", Vermont was not recognised at the Colonial Congresses, due to the vehement objections from New York, but was allowed to send a delegate. The term "First Vermont Republic" is a 20th century anachronism, as the territory at the time used the term "Province of Vermont", with a chief executive styled as a "governor". Later historians have called the Vermont Republic the "reluctant republic", because many early citizens remained loyal to the British Crown and favoured recognition as a separate colony and eventual union with the United Colonies. Following the colonial unrest and the 1783 Williamsburg Convention, Vermont was excluded from the loose confederation established among the colonies, primarily due to objections from New York. The province remained outside until 1795, when New York consented to Vermont's admission and the Crown Colony of Vermont was created.
Vermonters were active abolitionist during the early 19th century, with the province having partially abolished slavery in 1777, and campaigned for the end of the slave trade in the British Empire. Vermont was home to a short-lived uprising during the Republican Rebellion, when Premier Augustine Clarke declared himself president of the "Second Vermont Republic" in October 1850. This second republic lasted a matter of weeks before Clarke's supporters were defeated and the former premier was captured and executed for treason. Following the rebellion, Vermont became a quasi-palatinate, with the Dukes of Vermont, a Franco-Vermonter family descended from an ennobled French colonist, serving as governors of the province. Vermont, along with the other New England colonies, took part in the series of conferences that led to the creation of the Commonwealth of New England on 1 October 1866. Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, English speakers came to dominate the population, although the Franco-Vermonters remained prominent, retaining their distinctive names, culture, language and traditions. In 1880, Vermont became one of the first parts of British America to grant limited suffrage to women.
In the 20th century, Vermont was hit by several natural disasters which devastated its agriculture and forestry industries, including several floods and hurricanes. Vermont's economy diversified over this period, with the agriculture, tourism, and forestry sectors being the most important. Demographically, Vermont is 93% white, with 2% black and 0.5% native and is dominated linguistically by Anglophones, with a substantial Francophone minority in the north and northwest of the province. Politically, the province has transformed since the 1960s from a conservative province, to a left-liberal one, dominated politically by the Liberals and Progressive Democrats. Since the death of the 7th Duke in 1970, Vermont has appointed a governor from amongst its own citizens, but there is some talk of recreating the title and establishing a true palatinate in the province.
The
2015 Vermont legislative election was held on 25 November 2015 to elect, under the proportional representation system, the 130 members of the House of Delegates.
Incumbent Premier David Zuckermen, leading a majority coalition of the left-wing
Progressive Democrats and the ecological
Greens, called an early election after having replaced Anthony Pollina in April following his sudden resignation. Although the minor partner the Greens were able to hold their seven seats, due to the widespread support for pro-environmental policies in Vermont, the PDP lost 12 seats, removing the coalition's majority in the house. The opposition centre-left
Liberals, under new leader Naomi Bonnaire, a young Franco-Vermonter, ran a positive campaign on reduced taxes and more business incentives, balanced with a pledge to continue environmental protections. The Liberals secure an overall plurality in the house, and with a confidence and supply agreement from the centre-right moderate conservative
Vermont Alliance, who gained 3 seats, were able to form a minority government.
A surprisingly prominent issue at this election was the debate about the future constitutional status of Vermont as a province or a palatinate. The PDP and Greens were generally opposed to the appointment of a popular Vermonter as the new Duke/Duchess, whilst the Vermont Alliance were heavily in favour, with Milne making a referendum on the issue a key election pledge. The Liberals retained their ambiguous stance on the issue, although Bonnaire made more pro-ducal comments than past leaders. As part of the confidence and supply agreement, Bonnaire pledged to put together a cross-party committee to study the issue and make a recommendation in time for the next election, due before November 2020.
It's good to be back.
