This Guilty Land: A Post-Civil War Timeline

Nice new chapter, the CSA will not last long IMO (only limping along). I think the states will be too loosely connected for any real major changes/improvements to happen, the regional leaders could find themselves in major disagreements over policy. Externally, I believe the CSA will be too weak to make any major moves, only finding itself perpetually squabbling with USA. Any major foreign allies they have will only use them to keep the USA distracted, they'd happily throw the CSA under the bus if it suited their interests. Keep up the good work.
 
Nice new chapter, the CSA will not last long IMO (only limping along). I think the states will be too loosely connected for any real major changes/improvements to happen, the regional leaders could find themselves in major disagreements over policy. Externally, I believe the CSA will be too weak to make any major moves, only finding itself perpetually squabbling with USA. Any major foreign allies they have will only use them to keep the USA distracted, they'd happily throw the CSA under the bus if it suited their interests. Keep up the good work.
Good thinking, pretty in-line with my own thought, and happy to hear that folks are enjoying this TL.
 
Hey, it's been a while.
Just wanted to let anyone still interested know that this timeline is simply on-hiatus due to a lack of motivation on my part. I am still writing, and even writing for this website, but TGL just hasn't been capturing my interest. I very much burned myself out on AH fiction for a while, but am recovering my interest in participating in uchronautics.
That being said, I am dedicated to continuing this thing. I have too many ideas for this thing, and we've barely scratched the surface of this TL. So, I am making a promise: a new entry is coming soon! I don't know how soon, but definitely within the month if not sooner. I don't want this to be just another abandoned TL, and am dedicated to making this into something special.
Just like John Brown's soul, this timeline will keep marching on!
 

marktaha

Banned
Interlude: Born In The CSA


Born in the CSA I

May 24th, 1868. Providence, Rhode Island, United States of America

It was Sunday, to be exact, which is why Will Lawrence was not working. Will was a laborer at the port. Payment was poor, but Will needed what he could get if he were to survive in the white man’s world.

You see, Will Lawrence had been a slave only five years earlier.

On this particular day, Will sat comfortably on a park bench (or as comfortably as a black man could in the United States in the year 1868) with one of his few friends, a Mr. Elroy Foreman. A fellow laborer, Elroy was the only white man Will had ever met who treated him better than dirt. Elroy, a few years older than Will, read the newspaper aloud to Will. Will could not read, having never been taught, and Elroy was not the most compelling speaker, but this was their arrangement, and they liked it well enough.

“It says here that Colfax is the nominee for the GOP.”

“I know that. They decided that a number of days ago, remember?”

“Yes, Willie, I know, but that’s what it says.” With a laugh, Elroy said “I don’t decide what’s in the paper, I just read it.”

“It must be an old paper, from a few days ago or something” Will said. Elroy checked: it was.

“Yes, this is Friday’s paper.” After a moment, Elroy asked, “Do you vote?”

“Elroy, you must remember that I was-”

“Sorry! Terribly sorry, Willie!” They didn’t talk much about that time, or at least tried not to, but it did come up from time-to-time.

“To answer your question, no. I don’t see much point. It’s a contest to determine which o’ these white folks will tell us all what to do. I appreciate what the Republicans want to do for folks like me, but I don’t think much of this whole affair.”

“What affair?”

“America, Elroy.” There was a moment of silence, and Will couldn’t help but think of his sisters, brothers, cousins, still trapped in bondage. Men like his father, who’d been whipped ‘til his back looked like a mountain range. Women like his sister, concubine to some devilish white man. Did it matter if it was Colfax who won instead of Seymour? Would any man do anything to help the slaves? Lincoln might have tried, but that certainly hadn’t gone as planned.

“I’ll tell you this much, Willie,” Elroy interjected, interrupting Will’s unpleasant thoughts. “I’m voting for Colfax. Say what you want about the Republicans and Wade and all that, but Schuyler Colfax would never take no bribes from those railway men.”

Born in the CSA II

May 28th, 1869. Archer, Florida, Confederate States of America

They’d changed their names, crossed the seas, and tried their best to fit in. Phineas Hoffman, whose name had been Pinchas in the old world, sat with his wife and Doctor Fleming on the floor of their house. Hoffman was a tailor, and not a particularly good one. His wife was screaming loudly, and pushing their new baby out of her body. Phineas had sent his other children, Daniel and Sarah, to their Uncle’s house for the evening, so that the Hoffmans and Doctor Hilel could peacefully agonize over the birth.

Phineas and his wife, Rebecca, had travelled from Europe just after the war that tore this land in two. This was, in hindsight, a smart move. Jews in the German states had a target on their backs after that business with Bismarck.[1] They’d had Daniel soon after they arrived, and then Sarah. Phineas wondered what the children would become, how they would react with another member of their family. Daniel was quite quick for his age; he was only five years old, but could already read a little, and would watch birds and other animals around their home for hours at a time.

As Phineas pondered his children’s fates, his wife was more concerned with their new child, who was emerging from her. Phineas held her hand, and smiled, and told her it would all be alright. Doctor Hilel told her simply to push. Hilel was a clinical man, not one for niceties. Phineas imagined he’d be a good military surgeon, though Phineas had never been in the military himself.

Eventually, the baby came. It was a heavy little boy, shrieking and pink. Phineas looked down on the babe held tightly in his wife’s arms. He saw himself, as he had in Daniel. After a while, Phineas picked up the boy himself.

“What a little Shtarker! Just like his papa!”

It was as such that Joel Hoffman was welcomed into the world.






[1] Not organized pogroms or anything, but antisemitism certainly did increase in Prussia and friendly nations after Bismarck's death ITTL

I promise, these 'slice of life' segments are relevant.
Who was Lubbock? And who succeeded Pendleton?
 
Haven't finished this yet (just got done with chapter 2), but I am loving this so far. Your writing style is very engaging, and I absolutely love the premise. As a fellow writer with a Civil War TL, I am definitely following this. Great job, and keep it up!
 
Who was Lubbock? And who succeeded Pendleton?
Francis Lubbock was a fairly obscure figure OTL, the ninth Governor of Texas, a Confederate soldier, and the eventual aide-de-camp for Jefferson Davis during the war. His brother is the man Lubbock, Texas is named after. Here, he's the second President of the CSA.

Pendleton's successor, which I guess I forget to mention, was supposed to be Benjamin Wade, who would have been Johnson's successor IRL if he'd been impeached. While Benjamin Wade was one of the most radical and progressive of the Republicans of his day, Wade ITTL basically just served as a temporary replacement for Pendleton, and would only have been President for a few months.
 
Chapter 9: Free At Last
Chapter 9: Free At Last

61l70TU7Y3L._AC_SX466_.jpg

In 1872, Schulyer Colfax, President of the United States, ran for reelection. Colfax had managed to remain a relatively standard, ‘middle-of-the-road’ President, largely keeping affairs as they were. The one prevailing element of Colfax’s term was his fierce opposition to slavery. Like most Americans living in the United States of America, Colfax had come to despise the institution. While the majority of slave-owning states had left the union, a few remained. Slavery was very obviously on its last legs in the union, and yet the federal government had feared passing an official act of emancipation due to the optics of legislation. It was the fear of forced abolition that had caused the South to secede, and the union was desperate to prevent more stars from falling from the flag. Colfax also knew it was probably his best option to get reelected.

If he could be the man who ended the hideous blot of slavery, then he would forever be remembered as the great emancipator. It would also be a play to populism, which is exactly what he needed.

api0gujey__37930.jpg

"This pic goes hard, feel free to screenshot"

His opponent, you see, was one of the great populists of the era. William “Boss” Tweed [1] was a powerful man within the democratic party, beloved in New York, and a favourite of the growing Irish Catholic immigrant population. While Colfax’s vehement support for Italian Nationalism would likely win him the support of Italian-Americans, he genuinely worried he could lose the election. Tweed was a strongman, a likeable one too, and a man of ruthlessness. It was a very well-known secret, if such a thing can exist, that Tweed was corrupt, but the Republicans still couldn’t use that against him. He was simply that popular. Besides, Lincoln hadn’t always been on the straight-and-narrow himself, and many still looked at the GOP as the cause of the Union’s supposed decline.

And so, Colfax and his aides made the decision to attempt to pass an emancipation act. In making this a reality, Colfax called in an unexpected man.

Abraham_Lincoln_O-115_by_Gardner,_1865.jpg

Just like this TL, Lincoln is still alive and kicking, though he's not up to much at this point.

While the specifics of their conversation are unknown to anyone save their ghosts, Colfax left Lincoln’s home with full intention of officially ending slavery. In the days leading up to the election, a proposed amendment to end involuntary servitude and slavery within the United States, excluding its use as punishment for crimes.

Colfax were uncertain if it would pass. By this time, only Kentucky and Missouri still allowed slavery [2], but there was still a sense among certain members of congress that the amendment would be, in some way, an act of cynical populism. They were only partially right, as it was a move the GOP had sought to make long ago, but this was an opportune time.

The Democrats hated the notion. Many in Tweed’s wing of the party might have supported such an amendment in normal circumstances, but it was obvious that Colfax wanted to be the one to end slavery, thus almost guaranteeing reelection. Tweed himself was very unhappy, as he had sought to be the one to accomplish this himself.

The question of what future there was in Northern Slavery came when both houses passed the amendment. While it was close, it was an easier-won victory than Colfax had anticipated. Not all of the Democratic party supported Tweed, and some may have sought to avenge some personal vendetta against the man this way. Others were simply so damn tired of slavery that they would vote for it, even knowing its effect on the upcoming election, simply because they didn’t want to have to think about slavery anymore. This in-fighting within the Democratic party would remain a major issue for years to come.

Whether the amendment is what won Colfax reelection is unclear. The man was relatively popular already, and Tweed was perceived by many, correctly, to be unpleasantly slimy. However it happened, Colfax was the first President to win reelection since Jackson, and the Republican party would finally have a chance to hold power for a long period of time. And so, Schulyer Colfax won reelection and the 13th amendment was passed. It was met with little resistance domestically. The South, smug as they were, laughed, hiding the pain of being a nation suffering already from a slow decline.

emancipationdaycelebration.0.0.jpg

The Union has eliminated its hideous blot. The South... not so much.


[1] The man himself! How could I not include this guy?
[2] Slavery would still have only existed in very small numbers. A handful of people kept as slaves is still too many. So yes, while this was mostly a stunt to win Colfax reelection, this is still a big deal.
 
Nice chapter, Colfax is President and slavery is finally gone in the Union. Let's hope the USA moves on after ending slavery and gets it groove back, the CSA will be interesting to look at as the years go by. Will we be seeing any further territorial expansion by the Union? Glad to have you back. Keep up the good work 😃😃.
 
Will we be seeing any further territorial expansion by the Union? Glad to have you back. Keep up the good work 😃😃.
I'm immensely happy people still care about this TL. To answer your question, I do have plans to cover that exact topic. Affairs out-West specifically haven't been touched on yet, but will be.
 
It lives!! Good to see the US finally a free country. Somehow I feel it won't be so simple in the South. (Does this give rise to a new wave of paranoia in Southern nationalist circles?)
 

marktaha

Banned
Francis Lubbock was a fairly obscure figure OTL, the ninth Governor of Texas, a Confederate soldier, and the eventual aide-de-camp for Jefferson Davis during the war. His brother is the man Lubbock, Texas is named after. Here, he's the second President of the CSA.

Pendleton's successor, which I guess I forget to mention, was supposed to be Benjamin Wade, who would have been Johnson's successor IRL if he'd been impeached. While Benjamin Wade was one of the most radical and progressive of the Republicans of his day, Wade ITTL basically just served as a temporary replacement for Pendleton, and would only have been President for a few months.
Maybe W
Chapter 9: Free At Last

View attachment 777863

In 1872, Schulyer Colfax, President of the United States, ran for reelection. Colfax had managed to remain a relatively standard, ‘middle-of-the-road’ President, largely keeping affairs as they were. The one prevailing element of Colfax’s term was his fierce opposition to slavery. Like most Americans living in the United States of America, Colfax had come to despise the institution. While the majority of slave-owning states had left the union, a few remained. Slavery was very obviously on its last legs in the union, and yet the federal government had feared passing an official act of emancipation due to the optics of legislation. It was the fear of forced abolition that had caused the South to secede, and the union was desperate to prevent more stars from falling from the flag. Colfax also knew it was probably his best option to get reelected.

If he could be the man who ended the hideous blot of slavery, then he would forever be remembered as the great emancipator. It would also be a play to populism, which is exactly what he needed.

View attachment 777862
"This pic goes hard, feel free to screenshot"

His opponent, you see, was one of the great populists of the era. William “Boss” Tweed [1] was a powerful man within the democratic party, beloved in New York, and a favourite of the growing Irish Catholic immigrant population. While Colfax’s vehement support for Italian Nationalism would likely win him the support of Italian-Americans, he genuinely worried he could lose the election. Tweed was a strongman, a likeable one too, and a man of ruthlessness. It was a very well-known secret, if such a thing can exist, that Tweed was corrupt, but the Republicans still couldn’t use that against him. He was simply that popular. Besides, Lincoln hadn’t always been on the straight-and-narrow himself, and many still looked at the GOP as the cause of the Union’s supposed decline.

And so, Colfax and his aides made the decision to attempt to pass an emancipation act. In making this a reality, Colfax called in an unexpected man.

View attachment 777861
Just like this TL, Lincoln is still alive and kicking, though he's not up to much at this point.

While the specifics of their conversation are unknown to anyone save their ghosts, Colfax left Lincoln’s home with full intention of officially ending slavery. In the days leading up to the election, a proposed amendment to end involuntary servitude and slavery within the United States, excluding its use as punishment for crimes.

Colfax were uncertain if it would pass. By this time, only Kentucky and Missouri still allowed slavery [2], but there was still a sense among certain members of congress that the amendment would be, in some way, an act of cynical populism. They were only partially right, as it was a move the GOP had sought to make long ago, but this was an opportune time.

The Democrats hated the notion. Many in Tweed’s wing of the party might have supported such an amendment in normal circumstances, but it was obvious that Colfax wanted to be the one to end slavery, thus almost guaranteeing reelection. Tweed himself was very unhappy, as he had sought to be the one to accomplish this himself.

The question of what future there was in Northern Slavery came when both houses passed the amendment. While it was close, it was an easier-won victory than Colfax had anticipated. Not all of the Democratic party supported Tweed, and some may have sought to avenge some personal vendetta against the man this way. Others were simply so damn tired of slavery that they would vote for it, even knowing its effect on the upcoming election, simply because they didn’t want to have to think about slavery anymore. This in-fighting within the Democratic party would remain a major issue for years to come.

Whether the amendment is what won Colfax reelection is unclear. The man was relatively popular already, and Tweed was perceived by many, correctly, to be unpleasantly slimy. However it happened, Colfax was the first President to win reelection since Jackson, and the Republican party would finally have a chance to hold power for a long period of time. And so, Schulyer Colfax won reelection and the 13th amendment was passed. It was met with little resistance domestically. The South, smug as they were, laughed, hiding the pain of being a nation suffering already from a slow decline.

View attachment 777864
The Union has eliminated its hideous blot. The South... not so much.


[1] The man himself! How could I not include this guy?
[2] Slavery would still have only existed in very small numbers. A handful of people kept as slaves is still too many. So yes, while this was mostly a stunt to win Colfax reelection, this is still a big deal.

ade would have been noiminated?
 
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