Earl_of_Somerset
Banned
There hasn't been an update since Febuary 4th 
, and that one was just about music...
Is this TL going to be worked on anymore?
, and that one was just about music...Is this TL going to be worked on anymore?
Good to hear you are still alive and well and I look forward to your return whenever you get a chance
Hooray! He hath return'd
I was worrying that you might be dead or something.
I hope to see The Dominion of South America back soon.
In the meanwhile, I wish you all the best at work.
Glen
Moderator
The theory of Diversification through Reproductive Survival had many names and many fathers in the early 20th century, but clearly the most effective popularizer of the theory was also one of its most controversial, the deposed Counsul of the still-born Confederation of Southern America, Langdon Cheves. At the end of the Southern Civil War, Cheves managed through a harrowing journey across British controlled North Carolina to cross over the border into Virginia in the United States of America. While Cheves found mixed reception to his presence on American soil, he had enough friends north of the border and enough notoriety to keep himself out of British hands. He would live out the rest of his life in exile in the USA, where he supported himself by writing and lecturing. At first most of his material focused on the South's failed fight for freedom from Great Britain, but he eventually shifted to a more esoteric subject, the proliferation of species through natural means. His ideas on the topic had apparently formed early, and been influenced by prominent Carolinian physician W.C. Wells, who had initially broached the subject in his writings on the development of the various races of man. Cheves also claimed inspiration from his observations of some of the bizarre plant life found in the Carolinas, such as the Venus Flytrap. Whatever the reasons, his talks popularized the idea, and certain branches of the Deist movement took it to heart (whilst others found inspiration in the previous works of French luminary Jean-Baptiste Lamarck).
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Yay, Glen's back!
While I like the idea of Chevez publishing his theory of evolution, I daresay that given the man (IOTL, probably ITTL as well) didn't have any scientific background, it will be harder for his idea to be taken seriously. It might even delay the acceptance by a few decades. He could be famous eventually, but probably a bit player in his own time (kind of like Gregor Mendel).
While I like the idea of Chevez publishing his theory of evolution, I daresay that given the man (IOTL, probably ITTL as well) didn't have any scientific background, it will be harder for his idea to be taken seriously. It might even delay the acceptance by a few decades. He could be famous eventually, but probably a bit player in his own time (kind of like Gregor Mendel).
Glen
Moderator
It is a different roll-out. Cheves will serve as a popularizer of the concept, but you are correct, not the scientific founder of the concept. ITTL, evolution (diversification) will have no one great proponent, but instead will be taken up by a number of different scientists who will build the theory up collaboratively, not in a magnum opus like Origin of Species. The idea is getting popular, however, about 2 decades earlier than OTL, and at least in America and France and likeminded nations, to a more receptive audience.
What a interesting Timeline! It takes the Ameriwank cliche of American Canada and balances that out with a British South! I shall follow this with interest. Consider me subscribed.
A quick question. Is the Yankees considered "Southerners" in this universe as they are considered "Northerners" in ours?
Glen
Moderator
The winner of the Great Transcontinental Railroad Race is still vigorously debated both on university campuses and in bars throughout the USA and DSA.
The British sponsored transcontinental railroad had started construction first, in 1846, with the American sponsored transcontinental response starting a year later, in 1847, the same year as the private "Southern Route" was inaugurated by Southern entrepreneurs. While the British sponsored railway had a head start, it was saddled with the need to build improvements and extensions east of the Mississippi to meet its political obligations. The American transcontinental railway had a greater breadth of the continent from coast to coast, but given the more developed railroads from the American Eastern Seaboard to Chicago, the amount of rail that had to be laid en toto was actually less, but construction on the American route was slowed yearly by the snows of American winter. The Southerner route took great advantage of the already existing lines along the Gulf Coast, had the shortest route of all, and no winter snows of note to deal with. Initially, it appeared to be a favorite to beat to the punch the politically hemmed in government routes. However, the private effort within a few years ran into financial difficulties, and over the course of its tulmultuous drive to the West, would change hands and owners several times. All three routes at certain points had to defend against attacks by Wild Indian Tribes. The Legion of America defended the American Route, the British Army the official Dominion Route, while a combination of hired guns and Royal Southern American Rangers provided security for the private Southern Route.
By 1853, it was suprising to see that the American and British Empire were essentially neck-and-neck in being able to complete their routes. With national pride on the line, both efforts strained mightily to be the first to complete the circuit. The British and Southerners first declared victory, but Americans quickly called foul, noting that the Southern route still had several unfinished railroad bridges over rivers on the route, using ferries to cross over these. Thus later in the year Americans claimed the credit for completing the first route fully traversible by a locomotive. However, before a train could actually perform the feat of traveling from East Coast to West Coast, unusually heavy snows closed the route. The Southerners worked throughout that winter to complete their river crossings on the route, and in fact were the first to have a train travel from the East Coast to the West Coast in the early 1854, with the route actually taken by this train east of the Mississippi was along the Gulf Coast. However, that train was one sponsored by the Dominion for the honor of claiming the title, and contained neither freight nor passengers. It was almost immediately thereafter that the Americans had the first commercial train travel across the continent (though at a financial loss, as the railway put forth a herculean effort to clear the last of the snows from the route to accomplish the task so early in the year). The Southerners quickly countered with the first passenger transport from the Coast to Coast.
Ironically, the financially tulmultuous Southern Route was finished a year later, in 1855, but would for several years thereafter become the most heavily traveled route of the three. In that same year, the final main branches of the other two routes (from Oregon for the Americans, and from Carleton for the Southerners) were completed as well. The completion of three full routes across the continent in such a short time would lead to a more rapid development of the interior and West Coast than many could have envisioned just a decade before.
The British sponsored transcontinental railroad had started construction first, in 1846, with the American sponsored transcontinental response starting a year later, in 1847, the same year as the private "Southern Route" was inaugurated by Southern entrepreneurs. While the British sponsored railway had a head start, it was saddled with the need to build improvements and extensions east of the Mississippi to meet its political obligations. The American transcontinental railway had a greater breadth of the continent from coast to coast, but given the more developed railroads from the American Eastern Seaboard to Chicago, the amount of rail that had to be laid en toto was actually less, but construction on the American route was slowed yearly by the snows of American winter. The Southerner route took great advantage of the already existing lines along the Gulf Coast, had the shortest route of all, and no winter snows of note to deal with. Initially, it appeared to be a favorite to beat to the punch the politically hemmed in government routes. However, the private effort within a few years ran into financial difficulties, and over the course of its tulmultuous drive to the West, would change hands and owners several times. All three routes at certain points had to defend against attacks by Wild Indian Tribes. The Legion of America defended the American Route, the British Army the official Dominion Route, while a combination of hired guns and Royal Southern American Rangers provided security for the private Southern Route.
By 1853, it was suprising to see that the American and British Empire were essentially neck-and-neck in being able to complete their routes. With national pride on the line, both efforts strained mightily to be the first to complete the circuit. The British and Southerners first declared victory, but Americans quickly called foul, noting that the Southern route still had several unfinished railroad bridges over rivers on the route, using ferries to cross over these. Thus later in the year Americans claimed the credit for completing the first route fully traversible by a locomotive. However, before a train could actually perform the feat of traveling from East Coast to West Coast, unusually heavy snows closed the route. The Southerners worked throughout that winter to complete their river crossings on the route, and in fact were the first to have a train travel from the East Coast to the West Coast in the early 1854, with the route actually taken by this train east of the Mississippi was along the Gulf Coast. However, that train was one sponsored by the Dominion for the honor of claiming the title, and contained neither freight nor passengers. It was almost immediately thereafter that the Americans had the first commercial train travel across the continent (though at a financial loss, as the railway put forth a herculean effort to clear the last of the snows from the route to accomplish the task so early in the year). The Southerners quickly countered with the first passenger transport from the Coast to Coast.
Ironically, the financially tulmultuous Southern Route was finished a year later, in 1855, but would for several years thereafter become the most heavily traveled route of the three. In that same year, the final main branches of the other two routes (from Oregon for the Americans, and from Carleton for the Southerners) were completed as well. The completion of three full routes across the continent in such a short time would lead to a more rapid development of the interior and West Coast than many could have envisioned just a decade before.
Glen
Moderator
A funny question, that.
In general, all Americans are considered Yankees (especially in the Dominion).
Within the USA, however, Yankees are not really Southerners (a term that is not in fact used to refer to Americans - with the occasional exception of Virginians, though they are more often referred to as just that, Virginians). Yankee New England is more central or north central in terms of relation to the rest of the USA.
Note that in the USA, regional divisions are more Northeast/Southwest than North/South, and referred to more by party affiliation, Federalist/Democrat.