alternatehistory.com

I'm gonna try and write chapters a little differently, going by year and the years events.

1855
The initial shock of independence had worn off and America was becoming increasingly stable. No nation seemed in immediate threat of civil war or of external conflict, although resentment of the three Southwestern American countries and Mexico (specifically the government) was high. The Americas where seen in a new light, with South America, the Caribbean, and Central America, plus whatever territory Mexico happened to have, was deemed Latin America. Former provinces of the US as well as Canada and Yucatan where seen as Anglo-America. Outside of the new divisions, 1855 marked the first international events in which divisions grew in the US. The Crimean War was in its fifth year and it created an alliance of sorts between Great Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. Russia opposed the group. Austria and Prussia tended to support Russia. France ardently opposed Mexico and was a few short years away from another war with the nation. The choice for some American nations was easy. Dixie, Texas, Deseret, and California signed into the alliance with Great Britain, France, the Ottoman Empire and Sardinia. Russia needed a new cotton provider, and most of the world's cotton was produced in the American South. Two southern nations remained, Mississippi and the Cumberland, both of which joined an alliance with Russia. Oregon joined an alliance with the power it bordered, Great Britain. Mexico joined Russia's alliance. Then there was cotton refining. Most of the world's cotton was refined in New England, and Russia quickly intervened to make sure it had an ally with an advantage. Maine, the Hudson, and Delaware joined Great Britain. The Great Lakes was the world primary exporter of furs and was one of the strongest, if not the strongest outside Britain in Anglo-America. They chose the more imperial alliance, Russia. Only three remaining Anglo-American countries where un-aligned; New Orleans, West Virginia and New York. Britain and France made the smart decision to recruit coal-manufacturing West Virginia and the commercial center of New York to their cause. New Orleans went with Russia, as most of the Mississippi river system outside of Dixie did.

Then there was the abolition movement. In 1855, only seven countries had legal slavery in their borders: Russia, Dixie, Cumberland, Delaware, Mississippi, New Orleans, and Texas. Growing movements where for the abolition of slavery globally. Delaware instituted the first plan to eradicate slavery. Every year for ten years, slaveholders in Delaware would grant their slaves freedom for government compensation. $7,000 for each adult male under 55, $5,000 for each adult female under 55, and $3,000 for all slaves older than 55 and for all children under 18. This caused outrage in the provinces of Delaware and Maryland, but not major revolts occurred. New Orleans followed suit with a very similar program.

1856
With the Crimean War wrapping up, Europe would see Russia expand her alliance. Prussia and Austria both had highly imperial mindsets like their Russian counterparts, and seeing how Britain and France had intervened in an imperial war of Russia against the Ottomans, they saw an alliance as a necessary thing. The Ottomans, mindful of this, joined an alliance with Britain and France. Of course, they each took up names. The Franco-Anglican alliance became known as the Parisian League, while the Austrio-Prussio-Russian alliance became known as the Imperial Alliance.

The Cold War that had now started would envelope Europe. Portugal, by it's history, joined the Parisian League. Spain, the enemy of Britain and Portugal, joined the Imperial Alliance. Sweden, an antagonist to Russia, joined the Parisian League. Naples decided to join the Imperial Alliance to eventually conquer Sardinia and the rest of Italy. In defense, the Papal States, Florence, and Savoy joined the Parisian League. Most of Germany was scared of Prussia and Austria, and this caused Hanover, Bavaria, Saxony and other minor nations within the German confederation to unify into Germany and join the Parisian League. The capitol was set in Nuremberg. Even South American powers joined in, mostly on the side of the Parisian League although Bolivia did join the Imperial Alliance.

With the Crimean War over, most major conflicts had come to a halt. But not entirely. China was still bitter about the Opium Wars, and joined the Imperial Alliance. This left Japan to join the Parisian League, as everyone excepted. However, they shocked the world by joining the Imperial Alliance to form a Pacific Empire, to become the Mongols of the Seas. Russian, Austrian, and Prussian leaders met in Budapest to determine which nation comes in. They decided to have them face off in a show of military competence. The war broke out, and all nations agreed to stay out of it. China had the immediate advantage of manpower, and easily took Korea and Taiwan, disputed territories. The year then came to a close