Affiliated States of Boreoamerica thread
- Thread starter False Dmitri
- Start date
Upvoteanthology
Donor
Yay, you're back!
He's been active on the wiki for a while now, I've been trying to get him to join the new countries of an alternate world game.
He's been active on the wiki for a while now, I've been trying to get him to join the new countries of an alternate world game.
Yes, total abstention from AH turned out not to be possible.
Upvoteanthology
Donor
Yes, total abstention from AH turned out not to be possible.
We cannot avoid the endless temptation it brings.
Just so it's here: this is the big version of the FO map. (The text is on the previous page or on the website.)
Another post: I've shored up what I had written before on English culture and ethnicity within the ASB. What is missing is first causes of the current situation, but I think I now have a complete and reasonably well thought-out description.
The English of the ASB
In our world, the English achieved complete demographic domination in North America. While the Spanish and French empires had manpower problems for their entire histories, the English colonies drew swarms of settlers, and after immigrating they multiplied at an astounding rate. English colonists in the late 18th century already were saying that it was inevitable that their people would conquer the whole continent someday; looking at the numbers (and the outcome), they were probably right.
So one of the essential points of divergence between our world and the world of the ASB is that the number of English colonists was much lower. Maybe the Civil Wars, even longer, more complex, and more disruptive than in our timeline, hurt commerce and stunted the colonial effort. Maybe something happened in England to slow or halt the process of land enclosure. Whatever the reason, the English population in the colonial era was a bit larger than the French, Spanish, and Indian populations, but not by all that much. This meant that the English had to deal with their rivals rather than simply steamroll over them. This demographic fact made the ASB confederation possible.
Ethnic Groups
The English of the ASB have developed into multiple well rooted ethnic groups, traditionally known as stocks. The five conventional colonial stocks are Yankees, Pennamites, Virginians, Piedmonters, and Carolians. Both Piedmonters and Carolians hail from the state of Carolina. A sixth would be the "Mainland English Black" stock, a large ethnic group whose original home stretches from Carolina to Maryland; but I cannot come up with a good name for them.
The major groups have spread well beyond the states from which they take their names, establishing distinct communities in such states as Ohio and the Upper Country. Even transplanted, the English stocks have kept a sense of their own identity. They acknowledge a common language but still see other stocks as being as different as the Canadians, Acadians, and Métis within the Francophone community.
Other distinct English ethnic groups include smaller cultures that have not spread as far, many of them based on islands. These include Newfers, Bahamians. and the Gullah people of the Sea Islands in Carolina and East Florida. In many cases, ethnicity is inconsistently defined. Most Marylander English consider themselves to be of the same stock as the Virginians, and in Maryland the term "Waterman" is often heard for this Virginia/Maryland combination. But outside the Chesapeake region, people with roots in the Chesapeake are usually just called "Virginian." In addition, some recognize an "Old Marylander" stock consisting of English Catholics with deep roots in the province. Another ambiguous group is the Mormons, a religious group prominent in Arques, Upper Louisiana, and Dakota. The Mormons trace their ancestry largely from Yankee families, but their religious and physical isolation from other English has led many to consider them a separate ethnic community.
I have made several maps showing the geographic spread of the English stocks, but so far I'm not happy with any of them. The various maps earlier in this thread were oversimplifications at best. It is not a topic that can be easily mapped on the scale of my small locators. If the English populations get a map, it will be large enough to show the complexity described here.
Affiliation
There was no Act of Union in this timeline, so it is proper to talk about English, rather than British, colonies. In fact, the Union of the Crowns dissolved after the trauma of the Civil War and the Jacobite Wars. It was during those same conflicts that England lost its first colonies, the Jacobite states of Maryland and the Bahamas. Pennsylvania and its dependency of Christiana declared their neutrality in that conflict, used that declaration to avoid royal control, and essentially drifted to independence in the following years. Another wave of revolution resulted in independence for Virginia, Bermuda, and much of New England. The state of Assiniboia was founded by England, but it did not take long for its Métis population to revolt. Carolina entered the 20th century as a loyalist dominion but adopted a republican form of government later. That leaves seven states of the ASB that stayed loyal to the English Crown: The five members of the Dominion of New England plus Newfoundland and the Cayman Islands.
The English of the ASB
In our world, the English achieved complete demographic domination in North America. While the Spanish and French empires had manpower problems for their entire histories, the English colonies drew swarms of settlers, and after immigrating they multiplied at an astounding rate. English colonists in the late 18th century already were saying that it was inevitable that their people would conquer the whole continent someday; looking at the numbers (and the outcome), they were probably right.
So one of the essential points of divergence between our world and the world of the ASB is that the number of English colonists was much lower. Maybe the Civil Wars, even longer, more complex, and more disruptive than in our timeline, hurt commerce and stunted the colonial effort. Maybe something happened in England to slow or halt the process of land enclosure. Whatever the reason, the English population in the colonial era was a bit larger than the French, Spanish, and Indian populations, but not by all that much. This meant that the English had to deal with their rivals rather than simply steamroll over them. This demographic fact made the ASB confederation possible.
Ethnic Groups
The English of the ASB have developed into multiple well rooted ethnic groups, traditionally known as stocks. The five conventional colonial stocks are Yankees, Pennamites, Virginians, Piedmonters, and Carolians. Both Piedmonters and Carolians hail from the state of Carolina. A sixth would be the "Mainland English Black" stock, a large ethnic group whose original home stretches from Carolina to Maryland; but I cannot come up with a good name for them.
The major groups have spread well beyond the states from which they take their names, establishing distinct communities in such states as Ohio and the Upper Country. Even transplanted, the English stocks have kept a sense of their own identity. They acknowledge a common language but still see other stocks as being as different as the Canadians, Acadians, and Métis within the Francophone community.
Other distinct English ethnic groups include smaller cultures that have not spread as far, many of them based on islands. These include Newfers, Bahamians. and the Gullah people of the Sea Islands in Carolina and East Florida. In many cases, ethnicity is inconsistently defined. Most Marylander English consider themselves to be of the same stock as the Virginians, and in Maryland the term "Waterman" is often heard for this Virginia/Maryland combination. But outside the Chesapeake region, people with roots in the Chesapeake are usually just called "Virginian." In addition, some recognize an "Old Marylander" stock consisting of English Catholics with deep roots in the province. Another ambiguous group is the Mormons, a religious group prominent in Arques, Upper Louisiana, and Dakota. The Mormons trace their ancestry largely from Yankee families, but their religious and physical isolation from other English has led many to consider them a separate ethnic community.
I have made several maps showing the geographic spread of the English stocks, but so far I'm not happy with any of them. The various maps earlier in this thread were oversimplifications at best. It is not a topic that can be easily mapped on the scale of my small locators. If the English populations get a map, it will be large enough to show the complexity described here.
Affiliation
There was no Act of Union in this timeline, so it is proper to talk about English, rather than British, colonies. In fact, the Union of the Crowns dissolved after the trauma of the Civil War and the Jacobite Wars. It was during those same conflicts that England lost its first colonies, the Jacobite states of Maryland and the Bahamas. Pennsylvania and its dependency of Christiana declared their neutrality in that conflict, used that declaration to avoid royal control, and essentially drifted to independence in the following years. Another wave of revolution resulted in independence for Virginia, Bermuda, and much of New England. The state of Assiniboia was founded by England, but it did not take long for its Métis population to revolt. Carolina entered the 20th century as a loyalist dominion but adopted a republican form of government later. That leaves seven states of the ASB that stayed loyal to the English Crown: The five members of the Dominion of New England plus Newfoundland and the Cayman Islands.
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It follows the course of the Mohawk and the Oswego. NN established a fort at the site of OTL Oswego, which is the corridor's raison d'etre. I have not done the detail map, so I'm not sure if the rivers form the center or the border of the corridor.
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This is the base map that I used. It's from Crams, but I could not find any specific info about copyright.
Just finished reading the thread. Quite like it.
Something I noticed was that the ASB State of Illinois seems, in many ways, to be similar to much of the Maghreb, in that the majority ethnicity (Arab-Berber in much of the Maghreb, Illinois in ASB Illinois) is a mix between a colonial group (French for Illinois, Arab for much of the Maghreb) and natives (Berber/Inoca), but speak the colonial language (French or Arabic), although Illinois has a Creole and the Maghreb has a large amount of speaks of the native tongue.
Something I noticed was that the ASB State of Illinois seems, in many ways, to be similar to much of the Maghreb, in that the majority ethnicity (Arab-Berber in much of the Maghreb, Illinois in ASB Illinois) is a mix between a colonial group (French for Illinois, Arab for much of the Maghreb) and natives (Berber/Inoca), but speak the colonial language (French or Arabic), although Illinois has a Creole and the Maghreb has a large amount of speaks of the native tongue.
East Florida:
"Populist" - Tends left-wing, most are members of the federal Socialists or Progressives.
"Loyalist" - Tends conservative, most are members of the federal Democrats or Whigs.
The two labels are in bitter struggle. Despite the fact that East Florida doesn't have real parties, it's one of the most partisan states. Identification as a Populist or as a Loyalist is as important as your culture or ethnicity. Think Thailand, only more stable.
Labrador:
Labrador: "Labradorism" (Labrador nationalism and regionalism), Broad tent. Dominant party.
Socialist: Social democracy. On the left-wing. Opposition. Affiliated with the federal Socialists.
National: Liberal conservatism. On the right-wing. Opposition. Affiliated with the federal Democrats.
Green: Agrarianism. On the centre, Opposition, affiliated with federal Greens. Only just got back in the Court.
Your Movement: Populism. Opposition, part of federal Your Movement. New party.
Labrador dominates the state like Fianna Fail once dominated Ireland. First place every time and majority most of the time. However, a "National Socialist" coalition sometimes kicks them out of power. Currently the Nationals and Socialists are in Opposition, recovering from their last disastrous government. Labrador currently has a supermajority in the General Court and holds the Governorship.
Christiana:
Social Democrats: Soft social democracy, possibly "Third Way". Affiliated with federal Socialists.
Liberal People's: Liberalism, Conservative liberalism. Affiliated with federal Whigs.
Conservative: Conservatism, Christian democracy. Affiliated with federal Democrats.
National Socialist: Democratic socialism, left-wing, affiliated with the Freedom Party.
Green: Environmentalism, Agrarianism. Centrist, affiliated with federal Green Party.
Progressive: Social liberalism, Centre-left, affiliated with federal Progressive Party.
Dutch People's: Liberalism, Centrism, Dutch minority rights. No federal affiliation.
Due to Christiana's PR parliament, there exist 7 parties that have representation. The current coalition is a LP-C-G-DP one.
And a review of New Netherland.
Labour Party/Partij van der Arbeid: Social democracy, Labourism. Affiliated with federal Socialists.
Liberal Party/Liberale Partij: Liberalism, Right-liberalism, Conservatism. No federal affiliation (members tend to be Whig or Democrat)
Green Alliance/Groene Alliante: Agrarianism, Environmentalism. Affiliated with federal Green Party.
New Netherland First/Nieuw Nederland Eerste: Populism, New Netherland regionalism. "Associate" of federal Your Movement.
Co-operative Party/Coöperatieve Partij: Libertarian socialism, Left-wing. Affiliated with federal Freedom Party.
Libertarian Party/Libertarische Partij: More social/civic than economic those days. Affiliated with federal Liberation Party.
Free People's Party/Vrije Volkspartij: The dark side to Dutch politics. Racist, xenophobic bigots. Affiliated with federal People's Party.
Party for Fun and Sunshine/Partij voor Pleizier en Zonneschijn: Actually not satirist anymore. Affiliated with federal Sunshine Lollipop Party.
I guess the current government is a PvdA-GA-CP one. Maybe with supply and confidence from PPZ.
"Populist" - Tends left-wing, most are members of the federal Socialists or Progressives.
"Loyalist" - Tends conservative, most are members of the federal Democrats or Whigs.
The two labels are in bitter struggle. Despite the fact that East Florida doesn't have real parties, it's one of the most partisan states. Identification as a Populist or as a Loyalist is as important as your culture or ethnicity. Think Thailand, only more stable.
Labrador:
Labrador: "Labradorism" (Labrador nationalism and regionalism), Broad tent. Dominant party.
Socialist: Social democracy. On the left-wing. Opposition. Affiliated with the federal Socialists.
National: Liberal conservatism. On the right-wing. Opposition. Affiliated with the federal Democrats.
Green: Agrarianism. On the centre, Opposition, affiliated with federal Greens. Only just got back in the Court.
Your Movement: Populism. Opposition, part of federal Your Movement. New party.
Labrador dominates the state like Fianna Fail once dominated Ireland. First place every time and majority most of the time. However, a "National Socialist" coalition sometimes kicks them out of power. Currently the Nationals and Socialists are in Opposition, recovering from their last disastrous government. Labrador currently has a supermajority in the General Court and holds the Governorship.
Christiana:
Social Democrats: Soft social democracy, possibly "Third Way". Affiliated with federal Socialists.
Liberal People's: Liberalism, Conservative liberalism. Affiliated with federal Whigs.
Conservative: Conservatism, Christian democracy. Affiliated with federal Democrats.
National Socialist: Democratic socialism, left-wing, affiliated with the Freedom Party.
Green: Environmentalism, Agrarianism. Centrist, affiliated with federal Green Party.
Progressive: Social liberalism, Centre-left, affiliated with federal Progressive Party.
Dutch People's: Liberalism, Centrism, Dutch minority rights. No federal affiliation.
Due to Christiana's PR parliament, there exist 7 parties that have representation. The current coalition is a LP-C-G-DP one.
And a review of New Netherland.
Labour Party/Partij van der Arbeid: Social democracy, Labourism. Affiliated with federal Socialists.
Liberal Party/Liberale Partij: Liberalism, Right-liberalism, Conservatism. No federal affiliation (members tend to be Whig or Democrat)
Green Alliance/Groene Alliante: Agrarianism, Environmentalism. Affiliated with federal Green Party.
New Netherland First/Nieuw Nederland Eerste: Populism, New Netherland regionalism. "Associate" of federal Your Movement.
Co-operative Party/Coöperatieve Partij: Libertarian socialism, Left-wing. Affiliated with federal Freedom Party.
Libertarian Party/Libertarische Partij: More social/civic than economic those days. Affiliated with federal Liberation Party.
Free People's Party/Vrije Volkspartij: The dark side to Dutch politics. Racist, xenophobic bigots. Affiliated with federal People's Party.
Party for Fun and Sunshine/Partij voor Pleizier en Zonneschijn: Actually not satirist anymore. Affiliated with federal Sunshine Lollipop Party.
I guess the current government is a PvdA-GA-CP one. Maybe with supply and confidence from PPZ.
My comments on the above, from an earlier PM: I think that the idea of polarized but informal factions is great spotlight on Floridian culture. A broad center party feels just right for Labrador. Regarding Christiana, I am really enjoying the subtle variations on themes that you are developing for all the state parties. And also the somewhat right-leaning, agrarian Green Parties. And regarding NN, I like the changes very much. To them I will add that even smallish cities have lively multiparty systems in their municipal governments.
Awesome. The inspiration was actually trends present in OTL colonial Illinois, where the original Inoca were in decline and many were living in mixed villages alongside the French.
Awesome. The inspiration was actually trends present in OTL colonial Illinois, where the original Inoca were in decline and many were living in mixed villages alongside the French.
Since Labrador's politics are posted, I'll go ahead and share the complete Labrador history.
THE LABRADOR COAST
LA CÔTE DU LABRADOR
DIE LABRADORISCHE KÜSTE
LAPUATOL-NASHIPETIMIT
ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᒻᒥ
Labrador is one of the ASB's smallest states by population. It's comparable in size to some of the Little Island States, but its people are spread out over thousands of square miles of territory. It is the ASB's only subarctic state, very isolated from the rest of the confederation and inaccessible by land. Four major factors shaped its history: Labrador's cold climate, its abundance of marine resources, Moravian missionaries, and rivalry between Canada and Newfoundland.
1. Climate and People
The cold climate meant that Labrador's population has always been small and relatively few outsiders have moved in. To this day Labrador's population is mostly indigenous or Mixed. The three main groups are the Inuit, or Esquimaux, in the far north; the Naskapi, more or less in the center; and the Montagnais, who live throughout the south. The Naskapi and Montagnais speak the same language and are sometimes grouped together as the Innu. Non-indigenous settlers have largely intermixed, but distinct French, English, and German communities can still be discerned.
2. Harvesting the sea
Labrador's cod, whales, and seals early on attracted people from Europe - from Portugal, Normandy, Brittany, and the Basque Country. These men rarely stayed long, but they established seasonal stations in Labrador that are among the oldest European settlements on the continent. French, English, and Dutch ships came later in the 17th century. The English and French operations were based in the colonies of Newfoundland and Canada, respectively, and the administrators of both colonies considered Labrador to be part of their respective hinterlands, useful mainly as a source of fish.
3. The Moravians
The Moravian Church originated in an 18th-century revival of the teachings of the reformer Jan Hus. Moravian missionaries, largely Germans, were active among Indian communities throughout the ASB, but Labrador was their most successful project. A solid majority of indigenous Labradorans are Moravian Christians today, which equates to a slight majority of the entire state. The Labrador Church recently became a full province of the church with its own bishop, who informally acts as a spiritual advisor to the entire state. The church operates several schools in Labrador, but clergy are trained in the seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
4. Canada and Newfoundland: The Origins of the Labradoran State
The Labradoran state gradually evolved out of a need by Canada and Newfoundland to regulate and control fishing activities along the coast. Canada granted seigneuries in Labrador beginning in 1702. The holders of seigneuries expected to profit through hunting seals and trading with local people. Labrador was not suited to the development of a landed gentry like that of central Canada, and this was never the plan. But the holders considered their concessions to be their personal property and resented any attempt to deprive them of their property rights.
For many years the English of Newfoundland only used Labrador to dry cod they caught offshore, an activity that allowed easy coexistence with the Canadians. The only permanent English presence was a single blockhouse built to guard equipment over the winter. But in the late 1700s the governor of Newfoundland began granting concessions to colonists for catching seals and salmon onshore. This put English and French claims in direct conflict with each other. Since as yet there were few permanent European settlements in Labrador, these conflicts concerned mainly exploitation rights, and it was possible to arrange for shared use of the territory. After a great deal of contention and some bloodshed, Newfoundland and Canada reached an agreement around 1800. Limits were set on the salmon and seals that could legally be caught by English and French colonists. To enforce the settlement, a joint Canadian-Newfoundland post was set up at Red Bay.
All of the state institutions of Labrador evolved from this Anglo-French settlement for jointly regulating the region's hunting and fishing. The post soon took on the character of a local assembly and admiralty court. Representatives of the holders of English and French concessions sat with colonial officials to arbitrate disagreements. Before too long they were also meeting with Innu and Inuit leaders and deciding matters of territorial policy. In the early 1800s settler population began to grow, largely made up of Newfers but including Canadians, Acadians, and some Yankees from New England. The new residents demanded representation, and increasingly so did Indians and Moravian clergy. The maritime authority's slow transformation into a state government was marked by a change in location. It moved from Red Bay to Chateau Bay in the mid-1800s, and then further north to Rigolet toward the turn of the century.
So by 1900 Labrador was governed by the General Court of the Labrador Coast, a representative body that combined legislative and judicial powers. Because of the ASB's electoral reform law of the 1890s, members of the General Court were chosen by universal male suffrage, and the Moravian Church no longer sent voting members. But the Court still answered to Canada and Newfoundland, and the territory remained a condominium between those two states rather than a full member of the ASB confederation. Two Lieutenant-Governors, one from each state, had final say over the Court's decisions. Such relationships had been common in the ASB's early days, but remote Labrador was one of the last of the confederation's internal dependencies.
The General Court itself provided the impetus for complete self-government. In 1950 the Court voted to grant itself complete authority to run the affairs of Labrador without regard to either of its parent states. Naturally the motion was vetoed by both Lieutenant-Governors. But Labrador took the matter before the confederal Parliament together with the other Canadian-Newfer condominium, the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Leaders from both dependencies knew that they would find much sympathy there. Parliament supported them and ordered a referendum to be held for the sake of form; three years later Labrador and St. Pierre became the ASB's newest states.
The General Court is still Labrador's main governing body today, and Canada and Newfoundland still send Lieutenant-Governors. Only now they are strictly advisory and are subordinate to an elected Governor. Executive power belongs to the Governor and a cabinet of ministers selected by the General Court. This is therefore a semi-parliamentary system. Within Labrador's very small body politic (its population today only numbers around 15,000), the General Court has kept its judicial authority in civil, criminal, and maritime matters. This makes Labrador one of the only polities in the world without an independent judiciary. This repeatedly draws the attention of reformers from inside and outside the state, but so far none of their proposals have succeeded. Most Labradorans are happy with their unusual form of government, saying that it suits their needs as a small, indigenous community in a remote part of the world.
THE LABRADOR COAST
LA CÔTE DU LABRADOR
DIE LABRADORISCHE KÜSTE
LAPUATOL-NASHIPETIMIT
ᓄᓇᑦᓯᐊᕗᒻᒥ
Labrador is one of the ASB's smallest states by population. It's comparable in size to some of the Little Island States, but its people are spread out over thousands of square miles of territory. It is the ASB's only subarctic state, very isolated from the rest of the confederation and inaccessible by land. Four major factors shaped its history: Labrador's cold climate, its abundance of marine resources, Moravian missionaries, and rivalry between Canada and Newfoundland.
1. Climate and People
The cold climate meant that Labrador's population has always been small and relatively few outsiders have moved in. To this day Labrador's population is mostly indigenous or Mixed. The three main groups are the Inuit, or Esquimaux, in the far north; the Naskapi, more or less in the center; and the Montagnais, who live throughout the south. The Naskapi and Montagnais speak the same language and are sometimes grouped together as the Innu. Non-indigenous settlers have largely intermixed, but distinct French, English, and German communities can still be discerned.
2. Harvesting the sea
Labrador's cod, whales, and seals early on attracted people from Europe - from Portugal, Normandy, Brittany, and the Basque Country. These men rarely stayed long, but they established seasonal stations in Labrador that are among the oldest European settlements on the continent. French, English, and Dutch ships came later in the 17th century. The English and French operations were based in the colonies of Newfoundland and Canada, respectively, and the administrators of both colonies considered Labrador to be part of their respective hinterlands, useful mainly as a source of fish.
3. The Moravians
The Moravian Church originated in an 18th-century revival of the teachings of the reformer Jan Hus. Moravian missionaries, largely Germans, were active among Indian communities throughout the ASB, but Labrador was their most successful project. A solid majority of indigenous Labradorans are Moravian Christians today, which equates to a slight majority of the entire state. The Labrador Church recently became a full province of the church with its own bishop, who informally acts as a spiritual advisor to the entire state. The church operates several schools in Labrador, but clergy are trained in the seminary in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
4. Canada and Newfoundland: The Origins of the Labradoran State
The Labradoran state gradually evolved out of a need by Canada and Newfoundland to regulate and control fishing activities along the coast. Canada granted seigneuries in Labrador beginning in 1702. The holders of seigneuries expected to profit through hunting seals and trading with local people. Labrador was not suited to the development of a landed gentry like that of central Canada, and this was never the plan. But the holders considered their concessions to be their personal property and resented any attempt to deprive them of their property rights.
For many years the English of Newfoundland only used Labrador to dry cod they caught offshore, an activity that allowed easy coexistence with the Canadians. The only permanent English presence was a single blockhouse built to guard equipment over the winter. But in the late 1700s the governor of Newfoundland began granting concessions to colonists for catching seals and salmon onshore. This put English and French claims in direct conflict with each other. Since as yet there were few permanent European settlements in Labrador, these conflicts concerned mainly exploitation rights, and it was possible to arrange for shared use of the territory. After a great deal of contention and some bloodshed, Newfoundland and Canada reached an agreement around 1800. Limits were set on the salmon and seals that could legally be caught by English and French colonists. To enforce the settlement, a joint Canadian-Newfoundland post was set up at Red Bay.
All of the state institutions of Labrador evolved from this Anglo-French settlement for jointly regulating the region's hunting and fishing. The post soon took on the character of a local assembly and admiralty court. Representatives of the holders of English and French concessions sat with colonial officials to arbitrate disagreements. Before too long they were also meeting with Innu and Inuit leaders and deciding matters of territorial policy. In the early 1800s settler population began to grow, largely made up of Newfers but including Canadians, Acadians, and some Yankees from New England. The new residents demanded representation, and increasingly so did Indians and Moravian clergy. The maritime authority's slow transformation into a state government was marked by a change in location. It moved from Red Bay to Chateau Bay in the mid-1800s, and then further north to Rigolet toward the turn of the century.
So by 1900 Labrador was governed by the General Court of the Labrador Coast, a representative body that combined legislative and judicial powers. Because of the ASB's electoral reform law of the 1890s, members of the General Court were chosen by universal male suffrage, and the Moravian Church no longer sent voting members. But the Court still answered to Canada and Newfoundland, and the territory remained a condominium between those two states rather than a full member of the ASB confederation. Two Lieutenant-Governors, one from each state, had final say over the Court's decisions. Such relationships had been common in the ASB's early days, but remote Labrador was one of the last of the confederation's internal dependencies.
The General Court itself provided the impetus for complete self-government. In 1950 the Court voted to grant itself complete authority to run the affairs of Labrador without regard to either of its parent states. Naturally the motion was vetoed by both Lieutenant-Governors. But Labrador took the matter before the confederal Parliament together with the other Canadian-Newfer condominium, the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon. Leaders from both dependencies knew that they would find much sympathy there. Parliament supported them and ordered a referendum to be held for the sake of form; three years later Labrador and St. Pierre became the ASB's newest states.
The General Court is still Labrador's main governing body today, and Canada and Newfoundland still send Lieutenant-Governors. Only now they are strictly advisory and are subordinate to an elected Governor. Executive power belongs to the Governor and a cabinet of ministers selected by the General Court. This is therefore a semi-parliamentary system. Within Labrador's very small body politic (its population today only numbers around 15,000), the General Court has kept its judicial authority in civil, criminal, and maritime matters. This makes Labrador one of the only polities in the world without an independent judiciary. This repeatedly draws the attention of reformers from inside and outside the state, but so far none of their proposals have succeeded. Most Labradorans are happy with their unusual form of government, saying that it suits their needs as a small, indigenous community in a remote part of the world.
I'll post a short one today, mostly a flag and a couple of historical and cultural notes.
The Republic of Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay declared its independence from Britain in the late 1700s in a complicated dispute over taxation and something about the tea. By then Massachusetts, and its capital city of Boston, had already been the economic driver of New England for over a century. The revolution made it one of the most politically radical of the English states, and its political culture has a strong egalitarian streak today.
The Praying Towns of the 17th century were important vessels of Indian culture in Massachusetts Bay. These were places where Indian converts to Congregationalism were gathered and closely supervised by English clergymen. While most of the Indian nations in southern New England lost their land, the Praying Towns survived and became an important part of the cultural mix in the colony. Over time the Praying Towns shed their puritanical laws, but they kept their autonomy and their communal form of land ownership. Yankee settlers in the west used them as a model for regulating Indian towns in the places where they created new communities: especially in Upper Connecticut, but also in parts of the Upper Country and Ohio where many Yankees settled. Today most Praying Towns are bilingual, with traditional languages under threat from English. The oldest and largest is the mixed English-Massachusett town of Natick, a few miles southwest of Boston and an important point on the Grand Trunk Road.
From early superstitions and tales of witch burnings, to modern stories of horrors rising from the sea, Massachusetts Bay is known for its "spooky" culture, especially along the north shore of the bay.
Massachusetts Bay has a flag based on the earlier flag of New England, but the cross of St. George has been removed, and English red given way to republican blue,
The Republic of Massachusetts Bay
Massachusetts Bay declared its independence from Britain in the late 1700s in a complicated dispute over taxation and something about the tea. By then Massachusetts, and its capital city of Boston, had already been the economic driver of New England for over a century. The revolution made it one of the most politically radical of the English states, and its political culture has a strong egalitarian streak today.
The Praying Towns of the 17th century were important vessels of Indian culture in Massachusetts Bay. These were places where Indian converts to Congregationalism were gathered and closely supervised by English clergymen. While most of the Indian nations in southern New England lost their land, the Praying Towns survived and became an important part of the cultural mix in the colony. Over time the Praying Towns shed their puritanical laws, but they kept their autonomy and their communal form of land ownership. Yankee settlers in the west used them as a model for regulating Indian towns in the places where they created new communities: especially in Upper Connecticut, but also in parts of the Upper Country and Ohio where many Yankees settled. Today most Praying Towns are bilingual, with traditional languages under threat from English. The oldest and largest is the mixed English-Massachusett town of Natick, a few miles southwest of Boston and an important point on the Grand Trunk Road.
From early superstitions and tales of witch burnings, to modern stories of horrors rising from the sea, Massachusetts Bay is known for its "spooky" culture, especially along the north shore of the bay.
Massachusetts Bay has a flag based on the earlier flag of New England, but the cross of St. George has been removed, and English red given way to republican blue,
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The State of Bermuda
Bermuda is one of the oldest English colonies in the hemisphere. From 1612 it was part of the Virginia colony, but its distance from Virginia meant that Bermuda had a great deal of autonomy; it basically functioned as a Virginian dependency. Bermudans played an important role in the early settlement of the Bahamas and Carolina. Bermudan salt merchants also gained effective control over the Turks and Caicos Islands. When the Bahamas broke away from both Virginia and England in the early 1700s, supporting the Jacobite claimant to the throne, a long dispute began over the Turks and Caicos.
Bermuda declared its independence from England along with Virginia toward the end of the 18th century. It was a fairly easy task for the Royal Navy to reoccupy Bermuda. But in the negotiations that followed, Bermuda became a major sticking point. Virginia (negotiating together with Massachusetts and New Hampshire) insisted that English forces relinquish its island territory. Since these demands were unenforceable given the state of Virginia's navy, Bermuda stayed in the Empire; but Virginia never gave up on its claim. The treaties signed at the end of the Wars of Independence were partial and inconclusive, leaving Virginia free to continue chasing its claim.
In Bermuda, an active anti-monarchy Whig movement dominated the assembly and defied the governor's authority. The assembly was frequently prorogued by the governor but managed to extract some important concessions, including his tacit approval to send delegates to the Anglo-American Congress, a body that later merged into the Congress of the Nations. The Congress had begun as a meeting for coordinating the activities of England's colonies; now that half of its members had left England's empire it continued as a forum for regional diplomacy.
In the first decade of the 1800s, one of the last great rounds of imperial warfare in America, a Virginian expedition joined with local Whigs to oust the royal authorities from power. Bermuda joined Virginian, Carolian, Cherokee, and Crown representatives at Bath, Virginia, in 1808 to finally negotiate a permanent settlement for England's current and former colonies. With both southern New England and Carolina remaining loyal to the Crown, Bermuda was not that high a high priority for England, and it relinquished the islands to Virginia in exchange for a purchase price and a tribute of one sloop a year from Bermuda's lucrative shipyards.
So in the 19th century, Bermuda returned to its earlier status as a dependency of Virginia with a special status. Over the course of the century, the ASB did away with these dependent relationships one by one. Bermuda was a full and equal member and detached from Virginia before 1900.
The dispute over the Turks and Caicos continued. Ultimately Congress deferred the question to the nascent Great Council of State, which decided in Bermuda's favor based on two centuries of active use of the islands. The Turks and Caicos have grown in population thanks to modern tourism, but they still have only around a third of Bermuda's population despite being several times larger. They are treated as an integral but autonomous region of Bermuda, with their own local assembly but with full representation in the Parliament of Bermuda. Nowadays they are sometimes called the ASB's "last colony," and the idea of statehood is constantly discussed. A pro-statehood party is active in the assemblies of both the Turks and Caicos and Bermuda. Two non-binding referendums have yielded conflicting results. The party's ultimate goal, a binding referendum on separate statehood for the islands, is likely not far off.
Bermuda is one of the oldest English colonies in the hemisphere. From 1612 it was part of the Virginia colony, but its distance from Virginia meant that Bermuda had a great deal of autonomy; it basically functioned as a Virginian dependency. Bermudans played an important role in the early settlement of the Bahamas and Carolina. Bermudan salt merchants also gained effective control over the Turks and Caicos Islands. When the Bahamas broke away from both Virginia and England in the early 1700s, supporting the Jacobite claimant to the throne, a long dispute began over the Turks and Caicos.
Bermuda declared its independence from England along with Virginia toward the end of the 18th century. It was a fairly easy task for the Royal Navy to reoccupy Bermuda. But in the negotiations that followed, Bermuda became a major sticking point. Virginia (negotiating together with Massachusetts and New Hampshire) insisted that English forces relinquish its island territory. Since these demands were unenforceable given the state of Virginia's navy, Bermuda stayed in the Empire; but Virginia never gave up on its claim. The treaties signed at the end of the Wars of Independence were partial and inconclusive, leaving Virginia free to continue chasing its claim.
In Bermuda, an active anti-monarchy Whig movement dominated the assembly and defied the governor's authority. The assembly was frequently prorogued by the governor but managed to extract some important concessions, including his tacit approval to send delegates to the Anglo-American Congress, a body that later merged into the Congress of the Nations. The Congress had begun as a meeting for coordinating the activities of England's colonies; now that half of its members had left England's empire it continued as a forum for regional diplomacy.
In the first decade of the 1800s, one of the last great rounds of imperial warfare in America, a Virginian expedition joined with local Whigs to oust the royal authorities from power. Bermuda joined Virginian, Carolian, Cherokee, and Crown representatives at Bath, Virginia, in 1808 to finally negotiate a permanent settlement for England's current and former colonies. With both southern New England and Carolina remaining loyal to the Crown, Bermuda was not that high a high priority for England, and it relinquished the islands to Virginia in exchange for a purchase price and a tribute of one sloop a year from Bermuda's lucrative shipyards.
So in the 19th century, Bermuda returned to its earlier status as a dependency of Virginia with a special status. Over the course of the century, the ASB did away with these dependent relationships one by one. Bermuda was a full and equal member and detached from Virginia before 1900.
The dispute over the Turks and Caicos continued. Ultimately Congress deferred the question to the nascent Great Council of State, which decided in Bermuda's favor based on two centuries of active use of the islands. The Turks and Caicos have grown in population thanks to modern tourism, but they still have only around a third of Bermuda's population despite being several times larger. They are treated as an integral but autonomous region of Bermuda, with their own local assembly but with full representation in the Parliament of Bermuda. Nowadays they are sometimes called the ASB's "last colony," and the idea of statehood is constantly discussed. A pro-statehood party is active in the assemblies of both the Turks and Caicos and Bermuda. Two non-binding referendums have yielded conflicting results. The party's ultimate goal, a binding referendum on separate statehood for the islands, is likely not far off.
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For Upper Louisiana, for now I have a settlement map but not so much text.
Borders in this map are anachronistic. The borders are modern, but the name "Mexico" reflects the de jure territory in 1840; since then this area has splintered off as some kind of buffer state, possibly a Deseret-on-the-Missouri.
Upper Louisiana
Haute-Louisiane
Haute-Louisiane is a former French colony on the middle Mississippi and lower Missouri Rivers. Originally it was the northern extension of the large Louisiane colony; that colony split into Haute- and Basse-Louisiane early in the 19th century. It has strong historic and cultural connections with Illinois, its neighbor across the river. Saint-Louis is the urban hub for the entire middle Mississippi region. The culture of the Illinois people - a Mixed or Métis ethnic group - has influenced Upper Louisiana, but the bulk of the population has Louisiana Creole origins.
The first French settlement was established in 1732 at Sanite-Genevieve. The town of Creoles, Canadians, and Osage traders remained small and dependent on the larger settlements across the river. Upper Louisiana emerged as a territory distinct from Illinois with the founding of Saint-Louis in 1760. The city was to be a new center of trade and administration, one that would be more subservient to colonial rule than the precocious Illinois. Subsequent French settlement focused on the colony west of the river.
The colony spread westward in the early 1800s along the Missouri River. Many settlers were from Illinois. French officials established a line of forts up the river which became the nucleus of the state of Dakota. Other newcomers included German settlers and a large number of Mormons, followers of a new religious sect fleeing persecution in New England. The Mormons established many new towns along the Missouri; when final political boundaries were drawn they found themselves divided between four different jurisdictions: Haute-Louisiane, Arques, Dakota, and Mexico. According to Mormon teaching, the region is sacred, and their town of New Enoch, on the Mexican side of the river, is said to be the place where Christ will return to Earth.
The state today is overwhelmingly French-speaking. The Mormons, concentrated in the western part of the state, have maintained their English language for the most part. Some Spanish can also be heard, this being a border state.
Borders in this map are anachronistic. The borders are modern, but the name "Mexico" reflects the de jure territory in 1840; since then this area has splintered off as some kind of buffer state, possibly a Deseret-on-the-Missouri.
Upper Louisiana
Haute-Louisiane
Haute-Louisiane is a former French colony on the middle Mississippi and lower Missouri Rivers. Originally it was the northern extension of the large Louisiane colony; that colony split into Haute- and Basse-Louisiane early in the 19th century. It has strong historic and cultural connections with Illinois, its neighbor across the river. Saint-Louis is the urban hub for the entire middle Mississippi region. The culture of the Illinois people - a Mixed or Métis ethnic group - has influenced Upper Louisiana, but the bulk of the population has Louisiana Creole origins.
The first French settlement was established in 1732 at Sanite-Genevieve. The town of Creoles, Canadians, and Osage traders remained small and dependent on the larger settlements across the river. Upper Louisiana emerged as a territory distinct from Illinois with the founding of Saint-Louis in 1760. The city was to be a new center of trade and administration, one that would be more subservient to colonial rule than the precocious Illinois. Subsequent French settlement focused on the colony west of the river.
The colony spread westward in the early 1800s along the Missouri River. Many settlers were from Illinois. French officials established a line of forts up the river which became the nucleus of the state of Dakota. Other newcomers included German settlers and a large number of Mormons, followers of a new religious sect fleeing persecution in New England. The Mormons established many new towns along the Missouri; when final political boundaries were drawn they found themselves divided between four different jurisdictions: Haute-Louisiane, Arques, Dakota, and Mexico. According to Mormon teaching, the region is sacred, and their town of New Enoch, on the Mexican side of the river, is said to be the place where Christ will return to Earth.
The state today is overwhelmingly French-speaking. The Mormons, concentrated in the western part of the state, have maintained their English language for the most part. Some Spanish can also be heard, this being a border state.
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Monarchy in Boreoamerica
Constitutional monarchy plays a minor role in the ASB's idiosyncratic political system, in that twelve of the fifty states acknowledge monarchs as their heads of state. In the colonial alliance system that preceded the ASB, European kings were key. They acted as protectors of their respective colonies and guarantors of the treaties with local nations. A series of revolutions, both in America and Europe, greatly reduced the monarchs' influence and territory. Expanding democracy in each state and the ASB as a whole further limited the ability of monarchs to influence North America directly. Today, the confederation's five remaining monarchs play an important but largely ceremonial constitutional role in their twelve individual states; on a confederal level they have no role whatsoever. As the ASB's institutions acquired their mature form, the institutions that came out on top were those that represented state populations, namely Parliamant and the Grand Council of State - rather than institutions representing state governments and by extension their monarchs, namely the old Congress.
As stated, five individual monarchs command the loyalty of the twelve royalist states. Two of these royals, one of European origin, the other indigenous, are locally resident in North America. The other three are based overseas.
The English Dominions ("The Loyalist States"): These seven states are the only states that evolved more or less straightforwardly from royal colonies. The five small states of southern New England have been linked in a single Dominion that ultimately goes back to the 1660s but hit many bumps on the way. Newfoundland transitioned much more smoothly into a Dominion in the middle of the 19th century. The Caymans were an English colony that joined the ASB a good deal later than most of its territory.
The Jacobite Provinces: Maryland supported England's King James II in 1689 and broke away from English rule in the war that followed. The breakaway province remained closely linked with its neighbors, and both trade and migrants passed over the border. In the 1710s a grand alliance of out-of-work privateers gathered in the Bahamas and declared their loyalty to the Jacobite pretender, James' son. They lost no time in coordinating with Maryland and soon were seen as the legitimate government of the colony.
Swedish Realm: Christiana passed from Pennsylvanian to Swedish suzerainty in the late 18th century, a consequence of Pennsylvania's determination to stay both independent and aloof from the wars within the English empire. After regaining the old colony, the Swedish king never played more than a nominal role in Christiana's government. Still, as (I think) the king is also Tsar of Russia, Christiana is linked through him to a vast worldwide Imperial Commonwealth that complicates foreign relations somewhat in the ASB.
Local Monarchs: Several North American indigenous nations flirted with the trappings of monarchy in ages past, but the Cherokee have been the only ones to keep it. Their institution was started by the English as a way to dominate a nation they saw as a protectorate. Today the people of Cherokee are proud of their unique head of state, an elected emperor. East Florida would have made the same smooth transition from colony to dominion as Newfoundland or parts of New England, but dynastic troubles in Spain itself resulted in one branch of the royal family moving to Florida. They stayed and have since renounced old claims to the Spanish throne, though they still have some diehard supporters over in the old country. East Floridian politics to this day breaks down along "populist" and "loyalist" lines - terms that originally represented different attitudes toward the Crown, though nowadays the question of royal power is basically settled.
Constitutional monarchy plays a minor role in the ASB's idiosyncratic political system, in that twelve of the fifty states acknowledge monarchs as their heads of state. In the colonial alliance system that preceded the ASB, European kings were key. They acted as protectors of their respective colonies and guarantors of the treaties with local nations. A series of revolutions, both in America and Europe, greatly reduced the monarchs' influence and territory. Expanding democracy in each state and the ASB as a whole further limited the ability of monarchs to influence North America directly. Today, the confederation's five remaining monarchs play an important but largely ceremonial constitutional role in their twelve individual states; on a confederal level they have no role whatsoever. As the ASB's institutions acquired their mature form, the institutions that came out on top were those that represented state populations, namely Parliamant and the Grand Council of State - rather than institutions representing state governments and by extension their monarchs, namely the old Congress.
As stated, five individual monarchs command the loyalty of the twelve royalist states. Two of these royals, one of European origin, the other indigenous, are locally resident in North America. The other three are based overseas.
The English Dominions ("The Loyalist States"): These seven states are the only states that evolved more or less straightforwardly from royal colonies. The five small states of southern New England have been linked in a single Dominion that ultimately goes back to the 1660s but hit many bumps on the way. Newfoundland transitioned much more smoothly into a Dominion in the middle of the 19th century. The Caymans were an English colony that joined the ASB a good deal later than most of its territory.
- Lower Connecticut
- Saybrook
- Rhode Island
- Plymouth
- The Vineyards
- The Dominion of Newfoundland
- The Cayman Islands
The Jacobite Provinces: Maryland supported England's King James II in 1689 and broke away from English rule in the war that followed. The breakaway province remained closely linked with its neighbors, and both trade and migrants passed over the border. In the 1710s a grand alliance of out-of-work privateers gathered in the Bahamas and declared their loyalty to the Jacobite pretender, James' son. They lost no time in coordinating with Maryland and soon were seen as the legitimate government of the colony.
- Maryland
- The Bahamas
Swedish Realm: Christiana passed from Pennsylvanian to Swedish suzerainty in the late 18th century, a consequence of Pennsylvania's determination to stay both independent and aloof from the wars within the English empire. After regaining the old colony, the Swedish king never played more than a nominal role in Christiana's government. Still, as (I think) the king is also Tsar of Russia, Christiana is linked through him to a vast worldwide Imperial Commonwealth that complicates foreign relations somewhat in the ASB.
- Christiana
Local Monarchs: Several North American indigenous nations flirted with the trappings of monarchy in ages past, but the Cherokee have been the only ones to keep it. Their institution was started by the English as a way to dominate a nation they saw as a protectorate. Today the people of Cherokee are proud of their unique head of state, an elected emperor. East Florida would have made the same smooth transition from colony to dominion as Newfoundland or parts of New England, but dynastic troubles in Spain itself resulted in one branch of the royal family moving to Florida. They stayed and have since renounced old claims to the Spanish throne, though they still have some diehard supporters over in the old country. East Floridian politics to this day breaks down along "populist" and "loyalist" lines - terms that originally represented different attitudes toward the Crown, though nowadays the question of royal power is basically settled.
- Cherokee
- East Florida
A likely revision of borders. When I first drew the borders within Acadia I didn't know much about the OTL history, nor did I have much in the way of solid plans for the region. As I start to form ideas for the area I am starting to see that its history will have very little in common with what happened in our timeline to Acadia and Nova Scotia. In TTL the history of the area will be quite complex, with Scottish and Franco-Acadian settlements side by side for at least a hundred years, at times coexisting and at times fighting each other, and complicated still further by the shifting relationship between Scotland, England, and France. There are still 2 Acadias, split by New Scotland and SJI. New Scotland is the original Scottish colony of the early 18th century, and SJI did see significant Yankee settlement, though no direct control from England.
