The Icarian movement is today best remembered as the longest lasting non-religious utopian community in the history of the United States. Initially conceived as a socialist utopia by French political thinker-author Etienne Cabet, based on the society he outlined in his bestseller Travels to Icaria, the plan was to settle in Texas along the Red River. Always an idealist, Cabet seems to have truly believed that the settlement would draw ten to twenty thousand settlers in its first years and eventually blossom into a city in the millions.
Whatever these dreams, the initial settlement of the Icarians in Texas was a short lived disaster. Cabet had gone through an friend and agent from his time in exile in Britain, who had negotiated the purchase of one million acres of land in Texas along the Red River, with the stipulation that the land had to be settled by July of 1848. However, the seller of the land had lied - the land was not along the Red RIver as promised but was roughly 25 miles away. Furthermore, rather than it being in one solid bloc, the land was instead arranged in a checkerboard pattern with settler holdings alternating with plots still held by the government. And then, to make matters even worse, the advanced guard who set out to claim the land suffered a number of misfortunes on their way, including the breaking down of a wagon and having to make the last twenty miles or so on foot. They arrived late, couldn't claim the land in time, and also found that the lan, even if they could have claimed it, was practically worthless for their plans.
Then international events began to intrude. The revolution of 1848 broke out, diverting Cabet's attention away from the project at an important point as he decided to make a run for President of the newly established Second French Republic. The collapse of the Bourbon monarchy also convinced many would be settlers that they didn't need to travel to America in order to create a Democratic society.
Eventually, the advanced guard returned to New Orleans where they were met with a couple hundred settlers who were just planning on making their way to the Texas lands. Hearing about the debacle, Cabet set out for the United States and convinced the majority of the settlers then present to hold together and look for a new settlement. They eventually made contact with Brigham Young's Mormons who had already made their way to the Great Salt Lake Basin and who agreed to sell the Icarians their holds in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Nauvoo ended up being a godsend to Cabet and his followers. They established a community which grew to about 600 people, and also created a rudimentary government for the colony with an elected President who served for a one year term, and four directors who oversaw agriculture, industry, finances and education respectively. The community also established two boarding schools, one for boys and one for girls (it was believed that the nuclear family was important, but that children should be educated away from their parents to create community loyalty), a library with over 4000 volumes and a hotel for visitors. Joining the community was relatively easy - a would-be member had to live in the community for four months and then their joining would come up to a vote by all male members. If they were accepted, they had to contribute 80 dollars to the community and foresake all private property.
Unfortunately, the community was weakened after Cabet returned from an 18-month trip to France where he had to answer for a law suit (not all of the members had come with from New Orleans. About 200 had returned to France and sued Cabet for fraud.). He won the lawsuit, but upon returning revealed a ore dictatorial side of his personality as he worked to strengthen the presidency and tried banning tobacco and alcohol amongst the Icarians. This lead the majority of those at Nauvoo to evict him from his own utopian community! Along with a small group of loyalists, he made his way to St. Louis where he died of a stroke two days after arriving. The Nauvoo Icarians also floundered without his financial support and connections in France. They eventually moved to a new home outside of COrning, Iowa where the community remained until 1898 when it dissolved.
So, your challenge:
Make the Icarian colony in Texas a success! I'm not saying that they eventually build a city of a million people - that seems a bit much by any standard. But it does mean that a sizable community of French-speaking Socialists who live communally make their home in Texas. How big that community grows to is entirely up to you. Bonus points if it contains enough people to have an impact on Texas during the Civil War (In OTL the smaller Icarians were strogn supporters of the Union. And I can't imagine that French Socialists are going to be down with slavery. Yet another irony of Cabet's initial plan), and even more bonus points if the community(ies) survive the Civil War and remain influential in the state during the post-bellum period.
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarians
Whatever these dreams, the initial settlement of the Icarians in Texas was a short lived disaster. Cabet had gone through an friend and agent from his time in exile in Britain, who had negotiated the purchase of one million acres of land in Texas along the Red River, with the stipulation that the land had to be settled by July of 1848. However, the seller of the land had lied - the land was not along the Red RIver as promised but was roughly 25 miles away. Furthermore, rather than it being in one solid bloc, the land was instead arranged in a checkerboard pattern with settler holdings alternating with plots still held by the government. And then, to make matters even worse, the advanced guard who set out to claim the land suffered a number of misfortunes on their way, including the breaking down of a wagon and having to make the last twenty miles or so on foot. They arrived late, couldn't claim the land in time, and also found that the lan, even if they could have claimed it, was practically worthless for their plans.
Then international events began to intrude. The revolution of 1848 broke out, diverting Cabet's attention away from the project at an important point as he decided to make a run for President of the newly established Second French Republic. The collapse of the Bourbon monarchy also convinced many would be settlers that they didn't need to travel to America in order to create a Democratic society.
Eventually, the advanced guard returned to New Orleans where they were met with a couple hundred settlers who were just planning on making their way to the Texas lands. Hearing about the debacle, Cabet set out for the United States and convinced the majority of the settlers then present to hold together and look for a new settlement. They eventually made contact with Brigham Young's Mormons who had already made their way to the Great Salt Lake Basin and who agreed to sell the Icarians their holds in Nauvoo, Illinois.
Nauvoo ended up being a godsend to Cabet and his followers. They established a community which grew to about 600 people, and also created a rudimentary government for the colony with an elected President who served for a one year term, and four directors who oversaw agriculture, industry, finances and education respectively. The community also established two boarding schools, one for boys and one for girls (it was believed that the nuclear family was important, but that children should be educated away from their parents to create community loyalty), a library with over 4000 volumes and a hotel for visitors. Joining the community was relatively easy - a would-be member had to live in the community for four months and then their joining would come up to a vote by all male members. If they were accepted, they had to contribute 80 dollars to the community and foresake all private property.
Unfortunately, the community was weakened after Cabet returned from an 18-month trip to France where he had to answer for a law suit (not all of the members had come with from New Orleans. About 200 had returned to France and sued Cabet for fraud.). He won the lawsuit, but upon returning revealed a ore dictatorial side of his personality as he worked to strengthen the presidency and tried banning tobacco and alcohol amongst the Icarians. This lead the majority of those at Nauvoo to evict him from his own utopian community! Along with a small group of loyalists, he made his way to St. Louis where he died of a stroke two days after arriving. The Nauvoo Icarians also floundered without his financial support and connections in France. They eventually moved to a new home outside of COrning, Iowa where the community remained until 1898 when it dissolved.
So, your challenge:
Make the Icarian colony in Texas a success! I'm not saying that they eventually build a city of a million people - that seems a bit much by any standard. But it does mean that a sizable community of French-speaking Socialists who live communally make their home in Texas. How big that community grows to is entirely up to you. Bonus points if it contains enough people to have an impact on Texas during the Civil War (In OTL the smaller Icarians were strogn supporters of the Union. And I can't imagine that French Socialists are going to be down with slavery. Yet another irony of Cabet's initial plan), and even more bonus points if the community(ies) survive the Civil War and remain influential in the state during the post-bellum period.
Further Reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Icarians
