AHC: Largest possible American colonial Empire.

Preferably with maximum possible holdings in Africa.

I know that the U.S. has had a lot going against it historically for a great colonial Empire, but, trying to keep butterflies as a minimum (i.e. no great Fascist party takeover or anything drastic like that.) what is the biggest possible American Empire - African colonies included, and what would they look like?

Also, what would be the likely effects of the largest possible American Empire?
 
I think if the country is based on Alexander Hamilton's idea of the country American colonialism will be far more advanced. So maybe killing off Jefferson entirely might do it. A mercantilist aristocratic America might take a large role in dismanteling the Spanish empire.
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
Gaius Julius Magnus said:
maybe during the Spainish- American War the USA demands Spain's african colonies as well but that's about it.
Spain's African colonies consisted of a restive strip of northern Morocco, a penal colony/wasteland in the Sahara, and a penal colony/plantation in Equatoria.

There is a reason nobody bothered to take them.
 
maybe during the Spainish- American War the USA demands Spain's african colonies as well but that's about it.

What did Spain still hold in Africa at that time? I'm rusty...

I think if the country is based on Alexander Hamilton's idea of the country American colonialism will be far more advanced. So maybe killing off Jefferson entirely might do it. A mercantilist aristocratic America might take a large role in dismanteling the Spanish empire.

And the British, and later German as well...

This seems like too many butterflies, though. Any degree of less Jefferson is a drastically different country, no?
 

Wolfpaw

Banned
I think if the country is based on Alexander Hamilton's idea of the country American colonialism will be far more advanced. So maybe killing off Jefferson entirely might do it. A mercantilist aristocratic America might take a large role in dismanteling the Spanish empire.
The locals might resent that, especially if the Marines are going in there at bayonet point with the intent of sticking around to enforce the interests of the American West Indies Company or whatever.
 
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The locals might resent that, especially if the Marines are going in there at bayonet point with the intent of sticking around to enforce the interests of the American West Indies Company or whatever.

That's not all that different from how Britons did it for centuries for the most part, right?

What are the effects of gaining those Spanish territories in Africa? I know it doesn't seem like much would change, but ANY American colonies in Africa is a pretty big departure from OTL.
 
The locals might resent that, especially if the Marines are going in there at bayonet point with the intent of sticking around to enforce the interests of the American West Indies Company or whatever.

An Hamiltonian America would probably just start with one or two colonies. But in the long run it would invest more in a navy and army than a more isolationist America. I think that America could have had a much larger colonial empire if it tried for one, just imagine if the Nantucket whalers were operating even as distantly as the Sea of Japan in OTL. While in an expansionist America there might even end having an American East Indian Company.

This seems like too many butterflies, though. Any degree of less Jefferson is a drastically different country, no?

Well if you are trying to have the Largest Possible American Colonial empire the POD has to be very early. Of course there is no assurance that the Americans could keep a colonial empire to the modern day, it could likely collapse just as easily as the other empires did.
 
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