So anyhoo with my laptop still broken and thus unable to make the graphics I'm so fond of, I thought I'd finally get round to writing out the timeline that leads from a single man dying of a gunshot wound to the world on the possible brink of the Second Great Socialist War shown in these two maps:
1930 world map
1930 poster on the USNA and federated states
Though its entirely possible that in working out details of the timeline rather than the broad strokes that I had in my head whilst making those maps I'll end up with changes that render the above non-canon. Now note I pretty much despise the act of writing due to a combination of dyslexia and laziness, so the prose will be generally be brief and to the point, however there will be many pictures and maps once I get my graphic creating capacity back. Please feel free to critique and yell at me.
Blue Star Rising
(Or how I learnt to stop worrying and love how random voyages and smallpox can cause any butterflies you fancy!)
Beginning: A Touch of Rot (Volume: 1754-1790 North America)
“Commander!”
Lyman turned away from the militiaman, and sighed deeply. Such a gloomy expression on Old Sawbones' could only mean bad tidings.
“Has the colonel died then?” Lyman asked.
“Worse, its the Major General”
“But he was fully hale when last we spoke!”
“My boy was changing his bandages, and it let loose an unholy stink. It is the gangrene, and dug so deep into Sir's hip that all the care in the world couldn't dig it out. We've got a dead man sitting in that tent, though he still walks and speaks.”
Lyman hung his head and mumbled a quick prayer, before setting his face to the resolute frown his men knew only too well.
“I will go speak to him of the dispositions then...whilst there is still time. Best fetch 'His Majesty' as well, there will be no end of trouble dealing with his scalpers now...”
1754: The divergence; Sir William Johnson dies of infection of his wound after the Battle of Lake George. Someone (suggestions?) William Shirley backs is appointed to the position of Superintendent of the Northern Department, and does a generally worse job.
1755-57: After the failure of the Albany Conference the British attempt to take relations with the Six Nations into their own hands, but their representative is ineffectual, leading the Mohawks to claim that the Covenant Chain is irreversibly broken. Later in the year the British manage to restore relations with the Seneca and other western tribes. Over the course of the French and Indian wars the Mohawks are in disarray and fight against both the British and French, before coming out on the French side as the French consolidate control control over Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain and the upper Mohawk River valley towards 1757. A Massacre at Fort William Henry still occurs and is considerably worse due to a larger Indian contingent with Montcalm, and opinion hardens against the Mohicans.
1757-63: The new strategy implemented by Pitt works along the same lines as the OTL, with North America fighting concluding with the capture of Montreal in 1760. The Royal Proclamation Line of October 5th 1763 did not, due to the Mohawks perceived untrustworthiness, recognise their previous territory or those of the Oneida. Instead it opened those regions to settlement as part of the colony of New York, giving Americans direct access to Ontario and Canada without the need for treaties with the natives. Many Iroquois moved west and contracted, created a much stronger bulwark to American advances later (something that the cultural differences between the Niagara region and the Hudson valley is often attributed too, and thus probably contributes to the formation of the state of Franklin).
1763-1772: North America continues much as the OTL, with growing resentment towards the British Crown, though the changes to the north lead to more settlement about Lake Ontario and American commercial development along the great lakes trading system. This in turns creates resentment amoung the Canadians and the creation of the 1772 Quebec Act, addressing some of the Canadians concerns and granting them sway over the Richleu valley and the Peninsulas of the Great Lakes (the hurried act is less favourable to the Canadians than the OTL). This infuriates the Americans, and the following year would see the meeting of the First Continental Congress.
1774: British react to the rebels with military force, sending men to arrest rebels in Concord in June. “The blast that reached the heavens” becomes a phrase to describe the trigger event of hostilities over a small keg of powder. The colonies call out their militias to liberate Boston and call the second continental conference, James Duane, New York northern commissioner convinces several prominent Canadians to attend. The conflict with Britain intensifies and many states create new constitutions. A quick assistance of rebellious Canadians in Montreal manages to stir up the populace there (though the Canadian independence aims are confused).
1775: July 14th United States of North America Declare their Independence, Canadians mollified by good negotiating on the part of the Americans. On the war front American thrusts into the Maritimes are soundly defeated and the British consolidate in northern east New England but are slowed somewhat by the lose of Canada (not to mention the quick campaign and conversion to the rebels sees less British public will to fight. The British are also more skeptical of the Loyalist Exiles). In the mid-Atlantic region the taking of New York and New Jersey go roughly as OTL with Washington falling back under Howes advance (Howe has slightly more troops, and Washington much more).
1776-8: Philadelphia campaign, American forces manage to gather sufficiently and break Howes forces in the Battle of Nicetown, protecting Philadelphia and convincing the French to enter the war. The Spanish and Dutch follow in the next year. The British, growing convinced of the futility of holding North America begin to look to extract a 'pound of flesh' from their European foes in the Caribbean and then drive a wedge between the allies. The British win some strong victories in the Caribbean including, and grab a few small islands, but the war drags on on land.
1779: After years of slowly pulling back a strong naval victory by the French outside New York, and a spill of disease through the garrison there causes a change in the British parliament to the Peace party. The Treaty of Paris was signed late in the year, seeing American independence recognised with Britain retaining New Ireland, the Maritimes and the Hudson Bay company lands to the north. In other agreements Spain got East Florida, and the Bahamas in exchange for some small concessions in Belize, Mosquita, the Dutch lost some of Guyana and France got some African concessions (but was generally screwed slightly). The American Indians continued fighting for some years.
1780-90: American Constitutional Period: Methods of government are tried and found wanting before eventually a Constitution being adopted, Canada and the South force many concessions and a looser structure than some would have preferred and the North – South divide is apparent (note ITTL the South didn't have to fight very much for independence, and the Northern is more powerful and populous than OTL) with the Capital remaining in the Northern city of Philadelphia. The Loyalists migrate to the Maritimes and Caribbean in mass (they'll be a quicker urbanization in both as fresh land rapidly runs out).
1790-1804: Early Growth of the United States of North America from the original 14 and the long negotiation over the portioning of the Northwest and Upper Canada, states of Franklin (1793), Vandalia (1791), Ontario (1799) and Western Connecticut (later West Connecticut, 1802) join the Union. Displacement is natives is near continuous (no Tecumseh and British to provide stabilising influences) and violence continual. Increasing tension grows on the Spanish-American border, especially with the weak Spanish position thanks to the Anglo-Spanish War.
Rather than one continuous timeline, there will be blocks focusing on various areas, next ones should be South America and India from the PoD to the end of the Secrétariat. Though this first bit and the timeline title are about the birth of the socialist USNA I'll try and get as much of the world in as possible.
1930 world map
1930 poster on the USNA and federated states
Though its entirely possible that in working out details of the timeline rather than the broad strokes that I had in my head whilst making those maps I'll end up with changes that render the above non-canon. Now note I pretty much despise the act of writing due to a combination of dyslexia and laziness, so the prose will be generally be brief and to the point, however there will be many pictures and maps once I get my graphic creating capacity back. Please feel free to critique and yell at me.
Blue Star Rising
(Or how I learnt to stop worrying and love how random voyages and smallpox can cause any butterflies you fancy!)
Beginning: A Touch of Rot (Volume: 1754-1790 North America)
“Commander!”
Lyman turned away from the militiaman, and sighed deeply. Such a gloomy expression on Old Sawbones' could only mean bad tidings.
“Has the colonel died then?” Lyman asked.
“Worse, its the Major General”
“But he was fully hale when last we spoke!”
“My boy was changing his bandages, and it let loose an unholy stink. It is the gangrene, and dug so deep into Sir's hip that all the care in the world couldn't dig it out. We've got a dead man sitting in that tent, though he still walks and speaks.”
Lyman hung his head and mumbled a quick prayer, before setting his face to the resolute frown his men knew only too well.
“I will go speak to him of the dispositions then...whilst there is still time. Best fetch 'His Majesty' as well, there will be no end of trouble dealing with his scalpers now...”
1754: The divergence; Sir William Johnson dies of infection of his wound after the Battle of Lake George. Someone (suggestions?) William Shirley backs is appointed to the position of Superintendent of the Northern Department, and does a generally worse job.
1755-57: After the failure of the Albany Conference the British attempt to take relations with the Six Nations into their own hands, but their representative is ineffectual, leading the Mohawks to claim that the Covenant Chain is irreversibly broken. Later in the year the British manage to restore relations with the Seneca and other western tribes. Over the course of the French and Indian wars the Mohawks are in disarray and fight against both the British and French, before coming out on the French side as the French consolidate control control over Lake Ontario, Lake Champlain and the upper Mohawk River valley towards 1757. A Massacre at Fort William Henry still occurs and is considerably worse due to a larger Indian contingent with Montcalm, and opinion hardens against the Mohicans.
1757-63: The new strategy implemented by Pitt works along the same lines as the OTL, with North America fighting concluding with the capture of Montreal in 1760. The Royal Proclamation Line of October 5th 1763 did not, due to the Mohawks perceived untrustworthiness, recognise their previous territory or those of the Oneida. Instead it opened those regions to settlement as part of the colony of New York, giving Americans direct access to Ontario and Canada without the need for treaties with the natives. Many Iroquois moved west and contracted, created a much stronger bulwark to American advances later (something that the cultural differences between the Niagara region and the Hudson valley is often attributed too, and thus probably contributes to the formation of the state of Franklin).
1763-1772: North America continues much as the OTL, with growing resentment towards the British Crown, though the changes to the north lead to more settlement about Lake Ontario and American commercial development along the great lakes trading system. This in turns creates resentment amoung the Canadians and the creation of the 1772 Quebec Act, addressing some of the Canadians concerns and granting them sway over the Richleu valley and the Peninsulas of the Great Lakes (the hurried act is less favourable to the Canadians than the OTL). This infuriates the Americans, and the following year would see the meeting of the First Continental Congress.
1774: British react to the rebels with military force, sending men to arrest rebels in Concord in June. “The blast that reached the heavens” becomes a phrase to describe the trigger event of hostilities over a small keg of powder. The colonies call out their militias to liberate Boston and call the second continental conference, James Duane, New York northern commissioner convinces several prominent Canadians to attend. The conflict with Britain intensifies and many states create new constitutions. A quick assistance of rebellious Canadians in Montreal manages to stir up the populace there (though the Canadian independence aims are confused).
1775: July 14th United States of North America Declare their Independence, Canadians mollified by good negotiating on the part of the Americans. On the war front American thrusts into the Maritimes are soundly defeated and the British consolidate in northern east New England but are slowed somewhat by the lose of Canada (not to mention the quick campaign and conversion to the rebels sees less British public will to fight. The British are also more skeptical of the Loyalist Exiles). In the mid-Atlantic region the taking of New York and New Jersey go roughly as OTL with Washington falling back under Howes advance (Howe has slightly more troops, and Washington much more).
1776-8: Philadelphia campaign, American forces manage to gather sufficiently and break Howes forces in the Battle of Nicetown, protecting Philadelphia and convincing the French to enter the war. The Spanish and Dutch follow in the next year. The British, growing convinced of the futility of holding North America begin to look to extract a 'pound of flesh' from their European foes in the Caribbean and then drive a wedge between the allies. The British win some strong victories in the Caribbean including, and grab a few small islands, but the war drags on on land.
1779: After years of slowly pulling back a strong naval victory by the French outside New York, and a spill of disease through the garrison there causes a change in the British parliament to the Peace party. The Treaty of Paris was signed late in the year, seeing American independence recognised with Britain retaining New Ireland, the Maritimes and the Hudson Bay company lands to the north. In other agreements Spain got East Florida, and the Bahamas in exchange for some small concessions in Belize, Mosquita, the Dutch lost some of Guyana and France got some African concessions (but was generally screwed slightly). The American Indians continued fighting for some years.
1780-90: American Constitutional Period: Methods of government are tried and found wanting before eventually a Constitution being adopted, Canada and the South force many concessions and a looser structure than some would have preferred and the North – South divide is apparent (note ITTL the South didn't have to fight very much for independence, and the Northern is more powerful and populous than OTL) with the Capital remaining in the Northern city of Philadelphia. The Loyalists migrate to the Maritimes and Caribbean in mass (they'll be a quicker urbanization in both as fresh land rapidly runs out).
1790-1804: Early Growth of the United States of North America from the original 14 and the long negotiation over the portioning of the Northwest and Upper Canada, states of Franklin (1793), Vandalia (1791), Ontario (1799) and Western Connecticut (later West Connecticut, 1802) join the Union. Displacement is natives is near continuous (no Tecumseh and British to provide stabilising influences) and violence continual. Increasing tension grows on the Spanish-American border, especially with the weak Spanish position thanks to the Anglo-Spanish War.
Rather than one continuous timeline, there will be blocks focusing on various areas, next ones should be South America and India from the PoD to the end of the Secrétariat. Though this first bit and the timeline title are about the birth of the socialist USNA I'll try and get as much of the world in as possible.
