Dominion of Southern America - Updated July 1, 2018

Glen

Moderator
Holy frijoles! Despite the months long hiatus this timeline has garnered over 700,000 views, surpassing DoD and now second most viewed in Before 1900! Thank you loyal readers!!!
 

Glen

Moderator
749px-Pumpkin-Pie-Slice.jpg


Thanksgiving started sporadically in the British colonies of North America prior to the American Revolution. Congress and President Washington proclaimed the first national day of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, and this act was intermittently announced thereafter by following presidents, with individual states doing their own when the national leadership failed to do so. It was President Poe who formalized the last Thursday in November as the national day of Thanksgiving in the United States. Traditional Thanksgiving fare included Turkey, yams, and Pumpkin Pie.

Thanksgiving was even less common and formal in the remaining British Colonies of North America in the South. When the Southern Colonies did celebrate it, they tended to be earlier in November and blended with the post-ARW trend for the Southern colonies to honor the English Gunpowder Treason Day (AKA Bonfire Night). Some elements of the combined Thanksgiving Day/Bonfire Night festivities had a dubious revival in the lead-up to the Slaver Rebellion as effigies of Guy Fawkes and the Pope were replaced by the British King and Prime Minister. Consul Jackson went so far as to declare a national Thanksgiving for the Confederation, the first nationally enacted Thanksgiving for the British Southern America, on the first Thursday in November. Even after the Southern Civil War ended, Thanksgiving enjoyed a popular revival in the South and the newly formed Dominion of Southern America sought to co-opt the holiday for the new federation as a day of thanks and familial reconciliation especially for those who had fought on different sides. The parliament of the Dominion set the date initially as the second Thursday in November, and the link between Guy Fawkes and Thanksgiving was severed, though the Southerners maintained the tradition of bonfires for their Thanksgiving. The traditional Thanksgiving meal in the South shares similarities with the USA such as the main course of a turkey, but differs in others such as substituting Sweet Potato Pie for Pumpkin Pie.
 

Glen

Moderator
749px-Pumpkin-Pie-Slice.jpg


Thanksgiving started sporadically in the British colonies of North America prior to the American Revolution. Congress and President Washington proclaimed the first national day of Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, and this act was intermittently announced thereafter by following presidents, with individual states doing their own when the national leadership failed to do so. It was President Poe who formalized the last Thursday in November as the national day of Thanksgiving in the United States. Traditional Thanksgiving fare included Turkey, yams, and Pumpkin Pie.

Thanksgiving was even less common and formal in the remaining British Colonies of North America in the South. When the Southern Colonies did celebrate it, they tended to be earlier in November and blended with the post-ARW trend for the Southern colonies to honor the English Gunpowder Treason Day (AKA Bonfire Night). Some elements of the combined Thanksgiving Day/Bonfire Night festivities had a dubious revival in the lead-up to the Slaver Rebellion as effigies of Guy Fawkes and the Pope were replaced by the British King and Prime Minister. Consul Jackson went so far as to declare a national Thanksgiving for the Confederation, the first nationally enacted Thanksgiving for the British Southern America, on the first Thursday in November. Even after the Southern Civil War ended, Thanksgiving enjoyed a popular revival in the South and the newly formed Dominion of Southern America sought to co-opt the holiday for the new federation as a day of thanks and familial reconciliation especially for those who had fought on different sides. The parliament of the Dominion set the date initially as the second Thursday in November, and the link between Guy Fawkes and Thanksgiving was severed, though the Southerners maintained the tradition of bonfires for their Thanksgiving. The traditional Thanksgiving meal in the South shares similarities with the USA such as the main course of a turkey, but differs in others such as substituting Sweet Potato Pie for Pumpkin Pie.
I will have to edit this into formal timeline later.
 
Holy frijoles! Despite the months long hiatus this timeline has garnered over 700,000 views, surpassing DoD and now second most viewed in Before 1900! Thank you loyal readers!!!

A pleasure. :D I only hope that any one of my timelines (Stars & Stripes especially), can one day garner even a quarter of that. ;)
 
The UPSA is industrialized. The OTL USA would have the upper hand.

The interesting question though would be comparing the OTL USA vs TTL's USA which has been an island of diplomatic stability since its founding and as such probably has attracted gobs and gobs of immigrants / refugees even over OTL thanks to being a place where one can put something like financial assets and reasonably be sure it won't be wrecked or stolen in a war or move and be reasonably sure he/she won't be shot at.
 

Glen

Moderator
The interesting question though would be comparing the OTL USA vs TTL's USA which has been an island of diplomatic stability since its founding and as such probably has attracted gobs and gobs of immigrants / refugees even over OTL thanks to being a place where one can put something like financial assets and reasonably be sure it won't be wrecked or stolen in a war or move and be reasonably sure he/she won't be shot at.

True, true, though there are still the Indian Wars in the West.
 

Glen

Moderator
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The Dominion of Southern America had its parliament modeled on that of the United Kingdom. The lower house, the House of Commons, was based almost entirely on that of the British House of Commons, with general elections specified to be required to be held at least every seven years. In the early days of the Dominion, with the lower chamber dominated by the loyalist Imperial Party ("Tories"), this was the case. However, within a few decades the other factions gained enough power to force elections more frequently. The upper house of the Dominion parliament, on the other hand, was at needs different from the British House of Lords. It had been suggested that the name Senate be used, but this was the self-same name the rebel Confederation had used for its legislative branch, and thus was considered inappropriate (some also did not want the self-same name as the US upper house). As it was decided that each province of the Dominion would have appointed by the Crown five members to serve in the upper house for life, the name 'House of Provinces' was chosen. As an aside, it was established from the beginning that each of the five civilized tribes would each have an upper house representative appointed for their tribe to make up the five representing Indiana. The Prime Minister as well as the governments of the Provinces advised the crown typically on the selection of new representatives to the House of Provinces. By 1900, however, a movement was afoot to reform the House of Provinces to be elected by the populace and to serve limited terms.
 
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Nice couple of updates; it's interesting to see how the government of the DSA has started to evolve past being a handful of colonies into a true nation (albeit still loyal to the Crown, that is).

EDIT: Also, welcome back!
 

Glen

Moderator
Nice couple of updates; it's interesting to see how the government of the DSA has started to evolve past being a handful of colonies into a true nation (albeit still loyal to the Crown, that is).

EDIT: Also, welcome back!

Thanks for that. And thanks for the welcome!
 
Interesting Legislative set up - serving for Life though? that could be nasty!

Hopefully the movement to set term limits and popular election of Province representatives will prohibit such potential abuse of power that may be implied by such organization.

Glen,

I have a question; was there any mention on where and when the Scots-Irish would immigrate to after the POD? I seem to recall seeing such a thing, but with all the detail in a TL like this I can't be too sure. If it's there, would most of them have gone to the USA or DSA by the 19th century?
 
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