Glen, I would love to see some specific demographic and other statistical information regarding the BSA at this crucial time in its history. While you have given us some snippets of info, (e.g. - there is a higher percentage of slaves in the BSA than in OTL's South), I would be very interested in knowing about the free blacks - is there a sizable population?
Yes, there is a sizable population.
What about poor landless whites, how large a percentage do they have?
I suppose I could whip up some stats. In general there are a fair number in the mountains, and again West of the Mississippi. The rest are scattered throughout the swamps and bayous....and of course interspersed in the nooks and crannies between the big plantations.
There's a fair number What about cities, towns, etc. - which are the largest, most important?
Yes, quite right. The major cities are all port cities, either river or ocean, though there are some pretty large towns on the US-BS border.
What else can you tell us about middle class (and more or less, non slaveowning) whites? What about industry? infrastructure? manufacturing? other trading and export goods other than the obvious cash crops? culture? religion? politics?
I know that's alot, but it would help me (and hopefully others) visualize what the BSA was like in 1835.
Yes that is a lot! In fact, much of it will deserve its own entries!!
As a
brief sketch, however, I will tell you that it is very much like the antebellum South along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, though the lands between the Appalachians and the Mississippi are like the civilized tribes of OTL except more so. West of the Mississippi Louisiana isn't too far different from OTL, but the areas that would be OTL Arkansas and Oklahoma have more population than OTL in 1835, mix of plantation and freeholders, with more freeholders than in the East. There is somewhat more industry in this South than IOTL, but still not even as much as the 1835 North of OTL. They have to provide a little more for themselves given the North is another country, and the Mother Country is across the waves, but then again the Mother Country isn't all that keen on any local industry developing as an internal competitor. Infrastructure in the South here about the same as OTL, maybe a little bit more since they are competing some with the USA out of pride. The biggest differences is there is more shipbuilding in the South than OTL due to the ease of access to Live Oak for strong ships and London's need for a strong Navy in the Caribbean to protect those British possessions. Some of the biggest differences are actually in OTL Florida (here the British Province of East Florida). There are more British colonists here than OTL (those that were there never left, and several more have come in the years since the ARW). While there are some Indians, especially to the far South, Florida never became a haven for them like OTL since Florida wasn't on an international border ITTL. Similarly the Bahamas is less populated, more white, but still pro-slavery. Cuba is a mix of British and Spanish influences, heavy plantation culture there, though. Hispaniola has some slavery, but much more of a free black population, and slave numbers have been steadily shrinking there. Hispaniola is still a major economic producer and standard of living there is much higher at this time than OTL. Jamaica is pretty much the same, and the rest of the Caribbean is much like the British Caribbean of OTL around this time. British Guyana is bigger, has some more Dutch and French speakers, but otherwise very much like OTL.
