I have a new project, and it needs a name.

I think I get the scenario, but could you elaborate a little more on the basic story? A good title needs to match the tone and events of the timeline and its main conflict; it's not just the initial POD.

Take Decades of Darkness. By itself, New England seceding from the USA wouldn't warrant such an ominous title. It earned that title, however, due to the main conflict that would transpire from there: the USA rising as an oppressive, slaveholding Evil Empire that became a force for oppression and racism in the world.

So could you describe some further details about this timeline? Immediately after the South secedes, where do things go from there? Does the South become an oppressive dark force like the DoD USA, or is it not quite so bad? How does the USA fare in the aftermath of secession? Does the world become more violent and warlike, as it often does in secession timelines (DoD, TL-191, etc.)? Are there major effects on Europe and the rest of the world, as in DoD?
 
Decades of Dazzlement, not good?

Nonsense, Gwen, it's a rather lovely title for this scenario of mine! :D

I think I get the scenario, but could you elaborate a little more on the basic story? A good title needs to match the tone and events of the timeline and its main conflict; it's not just the initial POD.

Take Decades of Darkness. By itself, New England seceding from the USA wouldn't warrant such an ominous title. It earned that title, however, due to the main conflict that would transpire from there: the USA rising as an oppressive, slaveholding Evil Empire that became a force for oppression and racism in the world.

So could you describe some further details about this timeline? Immediately after the South secedes, where do things go from there? Does the South become an oppressive dark force like the DoD USA, or is it not quite so bad? How does the USA fare in the aftermath of secession? Does the world become more violent and warlike, as it often does in secession timelines (DoD, TL-191, etc.)? Are there major effects on Europe and the rest of the world, as in DoD?

Well, I do have a basic outline: The south begins to industrialize far earlier than it did IOTL thanks to increased Southern land speculation and investment. As a result, most of the country isn't hit quite as hard when a more severe form of the Embargo Act eventually comes around, but New England briefly threatens to secede and they only back down by intense negotiation, which results in, amongst other things, the repeal of said Act. The U.S. government allows the institution of steep import & export tariffs as reparations for damage done to the Northeast's economy. This, combined with a widespread boycott of Southern goods, mainly after a few failed attempts are made to expand slavery northward, leads to the Southerners stamping their feet and breaking off, with some financial help from Britain.
I have done some thinking and have decided that an initial POD would probably be most plausible around late 1795 or 1796 or so, right around the latter year's election race, ending with Jefferson, instead of Adams, taking office.

As for the South and DoD's USA? To be honest, as bad as things have gotten in DoD, I just don't quite see the *U.S. as quite an evil empire, given that no state-sponsored mass genocides have occurred(yet!), and Jared, from what I can recall, seems to have expressed some optimism in the past that it isn't likely to go in that direction. That said, things are pretty bad, and frankly, I see the *U.S. as more hijacked by corrupt interests than anything else.

This timeline's South, I'm afraid, will end up being a bit worse, and, quite frankly, some of the things I have in mind would make many ordinary DoD *Americans cringe(except maybe a lot of the more extreme right-wing *Easterners).
 
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