One Nation Under G-d

This one came to me because of something my mom said, so forgive me if it's a bit crazy:

In 1290, King Edward I of England officially banned Jews from his nation. They were sent packing with whatever they could carry. However, and here's the first leap from history, what if they had done something different? What if, instead of just wanted them gone, anti-Semetic sentiments were so bad that they wanted them dead?

Instead of just telling the Jews to get out, Edward and the English government round up all the Jews they can find and load them into boats. They have more than they need at the moment, seeing as their enemies do not appear to be gathering force, and this way they could execute them without having to spend days doing it. While the ships are not initially stocked, a sympathetic soul among the aristocrats secretly loads the ships with provisions. On All Saints Day of that year, the ships are ordered to cast off. It is widely believed that the Jews would die at sea, and the "New World" had not yet been discovered by European powers.

Those on board pull together and pray that they find habitable land. Those among them who had any skill with boats were put in charge, and soon the small fleet was sailing across the sea. They lose several ships to storms and various other dangers of the sea, but they eventually come to the Carribeans.

They arrive on a fertile island, and are greated with amazement by the native peoples, the Arawaks.



I know this takes a bit of a leap of faith, but could this possibly happen? And, if so, what would be the consequences? I could see (eventually) a Jewish version of America forming (thus the title). They'd definitely treat the natives better, since they already have experience as an oppressed people. Give me your thoughts, please.
 
The Spaniards were oppressed by the Moors, and the Americans were oppressed (using that term loosely) by the Brits, and neither treated the natives very well.
And, even more relevant to this specific topic, look at how the Jews have treated the Palestinians. The idea that formerly oppressed peoples will be more tolerant seems to be built on a tad bit shaky foundations. ;)
 
Furthermore, why would anything at all related to America form? Have these Jews gone through the Reformation, the Renaissance, and most importantly, the Enlightenment? All three of these capitalized phrases are needed to form anything close to America.

And using "One nation under g-d" is too convergent for anyone but Turtledove's taste IMO.
 

ninebucks

Banned
The murder of Jews was commonplace during the explulsion from England, and these murders were committed through far more efficient ways than stuffing them onto doomed boats, (which, regardless of the geopolitical situation, is still a huge waste of ships).

Secondly, why would they end up in America? The English Channel isn't very wide, chances are even a boat set adrift from England would end up on the continent somewhere.
 
Here's an idea; a big panic about invasion from Denmark, the King orders a large fleet built. This is financed by jewish loans. However, the threat never materialises, and the interest has piled up, and England is quite anti-semitic, and so rather than paying the hated jews back, they take all their possessions and send them off the edge of the world from Land's End in the most rickety and least reliable ships in the Fleet. Some sympathetic Crypto-Jews covertly provide provisions. It is incredibly cramped, with people covering every surface, food short and disease rampant. By the time they run ashore, half are dead, and there are some suspicious looking gnawed bones lying around. They then scavenge along the coast and make tentative contact with the locals.

I think a best case scenario for such a voyage would be if they end up in Newfoundland or New England, rather than the distant Caribbean.
 
Don't know about "crypto Jews" except the Moranos, they very likely did not exist except in fantasy books and the few children of mixed marriages who did not know.
But the idea that they land in what we call in OTL New Foundland is more likely then the Caribbean. Most likely they would have landed in Ireland, where Jews were very welcome and loved.
If they had made it to the new world it would depend what kind of tradesmen there were amongst the Jews of England. If there were metal workers especially those who could find iron and such, history would be very different.
If they moved to warmer climates and teamed up with the Haudenosaunee (depending on if they formed in 1100 as some speculate), there would have been a super power in the north, if European plagues didn't wipe out too many first. But even then the exposure would have been more gradual then with the later conquistadors getting in everywhere and destroying the cultural and economic base of everyone they came near.
In this ATL the Jews would be another tribe :)D) in the Iroquois Confederacy. They would need support of the other nations with food and shelter at first. But eventually would be able to bring in European craftsmanship to blend with the existing Native American craftsmanship.
There already was a strong trade relationship in the Iroquois Confederacy and they had trade relations spanning well into Canada and as far as the Mississippi. Soon Iron tools and crafts and possibly even steel would be coveted far and wide. I would not doubt that some rumors of these crafts would reach Mezo-America. Figuring many Jews are traders by trade. Trade routes would be expanded.
Other inventions would be taming beasts of burden and herding animals.
By the time that Columbus arrives his main advantages, plague and steel are no longer there.
I don't think Jewish religion would spread a whole lot, except that maybe there would be Jewish trading posts along trade routes along with intermarriage.
I don't see abuse of the natives, not because of any higher moral ground, but because there will be a need of help, which will lead to fertile trading.
 
Another example of oppressed peoples becoming oppressors is Christianity becoming Rome's state religion
<off topic> The state Christianity that Rome adopted is not the same as the Christianity that was followed by those who preceded it.</off topic>
 
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