A few years ago, I decided to launch a project entitled the Yankee Dominion. The project sputtered out, but I've been keen on revisiting the concept ever since. I am trying one more time to launch a collaborative parliamentary America project similar to Yankee Dominion, True North, and the American Commonwealth. This project is largely a reboot of Yankee Dominion, but with a more Anglophile slant - many features of the original timeline have been altered, while th e bulk of the world remains the same. I owe an enormous amount of credit to a number of contributors to the original project, including @GBehm, @CosmicAsh, @Oryxslayer, @RileyUhr, @Pokemon Master, @aaa, and many many many others for giving me ideas and assistance along the way with this project and others.
Some key differences and retcons from the original Yankee Dominion:
Born from the nexus of history and philosophy, the Commonwealth of America is the foremost economic and military powerhouse on the North American continent and one of the most critical member states of the British Empire. Extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic sea with a population of just over 250 million citizens, the Commonwealth is the predominant English speaking nation on the North American continent. The capital is located in the city of Philadelphia, though other prominent cities include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Calgary, Caernarfon, Charleston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Halifax, Liverpool, Miami, Minneapolis, Montreal, New Orleans, New York, Pittsburgh, Quebec, Seattle, Toronto, and Winnipeg.
A highly developed nation, the Commonwealth boasts an abundance of natural resources and a long tradition of industry. With the highest GDP per capita and ranked first by the Human Development Index, the Commonwealth of America is both the foremost economic power of both North America and the broader British Empire. Its advanced economy, the fourth largest in the world, relies on well-developed trade networks, agricultural and industrial export, finance, technology, and tourism. America is part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the G7 (formerly G8), the Group of Ten, the G20, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The Commonwealth of America is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II reigning as head of state, though executive powers are wielded through the Governor-General, who is appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister. The American Parliament is a bicameral legislative body, with the lower chamber, the House of Commons, allocating its seats in proportion to population whereas the Senate consists of only two members for each province. The Commonwealth is an autonomous realm within the British Empire, and is officially bilingual. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries.
Various indigenous peoples have inhabited what is now the American Commonwealth for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. What followed after was a period of unrest over taxation, colonial autonomy, and corruption led to the ultimate Confederation of Britain’s continental holdings. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the British North America Act of 1981 which severed the last vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament, except for the power to amend its constitution.
And we're off! All contributions or inquiries about lore are welcomed! Credit to @Oryxslayer and @Riley Uhr for the world map. More info to come in the coming days.
Some key differences and retcons from the original Yankee Dominion:
- The homegrown monarchy of the original project is retconned and replaced by the Governor-General, who represents the Queen as head of state of the Commonwealth of America.
- Rather than Confederation taking place in the 1780s following a failed American Revolution, the actual independence of the Commonwealth is pushed back to the 1860s. Between 1785 and 1860, Britain begins forming colonial "confederations" of colonies - an idea I borrowed from Lord Caedus's second variation of the American Commonwealth project. These regional confederations enjoyed a relative degree of autonomy within the framework of the Empire, before being merged together into the Commonwealth of America in 1860 after a series of revolts and a revival of the colonial troubles.
- The party system, list of Prime Ministers, and internal politics will be tweaked.
- The internal provincial boundaries will be adjusted slightly. This will be posted soon enough.
A highly developed nation, the Commonwealth boasts an abundance of natural resources and a long tradition of industry. With the highest GDP per capita and ranked first by the Human Development Index, the Commonwealth of America is both the foremost economic power of both North America and the broader British Empire. Its advanced economy, the fourth largest in the world, relies on well-developed trade networks, agricultural and industrial export, finance, technology, and tourism. America is part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the G7 (formerly G8), the Group of Ten, the G20, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
The Commonwealth of America is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II reigning as head of state, though executive powers are wielded through the Governor-General, who is appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister. The American Parliament is a bicameral legislative body, with the lower chamber, the House of Commons, allocating its seats in proportion to population whereas the Senate consists of only two members for each province. The Commonwealth is an autonomous realm within the British Empire, and is officially bilingual. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries.
Various indigenous peoples have inhabited what is now the American Commonwealth for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. What followed after was a period of unrest over taxation, colonial autonomy, and corruption led to the ultimate Confederation of Britain’s continental holdings. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the British North America Act of 1981 which severed the last vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament, except for the power to amend its constitution.
And we're off! All contributions or inquiries about lore are welcomed! Credit to @Oryxslayer and @Riley Uhr for the world map. More info to come in the coming days.
