The Dominion and the Union: An Alternate North America

[GoshDiggityDangit]

Though suffering a hefty territorial loss with the end of the American Revolutionary war, the British Empire was still a power to be reckoned with. The Dominion of Carolina was the shining jewel of British power, spanning much of North America’s Atlantic coast, and stretching deep into the Caribbean. The Dominion would grow overtime to include other British Caribbean and South American possessions such as Belize.

Rupert’s Land, controlled by the Hudson’s Bay Company, was in stark contrast to its southern sibling. Sparsely populated, cold, yet massive, Rupert’s Land focused on fur production. Indeed, the HBC controlled a monopoly on the fur trade in the region. Following the merger of the HBC with the North West Company in 1821, the Hudson’s Bay Company’s monopoly was extended from Labrador in the east to the border of Alyeska in the west.

The British presence in Bengal, large even at the time of the American Revolution, would grow to cover much of northeastern India by 1800. Like Rupert’s Land, British possessions in India were largely controlled by the East India Company. The EIC also controlled Madras, Sarkar, Surat, and much more of the Indian southeast. Beyond the EIC’s core territories, many regions of India were indirectly controlled by Britain through the local rulers. British India would likely have expanded further, but a number of key defeats led to EIC expansion being quenched.

Britain also controlled a number of other territories. The Cape Colony had been taken from the Dutch after the Napoleonic Wars’ conclusion. Britain controlled the lion’s share of Australia in 1810, eventually driving the remaining French Australiennes out of the west by 1815. New Zeeland was another British territory in Australasia.

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

You guys know the HBC still exists? It’s a retail store chain now I think. What a disappointing way to go.

 

[Quinkana]

You guys know the HBC still exists? It’s a retail store chain now I think. What a disappointing way to go.

Hey at least it's still alive unlike the other companies that're made to profit from colonies.

 

[John_Smith12]

You guys know the HBC still exists? It’s a retail store chain now I think. What a disappointing way to go.

The HBC was never a megacorp like the VOC or EIC the market for furs wasn’t as big as it was for spices, they owned so much land because it quite literally free for the Europeans as most of the natives had died off and the ones left prefered profit over being annihilated. A retail store is really not the worse way to go, I mean look at what happened to the United Fruit Company

 

[A Random Man]

Do you think the British would be willing to sell HBC to the USA? If the only thing done up there is fur trapping and selling, I'm sure that source will dry up and eventually they will be stuck with a bunch of useless snowy land. The Dominion of Carolina is much more useful when compared to HBC. Can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work.

 

[John_Smith12]

Do you think the British would be willing to sell HBC to the USA? If the only thing done up there is fur trapping and selling, I'm sure that source will dry up and eventually they will be stuck with a bunch of useless snowy land. The Dominion of Carolina is much more useful when compared to HBC. Can't wait for the next chapter. Keep up the good work.

I think thats unlikely for both sides; the US probably feels that they can take it whenever they want and the UK probably doesn't want to give more land to US

 

[A Random Man]

I think thats unlikely for both sides; the US probably feels that they can take it whenever they want and the UK probably doesn't want to give more land to US

Besides simply having more land, HBC will be a money sink for Britain as the years go by. Britain already has Carolina, I don't think there will be many settlers for HBC. The US could simply take it or a deal could worked out between the two for purchase.

 

[Meshakhad]

Could the US pull a hostile takeover of HBC in the sense of covertly buying up HBC stock?

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

I really want to avoid the Pan-American USA trope, so I'm also averse to the US getting any major portion of Rupertia.

 

[Quinkana]

I really want to avoid the Pan-American USA trope, so I'm also averse to the US getting any major portion of Rupertia.

Tbf I think a more pissed off US would like to take British/Canadian clay, and you'd be better off having the south have black independent states if the Confederay collapses. I'd like to see a South/Mexico union which seems fun too. Idk how that would work tho. Also independent Texas and Quebec would work too espicially if the US let's it be independent if it rebels against the Brits.

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

I'm moving very very soon (only two weeks from today!), and I also don't know what I want to write for the TL as of late. If you guys have ideas, they're always welcome, but don't hold your breath for an update any time especially soon.

 

[John_Smith12]

If you want ideas you could look at Mexico being different due to a British hegemony in the Carribbean; Britain intervenes on the side of Mexicans to open the country up to British trade and the Mexicans like the Brits so much they invite a Stuart to take the throne? That sounds fun

Also with slavery being less a thing in the US, sending Africans back to Africa might be a more popular idea. Leading to Liberia occuring earlier and being a Puerto Rico/Cuba analogue for the US.

 

[Quinkana]

If you want ideas you could look at Mexico being different due to a British hegemony in the Carribbean; Britain intervenes on the side of Mexicans to open the country up to British trade and the Mexicans like the Brits so much they invite a Stuart to take the throne? That sounds fun

Also with slavery being less a thing in the US, sending Africans back to Africa might be a more popular idea. Leading to Liberia occuring earlier and being a Puerto Rico/Cuba analogue for the US.

Tbf this is something I'd like to see explored as this would cause some of the English Americans gain power in there and there would be a push to unify Mexico with English America.

Also I'd like to see how Quebec's faring since the US didn't need to deal with it.

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

I GOT FANART!
The ever-talented Osk has made a map of the Dominion of Carolina circa 1820!

I am very grateful for this map! I never expected anything more than a "Hey, this is pretty good" message from anybody, this far-and-away blew my expectations!

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

Nicholas Gilman Jr. was an accomplished statesman by the time of his presidency. Serving as a soldier during the Revolutionary War, he was exposed to the nationalist ideals of Washington and Hamilton. He was a ratifier of the US Constitution, and served as the representative of New Hampshire at-large from 1789 until 1797. In 1805, he was elected to the US Senate as a Democratic-Republican. Gilman’s brand of politics was well in-line with the established Madisonian ideology.

A soft-spoken man, he was well respected by his colleagues. Though respected, however, he was not seen as a strong candidate for the presidency. He did not plan on running until he was convinced by his brother John Taylor, who had recently retired from New Hampshire governorship months previous. Reflecting wishes to move on from the Virginian line of presidents, Gilman won the nomination by a slim margin against James Monroe, who would become the vice-presidential nominee. In the 1816 presidential election, Gilman and Monroe would predictably win over the Federalist candidates Rufus King and John Howard.

Gilman’s period of presidency would be one of the shortest in US history. During his months in office, Gilman would continue and expand upon Madison’s initiatives of internal improvement. Behind the scenes, however, his health was failing. In December of 1816, Gilman would be diagnosed with tuberculosis, and would succumb to the illness in February 1817. The position of president would be filled by vice-president Madison after the death of Gilman.

 

[NedStark]

IMO slavery should die before the 1840s ITTL. In addition, you can also have an option of slavers leaving America for the Dominion of Carolina (with their slaves).

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

IMO slavery should die before the 1840s ITTL. In addition, you can also have an option of slavers leaving America for the Dominion of Carolina (with their slaves).

As discussed in a previous chapter, chattel slavery is on the way out in the US by the early 1800s. However, like in OTL, it will be a lingering issue for many decades to come, in both the US and DC.

 

[PGSBHurricane]

As discussed in a previous chapter, chattel slavery is on the way out in the US by the early 1800s. However, like in OTL, it will be a lingering issue for many decades to come, in both the US and DC.

It wouldn't surprise me if it were abolished in full only in the 1860s.

 

[Quinkana]

It wouldn't surprise me if it were abolished in full only in the 1860s.

For the US it'd be functionally long dead before formal abolition while for DC it'd be abolished in name only.

DC's going to be much worse than otl south tho I do feel.

I do hope we see the British having informal control over Mexico tho (and being forced to sell Texas to DC) and having a somewhat unified DC/Mexico elite. Would be fun to see that.

 

[GoshDiggityDangit]

For the US it'd be functionally long dead before formal abolition while for DC it'd be abolished in name only.

African chattel slavery in both the DC and the US will probably legally die out around the same timeframe (about a decade or two). However, the functional enslavement of both Africans and Non-Africans alike will continue in both for many decades, more subtly in some places than others.