The King's Decrees

RalofTyr

Banned
Following the defeat of the Colonists during the Second Rebellion February 29th, 1815, the Duke of Wellington, in the ruins of Philadelphia, read the new law of the land;


The King's 15 Decrees


I. The official religion is the King’s the Church of England. The people may worship all forms of Protestantism. Catholicism, and all other religions except Judaism, which may be worshiped, but pay a fine, are prohibited.

II. The King’s Government shall be the sole operators of the press. It is a crime for a non-government person to operate a press or distribute materials forthwith.

III. It is a crime for the people to assemble publicly without written consent of the King’s government.

IV. For the security of the King’s Peace, civilian militias and arms are forbidden.

V. Soldiers of the King's Peace may quarter in any residence with or without to consent of the owner at any time.

VI. The King's Peace my enter any house, papers and effects without reasonable-cause and without a warrant of any Colonist. British citizens require a warrant before entering their house and reasonable cause is required supported by Oath or affirmation and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

VII. A person can be held to answer for a crime by the Magistrate and there is no limit to the times a person can be tried in pursuit of the King's Peace.

VIII. A person may be compelled to witness against himself and may be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.

IX. The Colonial Magistrate or Local magistrates my take private property for the good off the Kingdom, without just compensation.

X. In Criminal cases, the trial shall be set by the Magistrate, which can be held in secret. Only a King's Magistrate my judge.

XI. The Criminal has no right to learn of the charges, to confront witness or to Counsel. Such privileges will be determined by the Magistrate.

XII. The King's Magistrate reserves the right to review all cases tried by the lower courts.

XIII. The bail, fines and punishments will be the exclusive right of the Magistrate.

IX. All Colonists shall possess privileges’, not rights.

XV. All powers not delegated to the Colonial Government and its Magistrates are reserved for the King.

Point of Divergence (PoD): British public and leadership a lot more upset the Americans (Colonists) stabbed them in the back and invaded Canada: revenge.

Aftermath of the War.


  • The Continental Army defeated several times by Wellington's experienced troops despite having the numbers.
  • New England succeeds from the Union.
  • Southern Colonies absorbed under British-rule.
  • Cities of Baltimore, Philadelphia (they even salted the earth), Washington(prohibited reconstruction).
  • States of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, parts of Pennsylvania, and Virginia devastated.

Possible Questions in Future Events.


  • Napoleon will rise again in Europe. How will Wellington's army in the Colonies effect him?
  • British have control of most of the Continent: how will this effect future events like abolition, immigration, the Industrial Revolution and Indian-affairs?

Notes: just for kicks while I was studying the Bill of Rights, I thought of reversing the first ten. Then I thought they were reversed because the British won a war and I chose that war to be 1812. Mind you, I'm have not thoroughly done my research, so this should be considered a, "Rough-draft".
 
Well that's a straight route for an Second English Civil War, you've pretty much recreated the legal structure of Charles I Personal Rule era including the absence of "Liberties". So many people are going to regard establishing that sort of authoritarian government in an area inhabited by white english speakers as an extremely worrying precedent that political fallout would be immense.
 
The other major issue is that after 1783, Parliament considered its hands washed of America and had no intention of ever seeking to recover all or even part of the 13 Colonies, and I frankly don't think the British had the capacity to reannex them anyway - there's just too much land to effectively garrison. However, if this is a TL you are planning on writing then I'd be interested to see where you take it.

One quick question: you state down the bottom that the southern colonies are absorbed back under British rule. You stated that New England seceded from the Union - I guess to become some sort of British protectorate or associated state - but what of the "devastated" states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia etc? Are they to be evacuated and left as ghost countries? Left to be independent even though economically shattered by the war, but dividing up the two new British states? Reabsorbed into the empire otherwise?
 

Jasen777

Donor
Harsh measures like that might make more sense if the British put down the Revolution (say Washington bungles the army away in the New York campaign), and then there's a second revolt a generation later.
 
I think you need a better PoD than the War of 1812. Britain had much greater interests than America then, and America would never tolerate such point-by-point denials of liberty. What's more, I don't see why Britain - even a Britain that would want to impose such a regime on America - would go out of its way to specifically say it was tyrannical. If this actually happens, all America and Britain are going to rise up in rebellion; Europe would join if the revolutionary spirit hadn't just been crushed.

Plus, some of these provisions are silly:

I. Congratulations; the Duke of Wellington - coincidentally, a huge supporter of Catholic Emancipation iOTL - has just played into a huge fear of the Revolutionaries. No church in America, not even the Protestants, are going to be fine with this; I was just reading a large book on how Christian denominations in America grew to treasure nonestablishment.

II. Okay, I live in RandomSmallTown, Illinois Territory, and I think we need a newspaper. What do I do? Do I apply to get a license? Do I need to wait until they send a government official out here?

III. How many? Where? Again, I live in RandomSmallTown, and I want to say hello to my neighbor in the street. Does that count as an "assembly"? If not, how many people can join our conversation before it does? Not to mention, how many hundred miles do I need to trek to get that written consent?

IV. I live in RandomSmallTown, Illinois Territory, and I've lived for the last ten years off of hunting. Plus, there are wolves around. What do I do?
 

RalofTyr

Banned
Harsh measures like that might make more sense if the British put down the Revolution (say Washington bungles the army away in the New York campaign), and then there's a second revolt a generation later.

I did think about placing it twenties years early, but since the War of 1812 was the last war the USA was really, truly endanger of, "Loosing it's Freedoms", I thought it would be a better choice.

The other major issue is that after 1783, Parliament considered its hands washed of America and had no intention of ever seeking to recover all or even part of the 13 Colonies, and I frankly don't think the British had the capacity to reannex them anyway - there's just too much land to effectively garrison. However, if this is a TL you are planning on writing then I'd be interested to see where you take it.

I agree: with Napoleon on the rise, someone like Andrew Jackson would start the war over again and then Wellington would have to comeback if he defeated Napoleon (the conditions in his army have changed); if Wellington did come back, there would be yet third war for the Continent!

For that not to happen, the Continental Army would have had to suffer a reverse decimation where only one out of ten survived a battle.

One quick question: you state down the bottom that the southern colonies are absorbed back under British rule. You stated that New England seceded from the Union - I guess to become some sort of British protectorate or associated state - but what of the "devastated" states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia etc? Are they to be evacuated and left as ghost countries? Left to be independent even though economically shattered by the war, but dividing up the two new British states? Reabsorbed into the empire otherwise?
NE seceded before the surrender, so technically, they are a sovereign-nation and the fact Britain can't garrison the whole colonies, forgiveness.

As for the Central-Colonies, land is far too valuable to leave idle; perhaps Britain realized it was too vengeful? And gave it back to the legal owners? Maybe they'll settle the Canadian Tribal-Nations there? Maybe surrendered French soldiers, forbidden to return to France so they can never soldier again in Europe?

I do think that the Central-Colonies will remain in British-hands after the war. Or they could, very well, give the Central-Colonies to the New-England States and focus their limited garrisons in the South...


Well that's a straight route for an Second English Civil War, you've pretty much recreated the legal structure of Charles I Personal Rule era including the absence of "Liberties". So many people are going to regard establishing that sort of authoritarian government in an area inhabited by white english speakers as an extremely worrying precedent that political fallout would be immense.

Perhaps one of the authors of the Bill of Rights had a copy of Charles' Personal Rules and decided to reverse them!
 
Well that's a straight route for an Second English Civil War, you've pretty much recreated the legal structure of Charles I Personal Rule era including the absence of "Liberties".

You mean a third, don't you? The OP said that Wellington had to pout down a second rebellion. Otherwise, I agree, this is a war looking for a place to happen.
 

RalofTyr

Banned
I think you need a better PoD than the War of 1812. Britain had much greater interests than America then, and America would never tolerate such point-by-point denials of liberty. What's more, I don't see why Britain - even a Britain that would want to impose such a regime on America - would go out of its way to specifically say it was tyrannical. If this actually happens, all America and Britain are going to rise up in rebellion; Europe would join if the revolutionary spirit hadn't just been crushed.

Plus, some of these provisions are silly:

I. Congratulations; the Duke of Wellington - coincidentally, a huge supporter of Catholic Emancipation iOTL - has just played into a huge fear of the Revolutionaries. No church in America, not even the Protestants, are going to be fine with this; I was just reading a large book on how Christian denominations in America grew to treasure nonestablishment.

II. Okay, I live in RandomSmallTown, Illinois Territory, and I think we need a newspaper. What do I do? Do I apply to get a license? Do I need to wait until they send a government official out here?

III. How many? Where? Again, I live in RandomSmallTown, and I want to say hello to my neighbor in the street. Does that count as an "assembly"? If not, how many people can join our conversation before it does? Not to mention, how many hundred miles do I need to trek to get that written consent?

IV. I live in RandomSmallTown, Illinois Territory, and I've lived for the last ten years off of hunting. Plus, there are wolves around. What do I do?

It was more for a study exercise so I remember the Bill of Rights for a test. It didn't work...
 
Following the defeat of the Colonists during the Second Rebellion February 29th, 1815, the Duke of Wellington, in the ruins of Philadelphia, read the new law of the land;

1815 can't have a Feb 29th
 
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