The Restored Republic

Founding of the French Commonwealth


While the borders and balance of power in the south were changing, further north things were no different. By April of 1892 the French puppet states in Central America had begun to grow restless, with Honduras attempting a revolution only to be brutally put down over the course of several months. With the revolution put down however, it gave the French the wake up call they deserved, as there would no longer be any American backing in there Central American adventuring due to there refusal to join the recent conflict. While at first these puppet governments were intended to get France cheap coffee and other goods, as well as giving the French bases in the region, they had evolved in time to be almost colonial holdings as French citizens, noting the warmth and coastal regions, had begun settling along the Central American coastline. These settlers soon began to take up positions in the local governments, cementing French influence and making it more difficult for non-French citizens to gain power. After several decades of this, the area had essentially become, if not officially, part of the French Empire. Though the revolution in Honduras made it apparent that the region could no longer be both yet neither, it had become free of France completely, or further integrated with France as territories of the Empire.

As the months went by following the Honduras Revolution, the debate among the French legislature eventually ended with a proposal nearly all delegates agreed to. Combining points from the Annexation and Withdraw proposals, it called for the creation of a French Commonwealth, in which a newly unified Central American state would join. This would allow for French influence to remain, while at the same time creating a more efficient governing system in which natives would also have a greater say, and therefor be less prone to revolutions.

The Commonwealth Act, as it soon called, lays out the foundation for which a league, or aptly, Commonwealth, of nations centered around France is to be established. This new Commonweal would feature France as the center weight of the alliance, its meeting place, and the place to look towards in times of crisis. Effectively, it was the combination of trade pacts, alliances, and treaties of many different sorts into one, effectively creating a pseudo colonial Empire while allowing nations to maintain there Independence, even though in reality many decisions would be made by a French dominated Assembly based in Paris. While at first many opposed the Act, claiming it would weaken France and grant colonies more power and even a say in the Empire, while those in favor of it were delighted at the proposal of a French dominated league in which there colonies would willingly remain a part of, therefor reducing the risks for revolutions and rebellions. After some time, the Act narrowly pushes through, and the necessary steps towards establishing and fine tuning the Commonwealth began.

While debate may have been fierce in Paris, the process of getting the multiple Central American states, (even though puppet regimes), to unite, was more difficult. Some states had had rivalries for decades, and it took months to get the appropriate bills passed in each states house, eventually culminating in a Convention in Tegucigalpa, in which the the 5 nations voted in favor of the Union, officially reorganizing into the Federal Union of Central America, with its capitol to be set in Tegucigalpa. After these events, rebellions began to break out across the new Union, though some think that they were over exaggerated in order to justify the nations entry into the new Commonwealth and request for military support. After the French forces began to arrive, Benito Sáenz, former President of Honduras, was quoted as saying "I mourn not only for my homeland, but for my culture". Shortly afterwards he was found dead, with the only evidence being a hole in the back of his head.
 
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Tears of Freedom


Following the Treaties of Columbia and Baton Rouge, the United States had for the most part reversed the outcome of the Federal War of Independence, retaking not just the originally American territories in Oregon, but all of the region, as well as several Federation states and half of Texas. While many hardliners, inspired by President Cleburnes speech at the outbreak of the war demanded all of the Federation and all of Texas to be reabsorbed, most Americans thought that the victory was large enough to reestablish the United States as North Americas dominant power, mostly due to the fact it had just beat the British, Texans, and Federation in a stunning series of offensives while suffering little damage themselves. As previously stated, President Cleburne declared the conclusion of the war as the beginning of the American Golden Age, and in many respects he was not wrong.

With the ink on the Treaty of Columbia still fresh, America had risen from a beaten and battered nation surrounded by enemies to a nation in complete command of the continent. Within 6 months of the wars end, several new states were admitted out west, and 4 new territories carved from Texas and Oregon. While many in the west would notice the rapid influx of new settlers, the opposite would be true in the occupied Federated States, where thousands upon thousands fled the United States into Federal Pennsylvania and British Canada. While depleting the labor pool in these areas, it would allow for new citizens to move in and Americanize the territories more quickly than if they had stayed. These events would allow Michigan to be readmitted, minus its Upper Peninsula, which was designated as the new territory of Superior, while further south Ohio would remain a territory for the foreseeable future.

While the events in the former Federated, British, and Texan territory were important, something of greater importance, something that the Union had taken for granted, as a normalcy, was about to change. This change came about in 1883, nearing the end of President Cleburnes second term. The event occurred in the state of Alabama just outside of Montgomery when a white man was bringing one of his slaves into town to be sold. The slave, who's pace was slow from a combination of malnutrition and an old injury to his ankle from his masters horse, annoyed his owner so much that only a half mile from the market where he was to be sold, his master burst into a fit of rage, hitting him with his cane and breaking his ankle. At this point, the master, screaming about how useless the "damn negro", had been for all these past years, began to hit him repeatedly on the head and in the throat. They did this so many times that the slaves skull cracked, and from a combination of bleeding out and severe brain damage, died in the middle of the street. While beatings were common in Alabama, none so severe or so brutally savage, and the master was nearly arrested due to the large outcry which followed it. The slaves name had been Cassus, having been 46 years old upon his death, had served the same master since the age of 22, when he was sold from his previous owner. After some questioning by the local police, it turned out that Cassus had been beaten almost daily for the past few years, and starved for sometimes days as punishment.

It was due to this that a public outcry began to demand at least some limited rights for slaves, and this outcry, while at first resisted quite heavily, eventually reached the desk of President Cleburne, who after reading the story, spat in disgust. "We know the negros arent equal to us whites, thats why there our slaves, but this, this is just sickening. I have never felt such sorrow for one of there kind before, but now that I have been made aware that such atrocities are allowed to exist in my beloved Confederacy, I fear I must either shoot this man myself or prevent him or others like him from doing it again." The following day Cleburne began drafting a proposal that would grant limited rights to slaves to prevent them from such treatment, as well as introducing punishments and penalties for those who violated or ignored those rights, the bill, in essence, is shown below;

The enslaved Negros of these United States, in order to give them a less atrocious way of life, and to ensure the health of their stock, shall be granted these limited rights as follows,

  • No slave will be overworked, with a maximum of 14 hours of work per day.
  • Slaves that are ill or injured, will be given proper care if possible, as well as time to heal from their illness/injuries of at least 24 hours.
  • Slaves must be fed at least 3 hot meals a day, and kept from suffering malnutrition.
  • Appropriate housing shall be constructed for the slaves, with no more than 3 slaves per 36 square feet, with suitable protections from the elements.
  • Those that cannot or will not follow these previous points, will be brought to trial, and if found guilty run the risk of losing there slaves completely, or being fined by the state. Should any slaves be taken from the possession of their former master, they will either be emancipated, or become property of the state.

His new proposal, titled "the Negro Protection Act", quickly became a source of great controversy, with many of the northern states such as Oregon, California, Indiana, Minnesota, and Missouri supporting the bill, while the states of Alabama, Louisiana, and Georgia were fiercely against it. The remaining states were either on the fence or had their Congressional representatives split on the matter. For several weeks the bill was tossed around Congress, until eventually passing the Senate by 1 vote, and then sent to the House, where it passed by a similar, albeit wider margin. The Act quickly became a hot topic across the country, with many states in the north that had once been demanding southern states emancipate their slaves being more content now that they had some actual rights and protections against significant abuse. While not intentional, the bill quickly began to free up large numbers of Africans, with 12% of all slaves in the Union being freed within 6 months of the bills passing, while another 6% would be freed in another 6 months.

The reason for this was the fact that many slave owners, who had previously kept their slaves in shacks and fed them just enough to stay alive, could not afford to construct the new homes and feed them properly, leading to the owners either grudgingly emancipating some of their slaves, or as was more common, having all of their slaves being taken away from the state due to poor conditions. This rise in free blacks however was unexpected, and furthermore unprecedented, leading to many to demand they be relocated, with some demanding out west to a specific territory designated for former slaves, or to Africa in a second attempt at a Liberia type colony. The second option quickly became more appealing as the number of free slaves began to grow, and on his third run for President, Patrick Cleburne promised his people that if he were elected, "any and all excess Africans," would be relocated to a new colony north of Liberia named Petoria, after the man who had first planted an American flag there.

While his popularity had begun to decline following the passing of the NPA, Cleburne managed to win due to his handling of the recent conflict and the resounding victory he had won for the nation. After winning his third election, he began to give out military orders to round up any and all free Africans and transport them to camps near major ports on the eastern seaboard. These "Relocation Camps", soon became crowded and cramped as over 600,000 Africans were transported from as far away as California to just a handful of locations. These camps would quickly become notorious as death traps, ironically being full of malnutrition and sick and injured freemen. It is estimated that some 80,000 died in the first year alone of the Relocation Project, either on the way to the camps or after landing in Africa with little food or supplies to sustain themselves. The Project, today known as the Second Trail of Tears, would claim nearly a fifth of a million lives in the 3 years it was carried out, with nearly half of those deaths happening while on American soil. Most Americans would not know of these camps until decades later, when the Petorian Republic finally established itself after years of famine and infighting, by which point the American government had largely covered up, and its main cause, slavery, had been abolished for over a decade.
 
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The Division of Africa


With the desire for territory in order to fuel its relocation of Freedmen, the United States called for a conference in Washington DC to discuss the division of Africa in 1885, 7 months following the passing of the NPA. After taking a few months and some scheduling as well the uneasiness between the German and French representatives, the Conference was set. On September 21st, 1885, the nations of France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Ottomans, Spain, Texas, Portugal, and Scandinavia met in Washington to discuss the division and future borders of one of the worlds continents. While the Belgians had initially been welcomed to join, their demand for a massive amount of territory in the Congo region lead to them being ejected last minute.

While relatively new on the world stage, the Germans had a strong military that had only recently brought the Austrians to their knees, allowing them to demand large swaths of territory while having only light outposts scattered around the African continent. Early in the conference they were able to gain acceptance by the majority of the delegates to claim the region south of the Portuguese colony of Angola and north of British South Africa. The territory was to stretch from the western coast eastwards towards the mouth of Limpopo River between the Portuguese and British colonies there. While at first the conference was alright with this, it was decided to give that territory to the British and Portuguese instead with OTL Tanzania being ceded to the Germans.

These concessions include the expansion of Cape Colony northwards and parts of OTL Mozambique, largely balancing out the demands of the Germans and Portuguese. The British colonies in West Africa, especially around Nigeria and south of what would be Petoria, were grudgingly agreed upon after the French backed the Portuguese retaining of a small colony on the coast. Further north the French were promised non-interference in any conflicts with Morocco, as well as a large amount of territory north of the American territory of Petoria. Petoria and Liberia, while not generally accepted at the start of the conference, were agreed as American zones of control by the middle of the it. Further south, the Texan colony of Nigeria was expanded slightly, though to no great extent due to its small population and limited wishes of expansion by the Texan delegation.

South of Nigeria, the French were designated a large section of territory west of the Kongo river and north of Portuguese Angola. Near the end of the conference, the Dutch were able to gain a portion of territory in OTL Kenya, while Scandinavia decided to pull out halfway through due to most decent territory having already been divided up. The only serious issue of the conference was in the failing state of Egypt, which had been under an ineffective Ottoman and British influence over the past few years. While not officially allowing for an invasion of Egypt, the conference agreed that the Sinai and all east of it would be placed in the Ottoman sphere as well as a large portion of northern Egypt east of the Nile. The Suez Canal region, as well as southern Egypt, would become part of the British sphere. These terms became finalized in the Treaty of Washington, on January 12th, 1886, kicking off the division of Africa by the Western powers.
 
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I give you the world in 1895, with updates on Oceania/Asia coming soon.

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The Treaty of Ottawa



With the outbreak of the Metis War in the Dominion of Canada, by 1896, the Canadian army had gone from one of significant training and pride to one of drained and demoralized men. After fighting what seemed at best a bloody stalemate and at worst a losing war with what had been at the beginning of the war a mere rebellion for nearly 2 years, it made sense. The Metis Republic by this time, with significant secret funding for the better part of the last 6 years, was also wearing down, and looking for a conclusion to the conflict, so much so that they attempted sending peace feelers to Ottawa by way of the United States, only to be sent back with a refusal. Instead of returning home however the Metis delegation goes south to Washington DC, where they plea for American recognition and an official American entry into the war on the side of the rebels. The President at the time, Benjamin Ekelson of Indiana, (who had lived through the division and reunification of his state, was still furious with the British, and therefor the Canadian, actions during the American Civil War), showed great support for the idea, even going as far as to propose it to his cabinet, who suggested a middle road in which the United States would recognize the Metis as their own state, but wait for a Canadian response before declaring war.

The option, according to his Secretary of State John Mathoway, would allow the United States to paint itself as the liberator in the event war broke out, not as an aggressor, possibly keeping other nations out of the potential conflict. After some further deliberation, President Ekelson agrees to the proposal, and issues a statement to the Canadian government recognizing the independence and "Sovereignty of the Metis Republic". Afterwards he makes a phone call to the Prime Minister of Canada, Albert Rockwell, stating in no uncertain terms that "any further aggression against the free and independent nation of the Metis Republic will result in the direct military involvement of the United States against any such aggressor...due to the fact that telegram and telephone lines near the zone may be down or damaged, I will allow your forces 3 days to stand down and withdraw from Metis territory. Thank you, and good day."

Upon ending the call, the Prime Minister is visibly shaken, so much so that his secretary asks if he should call a doctor. After declining, he calls an emergency session of Parliament, where he voices his concern in the main chamber "with this message from the United States I fear we have little choice in the matter, undoubtedly the Americans have been funding the rebellion since its inception, and even though in the event of a war with the Americans those supplies may dwindle, we would then have to deal with the Americans, which are stronger than ever since their recent victory against ourselves and the motherland. I do not think that conflict with the Americans at this time would be a wise decision, and though a bitter pill to swallow, I feel we must accept the Metis's independence or risk losing a war and becoming absorbed by the United States completely, just as Cascadia has." With a significant murmuring and discussion in the legislature, it took a little over an hour before they agreed to negotiate peace with the Metis. Upon hearing their answer, the Prime Minister made a return call to the President in Washington, telling him that within a weeks time, all Canadian forces would remove themselves from contested territory and talks would begin with the Metis. This lead to an obvious chuckle from the President, as he simply replied "good", and hung up the phone. Soon after he made another call to the forces near the front line, telling them to stand down.

With their independence secured, the Metis and Canadians were able to hammer out a peace treaty rather quickly, in which some territory in the panhandle out west which had a larger white population was ceded to Canada, but otherwise retained the prewar borders claimed by the rebellion. Within 2 weeks of the Treaty being signed, the Metis signed a Treaty of Alliance with the Americans on October 21st 1896, allowing them to construct several bases in the lesser settled northern region of the country. In return the United States would help the small nation build factories and railways, allowing them to start industrializing as well as process their grains and crops domestically.
 
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Slavery and Entente Cordiale

Following the Division of Africa and the Second Trail of Tears, the United States began to experience an explosion in population and its industrial strength, leading to a gradual growth in its economy over the course of the 1890s. Previously however, the election of 1888 between the Democratic candidate Patrick Naxwell and Liberty candidate Samuel Tesla was rather uninteresting, with neither party wanting to visit the subject of the recent Relocation Project and the Democratic candidate not wanting to mention Cleburne at all, merely how his party had won the recent conflict. The people voted in a different direction than they had the past 3 elections, not seeing the same enthusiasm as they had with the former President Cleburne. Upon assuming office, President Tesla began to institute a series of reforms, greatly accelerating the decline of slavery in the United States. By this time machines had started to replace the need for much of the labor, and in one of his bills it proposed the trading of slaves for factory equipment. The Bill passed with an abundance of northern and upper southern support, causing the amount of slaves to drop from 200,000 in 1889 to just under 100,000 in 1891. The Relocation Act, while still in force, was amended, creating restrictions on how many people could be housed at a time, and about living conditions. This would allow the United States to avoid a second mishap with the Relocation effort, and make it so there was never another tragedy such as the one that had preceded it.

By 1893, slavery had begun to be restricted to the deep south, with every state except Georgia, Alabama, and Florida having outlawed the practice. While tensions were not high enough to warrant secession talk from the remaining states, they were high enough to bring up any talk of banning slavery on the Federal level into a pitched argument, as not every state that had banned it would vote to ban in it in their neighboring states, citing states rights as part of their reasoning. This would change however, when in the waning days of his Presidency, in hopes of removing the act of slavery forever from American soil, President Tesla proposed an amendment to Congress to ban slavery in the United States. Passing the mostly supportive House, it took some time and arguing in the Senate before it was passed by a vote of 45-11. The next day the President signed the proposal, and it was sent out to the states for ratification. While some were opposed to it at first due to fears of free Africans roaming the United States, the President reassured them the Relocation Act would remain in effect after the Amendment was verified. It was after this that many states began to ratify it, starting with Oregon and ending with Kentucky, the final state needed. Only the 3 remaining slave states and Louisiana opposed the measure. And so it was that the 14th amendment (the 13th having been to prohibit secession), was passed on October 12th, 1892 and went into law. While most likely capable of running again, President Tesla had declined his parties nomination months ago, instead supporting the candidate Benjamin Ekelson, his Vice President.

With his predecessor going down in retiring as the man who pushed slavery into the dustbin of history, one would think that Ekelson would have a more troubled run in a nation that had allowed such a thing for over a century, however he did much better than expected, winning the popular vote by 9 points and the electoral college by over 30 votes. After his inauguration, President Ekelson was left to deal with the results of the 14th Amendment, such as some slave owners in Florida refusing to free their former property. This lead to a brief albeit troublesome standoff between federal forces and the slave owners until eventually they stood down when their slaves started ruining food and water supplies. This would lead to a source of resentment for some time afterwards, but never anything that bore fruit. Near the end of a largely uneventful first term, his actions with the Metis and Canada allowed him to paint himself as a Guardian of Democracy, pushing the ideals of helping nations in need. This slogan would allow him to win reelection 1896, and stay in the Oval Office.

After his reelection, President Ekelson proposed to Congress that a new system of alliances must be constructed, pointing to the increasing stable Mexican Commonwealth as one nation with potential. This idea would be refused by the majority of the Senate, as it would be openly antagonistic towards the Texans, which had grown stronger and more organized since their defeat in the past conflict. This was largely due to the fact large amounts of British and Anglos from Canada moving their due to its booming industry in southern California and along the Rio Grande. Their influence would push the Texan government to ban slavery 10 years earlier than the United States, as it was seen in bad taste by the second generation of immigrants. By 1896 the population of Texas numbered over 14 million people, having risen dramatically in the past few decades. As Texas grew, the formation of a nation pride began to develop, and even though a large portion of Texans had some heritage in Canadian and British immigrants, it was seen as futile to oppose the United States directly due to the fact in the past war they had been handed a major defeat within the space of 6 months, only to have the US then go on and defeat the Brits and Federation. It was instead decided to attempt a new policy with the Americans in the form of a "Treaty of Mutual Non-Aggression". Within the terms of the treaty, it was made clear that Texas would not interfere with an American-Canadian or American-Federation conflict, and in return the United States agreed to not interfere in any future Texan endeavors in Central America or the Pacific. It was generally accepted after this point that the Texans and Americans had reached a sort of "Entente Cordiale", leading to a decline in tensions that had dominated the relations between the nations for the past several years.
 
The Federation


While events and the political situation began to shift around the Federation in the years after the Second Anglo-American War, they were incredibly drastic within its borders. With the reeling defeat and the loss of Michigan, Wabash, and Ohio, as well as the crippling of their ally in Texas and the loss of Britain's access to the Pacific, it seemed that the Federation was on a doomed path. The President which had so helped the economy, but had lost the war and once again crippled it, was unceremoniously dumped, leading to the Governor of New Jersey running for the Presidency unopposed, something unheard of in Federation history, this was mostly due to the fact no one wanted to handle the enormous responsibility of repairing a nation that had just lost so much and so many. So, after a greatly delayed election thanks to the President suspending them due to the war, Alexander Wellington is elected President of the Federation, assuming office mere days after the signing of the Treaty of Columbia.

Upon assuming office, the President begins to propose bills to further integrate the states together, moving the Federation further from a true Federal state to more of a unitary state, using the recent defeat as reasoning, this has the effect of greatly expanding interstate construction projects and trade, but at the same times makes some states testy, and he is not reelected in 1895, losing to Jonathan Briggs, who upon taking office removes many of his bills, more or less returning to the relationship between the states and Federal government to its previous form. While a good President, he would not run for reelection, having stressed himself to much in his handling of several crisis's. The first crisis happened in all reality in his predecessors term, but it was so poorly handled that it lead to aftershocks in his term, that being the refugee problem. Thousands of citizens, refusing to live under US rule, fled their home states and migrated east into Pennsylvania, which lead to a large problem as the people of western Pennsylvania were barely making due thanks to the damage of the war, and could not help the refugees. Some were even shot attempting to steal food, which lead to riots and several deaths as Federal troops were sent in to quell the riots. Upon hearing of why, he pushed through several bills to relocate the refugees, as well as import grain from Canada to feed the homeless. Taking nearly 7 months, by the end of it most refugees had either migrated to other areas of the FSA or given up and returned home in despair.

While handled quickly, it would not be the last issue under his term, as many states were agitated with the poor handling of the military, leading a complete overhaul of the Army and Navy, introducing mandatory conscription and training of every able bodied male between the ages of 19-45. Each soldier in peace time would serve a 1 year training course and education on tactics and field duties, as well as a 1 year course of combat training. This would allow the Federation to begin turning around its poorly organized and lead military that had so poorly handled the war effort. Following the military reforms, employment began to drop as swarms of young men began to be swallowed up into the military, while those that did not get conscripted soon found jobs at factories and shipyards producing parts and ships for the expanding Navy and Army.

Among one of his more troublesome situations, the deteriorating relations with the United Kingdom was one of a mixed bag. On one hand he understand largely the public distrust following the large British withdrawal from the FSA near the end of the war, but he also understood it was a necessary strategic decision that he would of done himself. In talks with his cabinent, it is discussed to make an official alliance, in which Federation, Canadian, and British troops would have free movement between each nations territory, allowing Federation forces to move quickly along the front to where they are needed instead of being limited to one front. This, the President argues, would allow for a more effective use of manpower and help to deflate the "divide and conquer" tactics used by the United States. Upon its drafting and largely supportive yes vote by his cabinet, President Briggs sends a sends a telegram to both Prime Minister Albert Rockwell of Canada and Prime Minister Remington Steele of Britain, asking for a conference in London between the 3 leaders. Upon meeting in person a few weeks later, the topic of forming an official alliance is proposed, one that would allow free movement and a more unified command structure in the event of a war against the United States or anywhere in the world. The terms are supported encouragingly by the Canadian Prime Minister, though the British Prime Minister is hesitant at first, not wishing to make the alliance official. He is swayed however by his Canadian counterpart so that by the end of the conference, the 3 nations have agreed to join the so called "Triple Alliance", as President Briggs calling it, signing into effect the Treaty of London in 1889.

By the end of his term in 1890, the Federation economy has started to recover from the loss 10 years earlier, and his Vice President, Richard Tarpon was seeking the Presidency. After receiving President Briggs endorsement, Tarpon manages to win his parties nomination, and goes on to run in the election. Running on his predecessors successes, he is forced to fight a hard campaign against those who are against mandatory conscription and the further militarization of the country. The outcome is close, but Tarpon wins nonetheless, becoming the 8th President of the Federated States of America. In a great ceremony in Philadelphia, newly inaugurated President Tarpon calls for a great revival in Federation culture, arts, and works, stating that the Federated States are still to culturally tied to the United States, and that they must form their own unique identity, separate from that of their southern neighbors. Within the following days he pushes through several Executive Orders, forming the Department of Culture and creating funding for Art Centers and new libraries across the country. While his term is relatively boring for anyone interested in conflict or major changes, it was a very impacting term on the Federated States, marking the beginning of a true and definitive separation between them and the United States.

Over the next 5 years, President Tarpon will push the expansion of colleges and universities, and introducing several bills that sponsor public universities for those who cannot afford the more expensive private institutions. Literacy and medical knowledge will excel in these years, and continue in the years following. It is due to this that Penicillin is discovered at the University of Massachusetts in the waning years of his term. By the end of his term, he will be known for his love of the Arts, and a memorial is built several years after his leaving the office in the University of Philadelphia with an inscription stating as much. Even in the United States, his Presidency will be looked upon highly, as 4 years into his term, he visited the White House as a personal guest of President Ekelson, where they discuss the possibility of allowing American and Federation students to visit designated schools in an early form of the exchange student program, in which a student would spend one semester in a Federation University while a Federation student would spend a semester in an American university. The measure sadly dies in the Federation Congress, however the American public will look at him in a certain twilight, both resentful of his Federation homeland and warmly at his desire for education and understanding.
 
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In the time it probably would have taken me to write a handful of sentences, you've done four good updates. Bravo on that.
Prime Minister Remington Steele of Britain
Either it's just a coincidence, or you know of the old TV show Remington Steele. Either way I'm going with the British Prime Minister looks like Pierce Brosnan.

That out of the way, even if the US is still deporting it's free African Americans it seems it is getting its act together. Probably going to have racial issues longer, but that may come with the territory of how you set this US up. Now on the unfortunate side you've really made North America a bloody continent with it's wars between the major powers, but it is definitely interesting.
 
The War to End All Wars


While in terms of education President Ekelson may have a more positive view of the Federation, as a whole he was still bitter about what the secession had done to his beloved home state of Indiana. Though he had hoped the Metis would be a just enough cause to attack the Dominion, it had fizzled unexpectedly, especially now that Texas has signed a treaty with the United States with the express goal of avoiding war. It seemed his term would end without conflict, but that assumption would be incorrect. In mid 1898, in a parade in Cincinnati, Ohio, he was sitting in his motorcade when a Federation citizen named Alexander Wallis jumped out of the crowd and fired off several shots, killing the Vice President and causing his driver to spin out of control, slamming into a nearby building and killing 2 civilians that could not get out of the way in time. The man attempted to flee afterwards, shouting "For the Federation!" several times before being apprehended by the Secret Service and placed under arrest. In the weeks that followed, during his questioning he stated the Federation was secretly funding resistance cells in Ohio and the other former Federation states, hoping to kick off a revolution. While his mouth was loose in that regard, it was not so when the police demanded to know who his accomplices and suppliers were, to which he would not answer. After 4 days of refusing to talk, President Ekelson sent an ultimatum to the Federation, and ordered for mobilization, demanding information and names on who his suppliers were, as well as reparations for the death of the Vice President. After a week of no response, President Ekelson took it as a refusal, and on April 13th, 1898, he asked Congress for a declaration of war against the Federated States of America. 2 days later he received it.

The opening days of the war were one of shock and disbeileif for both sides, as it had seemed things were finally beginning to settle down. However in a speech made by President Ekelson, "The Federation wants no peace, only to take what is proper American soil. They want every American to submit to their flag, and to cower in fear to their murderous cowards like in Cincinnati, but we will have none of that. As of this day I will make it our mission, no our destiny, that in this final war we shall remove the risk of war forever from our shores, we shall not stop until the Federation is rightfully American once more, and should their allies in Canada choose to side with the scum in the Federated States, they too shall fall to our guns and our brave men. This war will end all wars on our continent, and when it is over any nation that opposes us will be dealt with and their threat removed. This continent is for Americans, and for no longer will we allow our enemies to remain on it. In honor of our fallen Vice President, forward to New York!"

Following his speech, President Ekelson ordered the expansion of the draft to all able bodied men of age. While around 100,000 men had been mobilized already, more would be needed for effective offensives. Over the next several days the Federation took the time to build defenses along the border, covering many areas with land mines and building bunkers nearby to shoot at invading forces. In the time the two sides were doing this, the Dominion of Canada and Great Britain honored the call of the Federation, and declared war on the United States, to which the United States replied in kind. By the time the new troops were raised the British had been able reinforce the Federation and Canada with an expeditionary force of 100,000 men, while their navy began attempting to blockade the American east coast. By May 3rd, the US had been able to assemble a force of 250,000 draftees, and 80,000 volunteers. Approximately 120,000 in state militias volunteered to fight on the front lines as well, and they were integrated into the initial mobilization force, bringing the number of trained soldiers to 220,000, with 330,000 only having basic training. The trained troops were stationed in defensive positions along the border with Canada and the Federation, while the greener troops began assembling outside of Baltimore, with 200,000 men for the main force and a secondary force of 80,000 men preparing to invade from Ohio into western Pennsylvania. The remaining 50,000 men were stationed in Ohio in order provide reinforcements if needed. Though more troops would be called up in the draft.

As the American units began to prepare for an assault into Federation territory, both the Federation and Canadian governments were building bunkers and fall back points along the border and around their major cities, hoping to prevent the loss of the war from a single buckling line. By the time the Americans finally ordered the offensive, the FSA was prepared, as noted in the battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg, situated along 2 key railways, one from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh and one from Harrisburg to Barlow, a minor industrial center just north of the border.

The battle wasn't even expected by the Americans, as their early aircraft reconnaissance showed no formations nearby when the initial invasion commenced. This was later found out to be due to bad maps and pilot error, and it allowed the Federals to hold back the US advance early into the war. Taking 2 weeks, the Battle of Gettysburg eventually ended in an American victory, but a costly one, resulting in over 40,000 men killed or wounded, and over 20,000 Federal dead, numbers on wounded were not very accurate due to the hasty retreat following the battle.

While the Battle of Gettysburg was raging, a similar one was occurring west of the town of Washington, just south of Pittsburgh. The battle lasted a week before Federation forces were ordered to retreat into the city, and take all civilians and goods possible with them back to Pittsburgh. Though the Americans would manage to win these 2 battles, the strain and losses accounted for in just the first month of the war were astronomical in comparison to those in the last war, causing General Isaac Enus of the 2nd Army to use a different strategy, completely disregarding the orders sent down from DC. Called the Trident Maneuver, it divided his force into 3 sections, the larger force being in the center, 2 smaller forces on the left and right flanks. Originally intended for later in the war, Enus ordered its use on the city of Pittsburgh, believing the city must be taken quickly in order to prevent a Federal counteroffensive.

Taking place on September 8th, the central force under command of Enus began advancing towards the southern end of the city, drawing out the bulk of the Federation forces. Upon making contact, the 2 detached forces made their way in a large semi circle, with the eastern force under Commander Ian McClockton entering the outskirts of the eastern edge of the city in the early hours of the 9th, a mere hour before his counterpart lead his force into the western portion. With the suprise of 2 other army groups attacking the city, the Federals were forced to divert the majority of their troops to the other fronts, leaving the southern force weakened. By the 12th, the defending forces had been forced to withdraw deeper into the city as American forces slowly began to seep past the outskirts and into the heart of the city itself. This phase, while the bloodiest, could not sustain itself, leading to the collapse of the Federation force on the morning of the 17th.

With the fall of Pittsburgh, the American position in the south was secured, and the Trident Maneuver began to be repeated as a default in US offensives. Using this, the US was able to knock out Harrisburg and Philadelphia, bombarding New Jersey from across the river in the occupied city. However past that, Federal positions were less strained and the lines were shorter, allowing for the solidifying of the defense, even after Cherry Hill and Brick in New Jersey fell.

The new line held out for 3 months, even after 4 major assault attempts by the Americans. It would not last however, as the American navy, having been growing since the end of the last war, was able to implement a blockade on the Federation and Canadian east coast, cutting off British reinforcements and effectively forcing them out of the remainder of the war. Other than troops being cut off, it also cut off the vital factories of England from its North American allies, leading to less resources for the war effort until new factories could be constructed to replace them. Finally, the US launched a major offensive nearly 2 months into the blockade, breaking the enemy trenches and taking Allentown, Scranton, and Erie within the course of 2 months, causing the collapse of the Federation resistance in the state of Pennsylvania. The war in New Jersey would take several more weeks as the Federals were capable of putting up incredible resistance in the outskirts of New York City, the nations capitol. So much so that by the time the Americans finally were capable of shelling the city itself, the President and most of Congress had been evacuated north to Albany, giving the Federation more time to mount its defense.

The Battle of New York that followed however, would be no help for the Federation, being the bloodiest battle in the history of the continent, over 200,000 men died on both side over the course of the month long battle, eventually ending when the US Navy landed on Manhattan and forced the northerners off the island. This lead to a collapse in Federation lines and the surrender of General Edward E Garick, Commander of the Federal forces in the battle. His capture would severely hinder the war effort for the Federated States, as his expertise had allowed the strong resistance that had blunted so many enemy offensives.

The start of October, 1899, marked what seemed like the beginning of the end for the Federations hopes of victory. With the fall of New York, the continuing blockade, and the fall of the Canadian prairies; the Federated States was on the brink of starving, her troops were behind on their pay, and nearly half the country was under enemy occupation. The desperate measures lead to the resignation of President Clinton, and the assumption of the Presidency by his former VP Philip Sullivan, a man who had only been nominated to the VP due to his annoying tendencies in his home state of Vermont. No one expected him to be any good at leading the country, or for that matter its armed forces, this would be a half truth, but not for his lack of trying.

Upon assuming the office, President Sullivan fired his generals, hiring several lower level Commanders that had showed promise before the war. These new generals would reinforce the Hudson River and force the Americans back at the Battle of Albany, launching a counter offensive that pushed the US back to Buffalo before halting. This line however would hold, blunting numerous American offensives and draining the morale, while allowing the Federation to complete several new factories and revamp its war effort. As the stalemate wore on, many in the US command began to consider the possibility of an amphibious landing south of Boston to throw off the Federated military, diverting its forces and allowing a break in the lines. This would initially be shot down, but as the trenches got bloodier and the public opinion began shifting more negatively towards the conflict, it was eventually decided to prepare a force of 50,000 men in New Jersey, out of the range of Federated guns, and from their sail around Manhattan and land in Rhode Island. Even though it made more sense to land near Boston, Rhode Island would be the shortest time at sea and the least time under FS artillery.

On January 22nd, 1900, the US Army landed near Charlestown, establishing several beachheads before state militias could respond. By that time however it was to late, the beaches had been secured, and the Americans had landed their entire force. While not large in comparison to the main armies of the eastern front, it was larger and better trained than the militias of Rhode Island, allowing it to damage several shipyards and take Warwick before Federal reinforcements arrived, halting the advance. The damage would be done at this point however, as the reduction in troops in the west gave the Americans the opening they were waiting force, and the lines buckled, eventually collapsing 3 days into the assault.

As the lines faltered, the US forces surged, retaking Buffalo and posing a renewed threat to Albany, marking the collapse of the Federated States military on the eastern front. 4 days later, on August 17th, 1900, as the American forces began to surround Albany, President Sullivan gave the order to surrender, marking the end of the eastern front and the fall of the Federation.

As the war raged in the east, the Canadian, or western front as the American command called it, was slower but no less bloody. With the Canadian entry into the war the US was able to make use of their Metis ally, moving an army group with little resistance into the belly of the Dominion. Under General Taylor Dawson, the US was able to take Winnipeg and and Calgary within the opening months of the war, taking vital farmland from the Canadians and allowing the Americans to set up a more preferable line to work with.

While the war in the east was slow and compact, the war in the west was the opposite, as the open prairies and relatively underpopulated areas allowed for US forces to advance with little difficulty after the fall of Calgary. The only true resistance was the Battle of Edmonton, the capitol of the Alberta Province, and even it would not last more than 3 weeks. After its fall, the only true objective was the vast distance and brutal Canadian winters, which took nearly as many lives as Canadians had by 1900.

However, even though the west had not been so difficult, as the Americans began to advance into eastern Canada, the tone of the front changed, going from what had effectively been a leisurely occupation to a one of the bloodiest regions of North America. The Battle of Shamattawa was the first major battle after Edmonton, forcing back the Americans after the Canadian and British forces used their own version of the Trident Maneuver to devastate the 4th Army and break US supply lines. The Battle, having taken 2 weeks, gave the Canadians hope, and similar outcomes began to plague the Americans as they advanced into the shattered landscape of western Ontario.

The geography of western Ontario was different from that of western Canada, as it was covered in lakes which made supply lines and troop movements difficult. That coupled with them being unfamiliar and constant Canadian ambushes and sabotage, lead to the front effectively breaking down into micro battles as some land bridges were so small that the Americans had to go through one platoon at a time, making them easy targets for the Canadian defenders. This would eventually bog down the American invaders, leading to the region being named "the Canadian Shield".

As the war in the east began to turn slowly southwards for the Federation, the Canadians were able to hold off the Americans due to British troops and their knowledge of the terrain, this would have such an effect that the United States would effectively give up on its offensives in the east, hoping to invade from the former Federation once it fell.

Eventually, this strategy became more unlikely, as the Americans, even though progressing against their Federation counterparts, were losing men faster than they could effectively train and replace them. After the surrender of the Federation, this became apparent, as resistance and uprisings across the occupied territories were became larger with no hope for liberation in site. Having to deal with such a resistance made the logistics and potential problems of a second front with Canada unfavorable, or as some historians state, simply impossible. 3 weeks after the surrender of the Federation, the United States offered to open up peace talks with the Dominion and Britain, de facto ending the conflict.
 
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The Terms of Peace



After winning an easy victory in the Election of 1900 effectively unopposed, as no sane candidate wished to run against the President that had just reunited the country and doubled its size during the same term. This would allow President Ekelson to be the third man elected to his third term since the secession of the Federated States. However he would be the first to do it after the nation had been reunited, giving him considerable sway in Congress and in allowing to relatively dictate the post war situation for the nation on his own. Following the surrender of the Federation, President Sullivan of the FSA was escorted to Washington DC to negotiate the peace, to a greater degree than he initially expected. Knowing that the territory that made up the former Federation would be hostile at best to reintegration, President Ekelson opened up negotiations by offering President Sullivan a position in the post war governing of the region. While the former Federation WOULD be annexed by the United States, the states of New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island would be given the option of becoming a collective semi-autonomous region within the Union until such time that hostilities and tensions had cooled down and the region could eventually be reintegrated fully.

President Sullivan was shocked, and though angry at his homeland being forced to submit to the United States, he knew this option would by far be the best for the Federation. Agreeing to the premise, talks began in an attempt to include Pennsylvania in the collective, which had been agreed to be named the "Federated Autonomous Republics", or FAR. The United States would keep military bases and aid in the rebuilding, as well as build government buildings for the federal government in the zone. The individual and collective autonomous republics would not be able to raise or maintain a military force, and all forces would stand down. The second amendment would not apply to the zone, and though the region was allowed to have a significantly weakened legislature that could be overruled by the President of the United States. In 10 years time, attempts at integration would begin, if at that time it was not possible, another 10 years would be allowed to pass before attempting again, though after the first 10 years the Federal government (Federal from herein referring to the American government), could increase public works and affairs within the F.A.R. and begin to raise armies from its populace to serve in the military.

As the talks went on, it became clear to Sullivan that Ekelson, even though he had wanted the war, saw the war, and its division, as the past, which gave him hope. Eventually the talks ended, and the Federated States of America was officially annexed into the United States of America with the signature by President Sullivan. With this, his homeland had been able to survive, even if in a limited fashion. Upon his arrival home, the terms were greeted with anger, but after some time the news dawned and most Federated citizens began to accept the results of their diminished status.

Following the annexation of the Federation, the talks with Canada took place, and though much more brutal, Canada maintained its sovereignty, although it lost 2/3 of its territory. The United Kingdom was forced to pay a large amount of reparations, and cede the occupied territory in Central America and the Caribbean, all of which had fallen in the early days of the war in order to keep the British influence to a minimal risk. Jamaica and the minor Caribbean isles were returned to the British, though the Bahamas, Belize, and the Mosquito Coast were annexed by the United States. Though harsh terms, many in Congress demanded an assault on Bermuda, but these were silenced by President Ekelson, warning that being to harsh on the British or an attempt at all of Canada could lead to a collapse of the north into rebellions. The terms were finalized in the Treaty of Paris, marking the official end of the conflict.

On January 1st, 1902, the Federated Autonomous Republics were organized, with former President Sullivan placed as the regions Governor-General, though his office was New York City, it was still heavily watched and guarded by the American forces patrolling the district. Sullivan's role in the former Federation was one of my mostly a figure head, in order to keep the newly conquered peoples in line. On the same date, the territories of Alberta, Edmonton, Yukon, and Cascadia were organized, with the remaining territory designated unorganized. The land between the Metis and Canadian border was ceded to the American ally, while the state of Ohio was readmitted into the Union after most resistance died out with the Federation surrender. The Caribbean Territories were carved into 3 territories, the Bahamas, Belize, and Jefferson, with eventual plans for admission as states. Pennsylvania was the only conquered region to be designated a military district, though this was less due to heavy resistance and more due to the utterly devastated infrastructure and landscape of the state, and so the former state could not effectively operate on its own.

While many were unhappy with the new balance of power in North America, there was little they could do unless they wanted to get shot by an American rifle. This new status quo would continue on throughout the century, marking the beginning of the United States as a world power and a threat to reckon with.
 
Revenge of the Fallen

3 months after the signing of the Treaty, its promises of semi autonomy had become effectively tossed in the waste bin. The former territories of the Federation, having been promised a semblance of their former freedom, were given none of it. Within a month of the treaties signing, American forces began shooting groups of 10 for every single American that was killed by resistance cells, leading to a growing anger, while at the same time fear as resistance fighters began losing family members and friends. This American policy did seem to work at first, and as resistance died down, it seemed that the Federation would finally succumb. This would not be the case, in fact it was quite the opposite.

During the 9 months following the implementation of the "10 for 1" policy in the occupied territories, the Canadian and British governments managed to smuggle enough weapons and supplies into the former Federation to arm a force of 80,000 men. These munitions, concentrated in Maine near the Canadian border, allowed for the Resistance to assemble in a point as far as possible from the core of the United States, in hopes it would allow less observation. Though secrecy was difficult, the main plan was able to go into effect on December 25th, 1902, kicking off the Christmas Rebellion.

Within the first week of launching their rebellion, the former Federation was able to secure the northwestern corner of the state of Maine, forcing American troops to be pulled from vital areas on the border in New York and Vermont, allowing the Canadian and British militaries to launch a much larger and better equipped invasion into the occupied state of New York. Though surprise was effective, the offensive was stalled on the 7th of January in 1903, just north of a line from Montpelier to Saratoga to Syracuse. This area, while not massive, was large enough to trigger rebellions among other former Federation territories, the most violent being in Pittsburgh and Detroit, though the most organized and effective revolts being in Toledo, Ohio and in northern Maine. As the revolts spread, the United States supply lines begin to splinter, and though troops were placed throughout the former nation, without supply, revolts and saboteurs crippled them. This would lead to the fall of the state of Maine and northern New Hampshire to allied forces.

It was at this point, a key factor must be mentioned. Following the tremendous victory against the Alliance, the United States ceded territory to its ally in the Metis Republic, hoping that it would start to spur public opinion in the nation to becoming either a commonwealth or a state in the Union. When this did not happen, the United States began attempting to pressure the Metis into giving up more sovereignty, either by demanding new bases or more access to Metis territory. This did not bode well, especially after having so recently aided the Americans in winning the war. As it persisted, and the news of revolution in the east reached them, many demanded neutrality or the full eviction of American bases from the Republic. This public fever, accompanied with demands by the United States to attack Canada, was one of the final straws, causing the Metis to declare the alliance "dissolved", and to begin forcing out American bases. This would result in several bloody battles between the Americans and the Metis , causing the Metis to, just 2 weeks after declaring neutrality, join the Alliance with its declaration of war against the United States.

With the entry of the Metis into the alliance, another front opened up for the United States, this time on a border very lightly defended and open to attack from the former allies. While several bases were strongly armed, the Americans were eventually forced out of the country in disarray. While American forces regrouped, a window was open for the Canadians and Metis to launch an offensive into the occupied territory of Alberta. The offensive, while not as effective as the American offensive had been only a few years ago, did manage to push the US forces back to Edmonton before being halted by a reinforced enemy line on March 12th.

By April 15th, the United States had begun to turn the tide of the war, managing to reorganize its forces in New York and Canada, this American Spring, as it was called by Generals at the time in Washington, seemed to be doing well, pushing the Canadians out of Dakota and Minnesota while squelching the Federation resistance in Michigan. By April 30th, the United States had landed troops on the beaches of Maine and the northern shores of Lake Erie, pushing into Canadian territory and towards Toronto. It is ironic that this was the time the talks between the Alliance and the Mexican Commonwealth finally bore fruit. For several decades, the United States had occupied the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and propped up a puppet state in the Yucatan, and though the Mexican government still claimed these territories, American strength made any mention of retaking them in public by government officials be political suicide. However, with the spread of the war across the continent, the Americans were distracted like never before, making the possibility of retaking these lands actually realistic. In talks with the Alliance, the Mexican government agreed to enter the war so long as those territories, as well as that of Belize, were ceded to the Commonwealth. While at first the British resisted the idea, being adamant that Belize would be returned to them instead, the falling of fortunes in the war made them desperate, finally agreeing to the terms in a conference on April 25th. Taking some time to evaluate troop numbers and move them into position, the Mexican army crossed the border into Tehuantepec on the 30th of April, followed quickly by a declaration of war against the United States.

With the entry of Mexico into the war, the United States vital transport route through the Isthmus was threatened, forcing them to attempt to send reinforcements. This would ultimately fail as the Mexican navy, combined with that of the Alliance, sunk any ships heading towards the territory, cutting off the area from American support. It was due to this, as well as the minimal settlement of Tehuantepec, that allowed for the Mexican government to sweep through the region and reach the borders of the Yucatan Republic by June 4th. The Yucatan at that point was sent an envoy from the Mexican government, asking if the Yucatan would surrender peacefully, and maintain its status as an independent nation (with some restrictions), or attempt to fight and be reintegrated back into the Commonwealth. They chose the second option, believing that with the American victories further north, that eventually the tide of the war would turn against Mexico and allow them to possibly expand at their expense.

This choice would be the defining moment in the history of the Mexican Commonwealth, leading to the Yucatan Campaign and the final fall of the state in October to Commonwealth forces, reclaiming the former eastern border of the nation. After the victory their, US troops in Belize chose to surrender, being forced by resistance fighters on one side and Alliance forces on the other. The cleanup of the campaign would take some time, but with the fall of Belize, the Mexican military began looking at the Mosquito Coast as a potential direction to expand even further.

The Fronts of North America on June 21st, 1903

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I have decided to reboot this timeline, thanks for everyone who followed this original incarnation, but due to my earlier writing style and lack of original plans for it, it has become an issue to make certain portions flow as well as annoyances at earlier implausibilities.

Expect the reboot thread to be posted sometime in the next week :)
 
I have decided to reboot this timeline, thanks for everyone who followed this original incarnation, but due to my earlier writing style and lack of original plans for it, it has become an issue to make certain portions flow as well as annoyances at earlier implausibilities.

Expect the reboot thread to be posted sometime in the next week :)
Well I for one am looking forward to round two. Good luck with the reboot.
 
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