The United Provinces of the American Republic

[Zuvarq]

The French and Indian War was a series of fierce battles in North America that lasted seven years between Britain and France and their native allies eventually culminating in a British victory.

The Treaty of Paris was the name of the treaty that ended the French and Indian War, signed on February 10, 1763. Five days later, its European counterpart, the Seven Years' War, was ended the Treaty of Hubertusburg, February 15, 1763.

In essence, the Treaty of Paris limited French colonialism to the north. New France was halved in size. It expanded the Spanish and British empires immensely, everything south of the St. Lawrence River going to Britain and everything west of the Mississipi going to Spain. The Thirteen Colonies grew to Seventeen Colonies. And the western part of North America was solely in Spanish hands.

A map of the result of the Treaty of Paris, February 10, 1763:



Yellow is Spanish territory.
Blue is French territory.
Pink is British territory.
Peach is British territory under the control of the Hudson Bay Company

After the Treaty, French speakers in the Seventeen Colonies were forced to either become Englishmen by speaking English and adopting British culture, or be forced out of the country into France or French Canada. Most of them chose to leave.

 

[Zuvarq]

On August 17, 1763, King George issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which officially set up borders, many redefined. Most importantly it prevented colonists from settling west of the currently inhabited states. Whose western borders roughly matched the Appalachian Mountains. Though they were called the Seventeen Colonies, in reality, only fifteen were truly settled. The other two were mostly empty, filled with natives and with a few sparse outposts.

Map of the Seventeen Colonies:



Red is native lands

Pink are the colonies that are allowed to be settled.




Note: AN stands for Acadia and Nova Scotia.

 

[Dathi THorfinnsson]

How does France get half of Rupertsland? All of it would be ... unlikely, but half is just so wierd.

'Acadia and Nova Scotia' is very, very odd too. While I can certainly see the English moving north into what OTL is the Eastern Townships (i.e. the New York border moving closer to the St. Lawrence), for the English to get the entire south shore of the St. Lawrence including the Gaspé peninsula, ESPECIALLY when they've lost so much of Rupertsland is .... odd.

Moreover, I rather suspect if the Brits DID get the south shore that the New York would extend north to the river. That extended tongue of 'AN' that curls around is very odd. Whether New Hampshire would get St Lawrence access is arguable either way.

Oh, and would the border of West Florida be that far south, given that there isn't US/Spain contention to push it south?


Edit: At least if you do split up Rupertsland your borders are ... close to being possible. The English get access through the Churchill, the French through the Nelson. OTOH, the Nelson gives access to the Saskatchewan, so really they should have all of the southern Canadian prairies, too.

PS I'm assuming the tan is the remains of British Rupertsland, just not an organized colony. If it belongs to some third party then this is full-fledged ASB

 

[eschaton]

Gah! Another map where New France/Quebec ends at the Saint Lawrence. I dunno why this is always done. The vast majority of the French settlers lived on the South Bank (and still do). Montreal itself is in British hands. The worst bit though is using the river as the boundary means neither state has a secure border. Britain is at the advantage, because they can build roads overland and avoid the Saint Lawrence. But Britain can also effectively blockade New France whenever they want.

Quite honestly, if Britain was ever in the position to demand a border on the Saint Lawrence, France would just suggest they take the whole damn thing.

Edit: Here's an image of present population density in Quebec. Notice how quickly the settled area craps out north of the Saint Lawrence. It's because the North of Quebec is generally cruddy land - bitter cold and terrible for agriculture.

 

[Lord Grattan]

An interesting alternate proclamation of '63 Xwarq.

My "Course of Human Events" TL begins with the Proclamation of 1763 (see my sig below). Perhaps it might be a useful resource for you if you're going to turn this into a longer TL.

 

[wilcoxchar]

And why is the OTL border of Maine there? That's the reason Acadia and Nova Scotia looks so weird and the border wasn't demarcated until 1842.

 

[Lord Grattan]

And why is the OTL border of Maine there? That's the reason Acadia and Nova Scotia looks so weird and the border wasn't demarcated until 1842.

Much of the border Xwarq uses along the Appalachian Mountains from the Maritimes down to the Gulf was not set until the 19th Century.

 

[The Doctor]

Why is Maine going to New Hamshire? It was part of the grant to the Massechussets colony.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Much of the border Xwarq uses along the Appalachian Mountains from the Maritimes down to the Gulf was not set until the 19th Century.

True, but Maine is the most egregious example.

 

[Zuvarq]

See the modified first two posts.

 

[Zuvarq]

The Royal Proclamation of 1763's restriction of western expansion was not received well.

On December 19th, 1763, the British Parliament passed the Colonial Tax Act, which raised taxes (even higher than those determined from the Molasses Act 1733) on several items (molasses, wine, lead) to pay for the defense of the Seventeen Colonies and help pay for Britain's ambitions elsewhere, especially the debt from the French and Indian War and Seven Years' War.

Within the Colonies, the Colonial Tax Act was despised:

William Attucks, a Virginian lawyer, said "Might I be proud as a Virginian, but definitely I am a Brit. I, not having representation in the government, shall not be taxed outrageously."

James Matthewson, a blacksmith from Massachusetts, is quoted, "Taxation without representation is tyranny".

There was quite an uproar over the Colonial Tax Act. On February 6th, 1764, the act was repealed and replaced with the Adjustment of Duties Act, which lowered taxes again, down to a quarter of the price they were as of the 1733 Molasses Act. The idea behind the Adjustment of Duties Act was that, if taxes were lowered, the colonists would be happy, and since they were lower, the colonists would actually pay them. It worked.

Then on December 5th, 1764, the Paper Credit Act was passed. It restricted the colonies' ability to mint paper money. Americans hated this law.

On March 18th, 1765, the Defensive Act forced colonists to house and take care of British soldiers if the soldiers needed it. "Seven redcoats and the same amount of horses were stationed on my property. I provided food, wine and rum, bedding, and they didn't pay me anything in the same. And the law says I must" was quoted from John Smith, a Delawarean.

 

[Zuvarq]

By 1766, the Proclamation's restriction on expansion became largely void.

From the period of 1766 to 1771, several laws which distanced Americans from Britain were passed. The Townshend Tax Act, the Tea Act, the Declaratory Act...

On July 5th 1771, the Stamp Act was passed, which required all printed material to carry a stamp... newspapers, almanacs, official documents, decks of playing cards...

In the Seventeen Colonies, a secret organization only known as the Brethren of Freedom had existed for a decade and a half.

On December 13th, 1771, fifty-two Brethren of Freedom boarded four ships in the harbor of New York. They placed stamps all over the hull of the ships. There were about eight-thousand stamps total. Then they poured olive oil, beeswax, and whale over all over the deck of all four ships, and set them alight. This event was later called the New York Stamp Party.

On April 21st, 1772, the Intolerable Acts were passed. The Massachusetts Government Act restricted Massachusetts charter and town meetings. The Administration of Justice Act required all British soldiers to be tried, to be tried in Britain rather than the colonies. The New York Port Act closed the port of New York indefinitely due to the Stamp Party. Lastly, a second Defensive Act added onto the previous one and required government buildings to also house soldiers, not just private homes.

On July 29th, 1772, the Richmond Massacre occurred. Due to the high military presence in Richmond, tensions erupted, and a large mob surrounded British soldiers. The British soldiers fired into the crowd. Twelve people were killed and thirteen wounded.

 

[Zuvarq]

On April 15th, 1773, the Seventeen Colonies had enough with British oppression. The Continental Congress met that day. They boycotted British goods, published a list of grievances, and petitioned King George to satisfy these grievances.

It failed. Britain did nothing.

Then, on May 10th, 1774, American militia and British troops battled on the western end of Long Island. The American Revolution had started. The first battle, the Battle of Long Island, was not clearly won by either side by its end, May 29th. However, British troops had more losses than the Americans. This instilled much morale and support within the American populace, feeling as if there was indeed a fighting chance.

A man named Paul Revere, a silversmith from Boston, rode from Massachusetts to the southwest, warning of British troop movements. This gave Americans a large advantage in several battles.

Soon after the Battle of Long Island ended, fighting broke out in other major cities. Richmond, Boston, Trenton, Hartford, and Philadelphia. They were all American victories.

However in September and November 1774 Americans lost Richmond Virginia, Springfield Massachusetts, Cambridge Massachusetts, and Syracuse New York. Boston was almost lost to the British, however it was defended by the brilliant General Anthony Wayne.

 

[Zuvarq]

On December 1st, 1774, the Second Continental Congress was held. The Congress decided to create the Continental Army. The brave General George Washington, a Virginian, was appointed as the commanding general.

In January 1775 the Declaration of Independence was signed. So were the Articles of Confederation. The United Provinces of the American Republic (UPAR) were now an independent nation at war with Britain.

In February 1775, Patriots in Florida heard of the break out of fighting in the North and the New Orleans Rebellion occurred. Floridans fought fiercely against the Redcoats and the end result was that Americans were victorious. However there were heavy losses on both sides.

From March 1st to March 7th 1775, a second Battle of Long Island was fought. The British had attempted a naval invasion. 17,000 American troops led by George Washington and Anthony Wayne (plus 5,000 reinforcements commanded by Henry Knox) and 18,000 British troops led by Charles Cornwallis and Henry Clinton battled across the entirety of Long Island.

For the first day of the battle, British troops landed on the eastern end of Long Island and for the second day American and British troops chased each other around. Then from March 3rd to March 7th, the battle had truly begun. American troops fiercely defended New York from British Redcoats. They did this successfully for a day but the British managed to push into the city. Intense fighting occurred in the streets of New York for two full days. The Americans were gradually pushed deep into the city. On March 6th, however, American ships had managed to defeat the blockade of Long Island (only with sacrifice; several other harbors had to be left defenseless to do so) and 5,000 reinforcement troops led by Henry Knox arrived. The Americans and British fought until noon March 7th. By that point, 10,000 Americans died, 11,000 British died, and 7,000 British were captured.

Meanwhile, General William Strawberry made the First Strawberry Offensive, pushing northwest in New York State.

From March 8th to March 12th, 7,000 Americans led by Horatio Gates made the Great Push North from Boston.

From April 1st to April 15th, General William Strawberry again had a series of victories in the Second Strawberry Offensive. He and his 7,000 troops pushed from Maryland to Virginia to North Carolina.

Despite a string of victories, the UPAR had failed to liberate all of Massachusetts. British General John Burgoyne and his 8,500 troops had bravely defended the Massachusetts community of Gardner and the surrounding area.

On May 2nd, 1775, France had joined the war. The French assisted the Americans navally.

 

[Lord Grattan]

The 2nd Continental Congress meets in 12/1774 and votes to form an army. Three months later, this army is an armed and ready 29,000 (17,000+5,000+7000) man strong fighting force? That's quite a mobilization.

What percentage of the colonial population in TTL supports the rebellion & independence?

Why did France join the war on the colonialist's side in TTL?

Also, There can be no "Battle of Jacksonville" in the 1770's as there was no Jacksonville, Florida at the time. There weren't many non-Seminoles anywhere in Florida at that time actually. The 1st permanent OTL settlement in the area was establihed in the early 1790's, and wasn't named Jacksonville until 1822.

 

[Zuvarq]

The 2nd Continental Congress meets in 12/1774 and votes to form an army. Three months later, this army is an armed and ready 29,000 (17,000+5,000+7000) man strong fighting force? That's quite a mobilization.

What percentage of the colonial population in TTL supports the rebellion & independence?

Why did France join the war on the colonialist's side in TTL?

Also, There can be no "Battle of Jacksonville" in the 1770's as there was no Jacksonville, Florida at the time. There weren't many non-Seminoles anywhere in Florida at that time actually. The 1st permanent OTL settlement in the area was establihed in the early 1790's, and wasn't named Jacksonville until 1822.

Most of it was crappy militia (such as those used before the Congress) and the battles were won with luck. Only about 6,000 of that were actually trained properly. Don't worry, the Americans will be less lucky in the future. But they're still going to be lucky like they were OTL.

In OTL it was about 45% Patriot, 20% Loyalist, and 35% unsure, right? Well in TTL it's 55% Patriot, 20% Loyalist, and 25% unsure.

Why did France join the war? Why wouldn't they, it's a perfect chance for them to enact revenge on Britain, and also gain a new ally.

I don't have an explanation for the Jacksonville thing. I guess I'll get rid of it.

 

[Zuvarq]

General Lafayette, from France, was very helpful for the Americans. Starting In late May 1775, he was sent to the New Orleans area. He led the Florida branch of the UPAR army (within this branch there were about 3,000 soldiers) eastward. Britain didn't send many troops to Florida so the Florida Offensive was successful.

In November 1775, General William Strawberry led the Third Strawberry Offensive. He and his 7,500 troops (3,500 of them new recruits, the rest were fighting alongside Strawberry in his first and second offensives)

During that, Horatio Gates continued the Great Push North. At that point it was no longer a true push north, the offensive started traveling northwest, inland.

In February 1776, offensives continued. General Strawberry led the Fourth Strawberry Offensive. He pushed inland and liberated most of Virginia. Then he turned to the north and liberated inner Maryland and Pennsylvania.

However perhaps the most important battle in this period of time was the December 1776 British Invasion of New Jersey. General Cornwallis (who previously fought in the second Battle of Long Island) and General William Howe of Britain commanded 12,000 British troops. A naval invasion took place, the British navy seizing the coastline of New Jersey. Then the two generals and their huge professional army marched throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. The Battle of Trenton, the Battle of Newark, the Battle of Philadelphia... They were all won by the British. For the time being total victory was achieved. Britain's 12,000 troops totally defeated the 1,000 troops of Trenton, 2,000 troops of Newark, and 3,700 troops of Philadelphia. 9,000 British troops remained healthy and alive (not dead or wounded). On the other side, all 6,700 UPAR troops were captured or killed.

 

[Zuvarq]

The British success in New Jersey was short lived. The French Navy distracted the British Navy. Therefore the New Jersey zone could not be resupplied.

The Reconquest of New Jersey, in November and December 1776, and January 1777, was led by a huge force of Americans. Most major generals redirected their attentions to New Jersey. William Strawberry led 7,000 troops. Horatio Gates led 8,000 troops. George Washington led 5,000 troops. This huge force of 20,000 Americans (the majority of the UPAR Army) fought 12,000 British troops (9,000 survivors from the conquest of New Jersey, plus as many reinforcements as they could get in before the New Jersey Zone could not be resupplied). Strawberry fought the battle of Philadelphia. Gates fought the battle of Trenton and the Battle of Newark. Washington fought the battle of Wilmington.

Their respective armies completely liberated New Jersey. Most of the troops split up and were deployed in other areas. George Washington and 5,000 troops remained to defend New Jersey.

New Jersey was held for 3 months. Then the British broke the French blockade and send a wave of 4,000 more troops. The Brits managed to hold a strip of coastline but no more than that.

Meanwhile, Henry Knox led 4,000 troops north to liberate the rest of New Hampshire as well as a fraction of Acadia & Nova Scotia.

After New Jersey, Strawberry pushed south and Horatio Gates pushed north, assisting Henry Knox, as was before the New Jersey reconquest.

While all of these events were occuring, General Marquis de Lafayette commanded the Florida regiment to victory. They pushed east and liberated much of Florida and some of Georgia.

By November 1777, Americans were surely going to gain their independence.

 

[Zuvarq]

is this too much of a wank? Of course the United Provinces are going to win, but am I going too fast?

 

[Zuvarq]

In the period starting from November 1777 and ending April 1779, America finished up the conflicts it had, Britain was, for the most part, pushed out of Eastern North America. For several months everything was stagnant.

On April 29th, 1779, the Treaty of Paris went into effect.

The British crown would recognize the United Provinces of the American Republic as sovereign, independent states and withdraw all claims to their land. Boundaries are established. British citizens (note: TTL, Loyalists simply remained British citizens and were called British) in the United Provinces are revoked of American citizenship. The United Provinces will prevent confiscation of property owned by British citizens. Prisoners of War are to be released. Waters of the United Provinces are completely under United Provinces control.



Light teal are Provinces of the UPAR
Dark teal are Territories of the UPAR
Peach is the Hudson Bay Company under British control.
Yellow is New Spain
Pink is direct British possessions
Blue is New France
Grey-tan is unclaimed territory.