Further cementing why the Confederacy wsn't a democracy: the POTCS was more or less the hostage of a deep state.
Speaking of which, did things such as the Byrd Organization exist across the Confederacy, to control State politics?
TLIAPOT: America in the Century of Blood
- Thread starter DAv
- Start date
Further cementing why the Confederacy wsn't a democracy: the POTCS was more or less the hostage of a deep state.
Speaking of which, did things such as the Byrd Organization exist across the Confederacy, to control State politics?
It's going to be a great deal more in depth than last time as well.
Basically, the entire Confederacy has something like the Byrd Organisation on some scale or another. It, up until the early 1990's, disenfranchised a lot of its population to keep power cemented into the hands of the few while giving the people constant propaganda in a bid to have the flaws blamed on others. It was going to break at some point or other, Bollea just made it happen at that point in time.
2000
Laurence Tureaud
A Photograph taken of Tureaud during the rebuilding of the Midwest in the 1980's. Rising through the ranks of Illinois' army, Tureaud would become noted for his belligerent temperament, but also his cool under fire and willingness to tackle problems head on, demanding nothing of others that he didn't expect from himself. Such qualities were highlighted during the Millennium War.
A Photograph taken of Tureaud during the rebuilding of the Midwest in the 1980's. Rising through the ranks of Illinois' army, Tureaud would become noted for his belligerent temperament, but also his cool under fire and willingness to tackle problems head on, demanding nothing of others that he didn't expect from himself. Such qualities were highlighted during the Millennium War.
In 2000, Laurence Tureaud was made Supreme Commander of the United Congress armies during the Millennium War. Having seen their assaults stalled due to conflicting military ideologies and lack of communication throughout the year, Congress voted to place Tureaud in command of the armies of all the states, his bullish attitude and tough-as-nails reputation making many think he was ideal for the job.
Being born in Chicago, Tureaud was somewhat fortunate that he was in one of the more stable areas of America during the mid-twentieth century. Still, he would encounter prejudice in his life and see the chaos that came from the Pennsylvania War and the downfall of the RMC. The latter of which was part of the reason why Tureaud made a career out of the military, joining the Illinois army and soon being noted for his leadership skills.
Serving during the Midwest War, Tureaud saw combat throughout the conflict, earning numerous honours for his bravery while also seeing himself rise through the ranks. He would also be a major part in the occupation of the Midwest, his eventual rise to general a decade later in no small part thanks to his achievements throughout the 1980's. His time as overseeing the recovery of the region saw him win a lot of respect from those under his command. The media focus on the Midwest War also gravitated to Tureaud, whose straight-talking ways and ability to rally the army saw him becoming something of a celebrity.
During the mid-90's, Tureaud would be appointed as the major military advisor to the Unified Congress. It was him who really pushed Congress placing their militaries under a unified command structure rather than it being left to each state, but such recommendations were hard to push through when several states were still ideologically and politically opposed to each other. It was also his job to assess the various threats towards the UC, placing great emphasis on the Confederacy and how it might look for an outside enemy to deal with its internal issues. While there were those who agreed with him, many doubted a war would come about in any form.
This all came crashing down once the Confederacy declared war on Mississippi. While many were reluctant to be dragged into the conflict, Tureaud worked with numerous members of the United Congress to draw up strategies and war plans to be used should the worst happen. On the 1st January 2000, it did and most of North America was at war. What followed has been described as many things, a shambles being one of the more often used terms topping the list. With the numerous different military commands all having different strategic objectives, any offensives were piecemeal and unfocused.
Making things worse were the logistical situation as the Midwest and West Coast states were too far away or lacked the capability for an actual assault. As such, their own forces were slow to arrive to the front and came through in a small numbers. With the Confederate forces having a much more unified structure, they were able to repel what offensives the United Congress sent their way. By July of 2000, the stalemate was becoming embarrassing for all concerned and the states in the UC bowed to reality and public pressure, appointing Tureaud to the role of supreme commander over the United Congress forces.
Tureaud had a mammoth task ahead of him and started by calling off all offensives, a political unpopular move considering the terror being inflicted upon Mississippi, but a necessary one as the UC forces simply couldn't maintain any kind of military operation beyond defence. The ensuing time was spent bringing the disparate militaries together in an attempt to bring them into one, cohesive, whole. In this, Tureaud was given effective carte blanche in doing so, the unprecedented nature of his command causing no small amount of controversy among those from the states who had taken a more nationalist look on things.
Throwing himself into the task, Tureaud focused on bringing the various elements of the different armed forces together to form them into an army suitable for the task ahead. He had the pick of other generals to choose from, taking mostly from the Great Lakes region or New England as they offered many military men who felt similar to him, without the idea that they might try to spread socialism throughout the ranks. Although Tureaud got on well with various Socialist leaders, others were put off with the thought of them trying to imprint their own ideology onto the rank and file. Having to work with the political side of things was something that Tureaud found himself not wanting, but forced more into doing so for the sake of the campaign. He did continue to launch air attacks in a bid to gain dominance over the Upper South, something that was successful over the summer and autumn months.
Throughout the rest of 2000, Tureaud built up his command structure while making the odd, limited assault against the Confederacy for the sake of political and public pressure. He brought the West Coast states under the same umbrella, military wise and centralised the command structure greatly, integrating them so he would have control over the general movement and strategy. Throughout this period, the navies of the Socialist Union and New England were given the task of assaulting Confederate shipping and producing some much needed victories. This would lead to the disaster that was the Battle of Accomack where political divisions and distrust prevented the navies of the two states working together and they were defeated in detail by the Confederate Navy in a pitched battle in October.
With such a defeat, Tureaud was forced into action, despite wanting until the New Year to finalise his reforms. He went for the easy target at least, the western theatre of the war opening properly with a push directly into Missouri by the West Coast forces supplemented by Midwest troops. With a focus on overwhelming air superiority coupled with a misinformation campaign that had the Confederacy believe the assault was aimed towards Maryland, the assault went as well as possible over the holiday period and ended with the capture of Kansas City on Christmas Eve.
The success of the attack made a push onto Mississippi a major priority as the atrocities committed by the Confederacy in the state had to be stopped. In February of 2001, the assault upon Arkansas had begun as Louisiana declared war on the Confederacy as well, following it up with an offensive into the same state the UC forces were directing their assault into. Louisiana's actions caught the Confederacy off guard and they had to withdraw their army in Arkansas to prevent a complete rout. The forces in Mississippi were drawn back as well as the Confederacy prepared for an all out war, leaving the state a smouldering wreck with casualties in the hundreds of thousands.
For the first part of the war, the Confederacy had been largely reacting to the United Congress assaults, having lost the war in the air the previous year, their options for actual assault were limited. The fall of Missouri and Arkansas in such short order panicked the Confederate leadership though and they resolved on looking to strike back as many believed that this would be a fight to the death. This belief would become a self-fulfilling prophecy as their actions condemned the Confederacy in the eyes of the world and support for the United Congress came from all corners of the globe.
After building up their forces, the Confederacy resolved on an assault into Pennsylvania, to strike right at Philadelphia. The hope was that capturing the seat of the United Congress, they would push the alliance apart by convincing them that the Confederate fighting spirit couldn't be defeated. Such hopes were soon to be dashed upon the rocks of military reality. With satellites watching the build up of the build of Confederate army, Tureaud had knowledge of their every movement and used it to full effect, building up defences around Philedelphia. When the assault did come in June of 2001, the Confederate army found itself being grounded down constantly by the defences set up by Tuereaud, the offensive being bogged down before eventually being forced back across the border by late 2001.
Having managed to force the Confederacy into spending most of its military capacity on a fruitless assault, Tureaud then started Operation Appomattox, the march on Richmond. Having turned the air superiority into outright air dominance thanks to the destruction of most of the remaining Confederate air force, UC forces had clear control of the skies as 2002 opened with the push into Maryland. The Confederate defences were pushed back and broken completely with the overwhelming strength held by the UC military. Maryland fell with the capture of Washington DC being a huge propaganda victory. Although the old capital had fallen into disrepair, the image of the various state flags being put up in front of the Capitol became an endearing legacy of the war.
The assault continued once the logistical situation was organised and Richmond was the target. It was hoped that by taking the capital of the Confederacy, they could force it to surrender. Plane and artillery strikes against the capital became more and more frequent as the UC armies closed in on it, but the Confederate leadership was determined to hold onto it no matter what. Traps were set throughout the city and civilians were forced into militias as they prepared to repulse the invaders.
The Battle of Richmond was the bloodiest affair of the entire war as it devolved into house-to-house fighting. Whereas before, the UC held the advantages in open field combat, things were much harder in Richmond as those who were dedicated to upholding the Confederacy fought and died to uphold their republic, costing the UC greatly in lives and material. It took two months for Richmond to be completely cleared out of enemies, leaving the city a smoking ruin full of the dead.
Even then, the Confederacy refused to surrender, despite the loss of most of their military and capital. Tureaud was quick to act, regathering his forces for a campaign in 2003 that was to finish off the Confederacy once and for all. This was rendered somewhat difficult with the various resistance groups that had become more common with the occupation of the Confederacy continuing. In this, Tureaud took no prisoners, cracking down hard on the guerilla forces, establishing weapons confiscation of all kinds as well as pushing forward on the legal prosecution against the Confederate leadership.
2003 saw the end to the Millennium War, the final mop up operations that saw it come to a conclusion as the last Confederate 'army' surrendered in Northern Florida. With that, the tattered resistance of the Confederates was limited almost solely to scattered bands of guerillas that were soon made to feel isolated due to the overwhelming military occupation and de-mythification taking place in the region.
Having been supreme commander for over two years at this point, Tureaud would remain so as the occupation of the former Confederacy went on. With the downfall of the nation, it was decided that each state would be brought into the United Congress after tearing down the old Confederate power structures and building something new in their place. For his role in the outcome of the war, Tureaud became a hero to many and one of the best military minds the former United States had to offer.
Despite his reputation, Tureaud's actions were not without criticism. His holding back against an attack on the Confederacy was militarily justified, but left a bad taste in the mouths of many in Mississippi and 'Tureading' became a term for someone who procrastinated on a vital task to the detriment of others. His other decision to power through Richmond was also taken to task by several who saw his usual aggressive strategies as failing to meet the realities of street combat and resulted in thousands of needless deaths.
Tureaud would remain in high regard by many in the United Congress, eventually becoming the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff after the election in 2016. His standing in the military community remained high as well and he would devote himself to creating the unified American army, based off his work with the Unified Congress. His legacy was one of a strong, united American army prepared to face the new challenges that faced it, becoming a national hero as a result.
Although such a statement was never said, the sentiment was clearly on display a lot.
There is a map a few pages ago which shows the layout of North America in 1964. The general areas of influence only really changed throughout the 80's onwards.
2004
Amy Klobuchar
A photograph taken of Amy Klobuchar during the de-mythification hearings and trials of Confederate leaders. A respected prosecutor and legal adviser to the United Congress, Klobuchar would make her name with her actions as a prosecutor during the trials which would last throughout middle of the decade and upend the Confederate legacy completely.
A photograph taken of Amy Klobuchar during the de-mythification hearings and trials of Confederate leaders. A respected prosecutor and legal adviser to the United Congress, Klobuchar would make her name with her actions as a prosecutor during the trials which would last throughout middle of the decade and upend the Confederate legacy completely.
In 2004, Amy Klobuchar would become famous for her role in the prosecution of numerous leaders of the Confederacy. A prosecutor who had been attached to the United Congress in a bid to get a common law sorted out between the states in the late 1990's, Klobuchar would be attached to the prosecution of numerous high-profile Confederate leaders and military personnel. In doing so, she would gain renown for her take down of these figures as well as the enmity of those supporters who lingered on.
Born in the stable and very quiet Minnesota, Klobuchar was in a state that was spared of a lot of the inherent chaos of North America during this time period. Even the Midwest War failed to cause much upheaval in her life as Minnesota was spared from the destruction the conflict had brought about. The collapse of law and order into a dictatorship which had caused so much suffering did inspire her to look into law and what this meant for those around her. Her focus on law came from believing that laws had to be respected by everyone and, most importantly, said laws had to be just.
Her work on a law degree soon turned to a role as a prosecutor in Minnesota where her reputation grew consistently, being seen as a strong hand and a leader among her peers. In 1998, when the United Congress first started to heavily consider implementing a common law across all the states as a furthering of the Harrisburg Accords, Klobuchar was offered a role in the committee to look into the matter and agreed. Her expertise on criminal law soon became apparent and she was respected by her peers on the committee.
The Millennium War put these plans on the back-burner as several on the committee were instead transferred onto one that would look into prosecuting the Confederate leadership for its war crimes. Throughout the conflict, the new committee would investigate and prepare a case against individuals who were responsible for the atrocities committed during the war. When the war was over, the manhunt was on to bring in those men who had evaded capture, succeeding in for the most part.
The trials were set to begin in 2004 in Philadelphia with the precedent being the trials for those of the Denver Regime for those who had committed crimes on this scale against North American states. The trials took up a lot of global media attention, helped by the fact that, unlike the Denver Regime, a lot of the leadership of the Confederacy had survived the war as well as had been captured during or immediately after it. The focus was on their prosecution and having to pay for the crimes committed by the Confederate military during the war.
Klobuchar herself would not lead the prosecution, the role instead being left to a prominent, Mississippi prosecutor as that state had suffered the worst during the Millennium War. She would act as the assistant on the trial, helping with the legal arguments to prosecute the men on trial and bring them to justice. It was during this that Klobuchar would gain fame for her ability to knock down the argument of the defence quite succinctly.
During the trials, the general process of de-mythification of the south began in earnest. The curriculum of every school in the Confederacy was rewritten to give a better look at the past without romanticising or white-washing. War memorials celebrating those who had committed atrocities were torn down, streets renamed and television programming was dedicated to exposing the lies that the Confederate leadership had peddled about itself. The sheer scale of this was unprecedented and it was helped by the Confederate government having been so isolated when it fell, there were no allies, aside from Texas, willing to speak up for it. And even Texas had moved away from the Confederacy as its atrocities became common knowledge.
With such isolation, the United Congress was able to devote a lot of resources to building the former Confederate states from the ground up, putting them under military control at first, before civilian governments were created under new constitutions. Although there was some issues with the Socialist Union pushing forward their ideology, this was eventually settled with free elections to be held and socialist parties were to be allowed to stand, all of them being funded from New York. Such elections would be years after the war, after the civilian governments had been set in place for some time.
Throughout this, Klobuchar was seeing her name grow thanks to her actions in the trials. Her cross examination of Willis Carto, a man who had travelled to the Confederacy after the Pennsylvania War and had been in control of seizing control of the weal of Mississippi, was famous for her exposing the lies in his testimony, leaving him in seething silence on the stand. Such actions gained her the enmity of many throughout the former Confederate states, her gender and talking to formerly respected men in such a way only galvanising such opinions.
This would climax in early 2006, when Klobuchar was shot at by a sniper while she was on the way to court. Thankfully, the bullet missed and the man was soon apprehended. The incident highlighted the remaining die-hards in the former Confederacy though and security was increased for all those taking part in the trials. Public sympathy for Klobuchar increased after the event and her status as a name recognised throughout North America was cemented.
When the trial ended in early 2008, almost all the defendants were found guilty. The most prominent of those who weren't was William Blythe, who had plenty of evidence supporting his claim of having been forced out of power due to the coup and had testified against others in the Confederate government. The resounding success of the prosecution would secure the careers of all those involved and many moved onto politics.
Klubochar was one such name and she returned to her native Minnesota after the trial, gearing herself for standing as Governor of the state. She was a potential candidate for Vice-President on one of the party's tickets, but it didn't come through and rumours circulate that she plans on standing on her own for the future election.
The trials of Confederate government officials were but one part of the larger de-mythification of the entire former Confederate states. By bringing the truth to light and exposing the lies and crimes of the Confederacy completely, the process of moving on from the past had begun. It would take a long time for such movements to completely bare fruit though and the Deep South remained a hotbed of white nationalism for years to come.
For Klubochar, her role had been to help secure the guilty verdicts of numerous war criminals. The prosecution team had helped bring justice to those that the Confederacy had hurt, leading to some healing of the wounds that had been caused by the Millennium War. To fully recover, the former United States had to move as one and look to the future. A new generation of leaders were ready to bring together what had been torn apart and Klubochar was one of them.
2008
Willard Carroll Smith Jnr.
A photograph taken of Willard Smith during a black tie dinner for the various diplomats and government officials during the opening of the initial talks into taking steps towards America's eventual reunification. A native of Pennsylvania, Smith's sheer charisma attracted many people to him, both politicians and the general public.
A photograph taken of Willard Smith during a black tie dinner for the various diplomats and government officials during the opening of the initial talks into taking steps towards America's eventual reunification. A native of Pennsylvania, Smith's sheer charisma attracted many people to him, both politicians and the general public.
In 2008, Willard Smith entered the United Congress as a representative of Pennsylvania. Riding on a wave of popular support for reunification of the United States, Smith was one of those who fully supported the idea. With the downfall of the Confederacy, only Texas remained as a major hurdle to reunification. With the victory of the United Congress in the Millennium War though, the general consensus was that of pushing towards complete reunification of the former United States, both politically and publicly.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Smith was familiar with the United Congress and even got his first job working in it as a clerk. His intelligence was soon noted by many, although that was soon drowned out by his sheer charismatic presence. Whenever he walked into a room, Smith was able to command the attention of everyone inside it with only a few words. He soon became popular among his co-workers and barely out of his teens when the question of his career turned to politics.
Having seen the chaos that had come from the Midwest War, Smith looked towards reunification as an ideal to be obtained to help bring America back to greatness. He was also influenced in the style of his politics by Huey Long, going to a crowd and using speeches to appeal to the mass of people with a dramatic flourish. The substance was more in line with progressives like Max Yasgur, although with a much more left-wing take on many of the issues.
Smith would enter politics in Pennsylvania's own Progressive Party at a young age, the effort put into his work shining through. He would go through one major mishap as his meteoric rise made him think higher of his standing that it actually was and he put his name forward to stand for the Mayor of Philadelphia in 1992, only to be receive absolutely nothing but derision for this move. Suitably humbled, Smith pulled back and would focus on a slower career path.
In truth, Smith bounced back from this misstep very quickly, attaching himself to various campaigns and making himself known as a great way to galvanise votes. The fresh face in Philadelphian politics was soon a major name in the city as the 1990's went on and he would become a serious candidate for the Mayor's office, winning an election for it in 1999 and gaining some redemption for his earlier blunder.
As Mayor, Smith was faced with the outbreak of the Millennium War and what this meant for Philadelphia itself. He would use use the resources of the city to prepare for defence, frequently being seen touring areas where army units were placed and making speeches highlighting how important it was to win the war. When the offensive from the Confederacy came directed at the city itself, Smith stayed put and continued to encourage the local population to stand against the Confederacy. Knowing that the offensive had little chance of success helped many in this, but Smith's presence was a constant morale boost in the early days when it seemed that there was a risk that it might reach the city itself.
When coming up for re-election in 2003 in the aftermath of the war, Smith won by a landslide and put his focus onto several policies that he hadn't been able to fully act upon during the war. Increased funding for education and the arts tended to be his go-to areas of support, as well as strong support for lower income families. He declined to run again in 2007, instead deciding to run as a member of the United Congress, which he planned to be the major step towards his ultimate goal.
With the Millennium War over, the United Congress had all but Texas and its client states under its sway. The former Confederate states were going through rebuilding at a rapid pace with civilian governments looking to take control by 2010. In this background, reunification became the issue that many rallied around. Could they not rebuild the United States and make it better than it had been before, avoiding the issues that had first brought about its end? When elected to the United Congress in 2008, Smith was determined to have his say in this.
The United Congress had originally been a place for states to hammer out issues more than anything. But the Midwest War had turned it into a place with actual power as states turned over several issues over to its control to better handle the demands of the conflict. The recognition of the First Nation Alliance and its gains was the turning point where the organisation was determined to have actual weight to its decisions as it was agreed upon by all members. Following that was the Rejuvenation Act, a common policy to help the Midwest recover from the war while also settling the issue of tariffs between the states once and for all.
This was followed by various other small pieces of legislation throughout the 1980's and 1990's to help smooth relationships between the states until 2003's Military Unification Act. This saw the centralisation of military power under Laurence Tureaud be confirmed and made law, giving the United Congress a single military under its control, despite not actually having a single state attached to it. This proved to be the political impetus for the reunification in a lot of ways and debate was well underway by 2008.
The sticking point for a lot of people would be elections, representation and the legal system to follow. The committee that had been created to help with these issues had delivered its findings in 2004, but had been put to one side as the sheer amount of attention and resources the aftermath of the Millennium War demanded caused it to be put on the side for the time being. In 2008, the report was dusted off and presented back to the United Congress with many on the fence or lukewarm on its recommendations. While many were willing to talk about reunification, putting their support behind something concrete was a bit more questionable.
It would be Smith, among several others, who would be the ones to lead the charge on the committee's recommendations. With charisma to spare, Smith would find it easy to meet politicians of all stripes in his office, make them feel at ease and press the virtues of the committee's recommendations in such a way that even the most hardened opponent would walk out with warm feelings on them. One opponent in particular noted rather ruefully that Smith was so convincing in his ways that the only reason the former had managed to walk out of their meeting with the shirt on his back was because the latter hadn't asked for it.
Another sticking point was the Socialist Union, which saw itself was a very different political beast from the original USA and many were concerned about the oppression that their ideology had faced the last time America was unified. Smith was instrumental in bringing them around, noting that the recommendations were very much hard-line with political freedom and that many other states were also fiercely independent. It would be a much more decentralised America that would be born in a lot of ways, forced due to the political realities and the growth of different traditions that had come about. The common federal laws would apply for every state, while still giving them autonomy.
Working hard to get the committee's recommendations pushed into legislation, this would come into fruition by late 2009 when it would start to be debated in the United Congress itself. Smith would also score a major victory by attaching himself to the campaign to return the capital city to Washington DC. Having been neglected by the Confederacy, the former capital and its buildings were rotted and moving the government there as well as doing the repair work would cost untold millions. For a lot of people though, returning to DC was seen as the necessary step to reclaim America's soul. A vote for renovation was held and passed, with Smith having publicly campaigned for it and getting a good deal of recognition for his efforts.
As this happened, 2011 would see the vote on the recommendations with an addition of an election to be held for President in 2016. The passage of the vote was greeted with by jubilation throughout North America as the timer was set to get ready for 2016 elections. Due to the division of the last several decades, the electoral college was deemed to be impractical, to put it mildly. Instead, a three-round system was agreed upon as a way to give the different, regional, political parties something of a chance of being chosen throughout the United States.
Having attached himself to these successful endeavours, Smith surprised many by declining to run for President. Instead, he looked to make his mark in the Senate, becoming a big name in the Progressive parties that turned into a coalition as power became more and more solidified after both Texas agreed to become part of the new United States and the states agreed to phase out all tariffs between each other by 2016, creating a common economic bloc that would turn into a nation.
Once the election came, Smith became a very important figure in the Senate, championing the causes of progressive politics while also laying down the path for his own future. His critics would say that he merely attached himself to popular movements that had already been proven to be popular rather than focus on his own causes, but the results spoke for themselves and it was hard to deny that Smith did a lot of the legwork to see this causes come to fruition.
As the new America dawned, Smith was destined to have a place in it, perhaps defining the country even more as he went on. Many already saw him as one of the Founding Fathers of this new America and many saw him as a future President, ready to step into the limelight when he chose.
This is the third celebrity turned politician that has completely surprised me. Well done sir!
It's a less strong federal government, but one that has enshrined a few more rights than the original one. Due to the wars and destruction visited upon America thanks to various dictatorships, civil rights are taken very seriously indeed and the rights of minorities are protected as well. Even more than the first constitution, this was born of compromise as well.
Glad they managed to surprise you. Was there a particular one that stood out?
2012
George Thomas Leland
A photograph of George Thomas Leland during his initial rise to prominence in the 1980's. As a black man in Texas, his political career was surprising to outsiders, but he managed to persevere and become a major player in Texas' eventual acceptance of reunification.
In 2012, George Thomas Leland would help make the agreement that would bring Texas and its allies back into the United States of America. Hoping to secure its own rights gained as a sovereign nation, it would be Texan pressure and Leland's diplomacy that would allow the full reunification of the mainland states to take place. Leland would be a key factor in bringing all this together, serving as a major capping point to a long and storied career.
Born in Texas itself, Leland would suffer from discrimination throughout his life due to his ethnicity. Although Texas hadn't enshrined segregation into law like the Confederacy had, black people were nevertheless treated as second-class citizens in many ways. This had led to a considerable amount of people leaving for Mississippi or Louisiana, but Leland's family was one that stayed. Despite the oppression, Leland looked to make Texas better for himself and other black people, taking part in communities and training to become a doctor with an eye on medical treatment.
Leland's name grew in the 1970's where his hard work and organisational abilities were noted, even by the white people around him. He would also look to help further civil rights for black people in Texas, becoming a major figure in the push for greater rights for black people. In this, the cause was aided greatly by its timing as the African nations of the Commonwealth were starting to make their voices heard, rallying against the oppression of black people throughout America. This would lead to the economic sanctions against the Confederacy and were countered by Texas by bringing in equal rights legislation by the early 1980's.
Such measures were more on paper than they were in act however and many within the civil rights movement pushed for the law being followed in spirit and letter. Leland grew more in prominence during this time, able to get support from people from all walks of life as popular support pushed towards having greater civil rights, especially as international pressure began to tell. Leland became one of the biggest names in the movement, pushing the cause of equal rights further than it had gone in Texan history.
This would culminate in a 1992 election that saw Leland elected to the Texan senate. While a huge moment for civil rights, Leland would see it more as a stepping stone than a complete victory. Although he was an independent, Leland's political abilities saw him make allies with both major political parties in Texas, even if he spoke out for unpopular causes among the white majority. His political ability got his both national and international acclaim, being invited to the United Congress numerous times to make speeches on the need for greater civil rights.
When the Millennium War broke out, Leland was one of those pushing for breaking from the Confederacy completely and supporting the United Congress in the conflict. His insistence seemed to get vindicated as the Confederacy began to lose the war badly and more of its war crimes were exposed, horrifying many, including many Texans. With the war over, the reunification of the United States of America was now inevitable, with the only question being what road would Texas take.
Fiercely independent, many Texans were wary about rejoining the United States of America, but many in government also had to face the facts set against them. Many of the states in their influence were looking towards joining the United States as they had grown tired of being little more than Texan satellites. The break came when delegates from New Mexico approached the United Congress during 2007 in open defiance of instructions from Texas itself. When there was no backlash from the Lone Star State, it destroyed its credibility in keeping the other states in line.
Added to this was also the isolation Texas would have when surrounded by a United States of America to the north and Mexico to the south. Mexico had seen struggles during the twentieth century, but had received a boost from the brain drain during the Century of Blood as well as increased capital from companies looking to invest in stable places in the Americas. As a result, Mexico was a nation on the rise in the twenty-first century and Texas would be a small nation sandwiched between two giants as a result.
Isolated from other nations, Texas would face a future as being dominated by others, a fact its leadership had come to recognise after the Millennium War. This attitude wasn't reflected among many of the Texan populace and the push to rejoin the United States was deeply controversial as many saw it as the fat cats selling out Texas to line their own pockets. The division in it led to a referendum being forced through in 2011 to see if there was even enough support for the state to approach the United Congress to open negotiations about Texas coming back to the united States. The motion to approach the United Congress was passed by 50.2%, highlighting the division within the state.
Still, the motion had passed and, in large part due to his high standing outside of Texas, Leland was appointed as one of the delegates to the negotiations. The respect others had for him showed as he managed to push forward the Texan position of retaining the oil money within its state and keeping a strong 'national guard' rather than giving everything towards the new army. This was contrasted by Leland also agreeing with many points raised by the United Congress, particularly on the agreement to federal laws.
Leland would have to work hard, not only on getting the Texan viewpoint across, but also getting Texas to agree to the level of concessions it had to make. Everyone knew that Texas wasn't negotiating from a position of strength and the United Congress was able to put their foot down on many issues. That Leland was able to get what he did was a testament to his political skills. He also used his own leverage during this to get the Texan government to agree to increased aid to impoverished families, aiming to help as many as he could.
The deal which Texas agreed to with the United Congress saw it concede on most points to get on board with equal standing with the other forty-eight states. While allowing the money gained from taxing the oil firms to remain within Texas, as well as greater military autonomy, its side of the agreement saw it being brought back into the reunited country on the same level as the other states. For managing to balance the demands of Texas with the reality of its position, Leland was well praised throughout political circles for his actions.
Returning to Texas, Leland continued to maintain a huge role in politics, being a major force for left-wing movements in the state as it would go on to rejoin America. Despite his age, Leland would go onto become a Senator of Texas in the new American government, a leader and influential figures for many along the political spectrum. He would be perhaps the favourite son of Texas in the reunited America.
John F. Kennedy
Theodore Roosevelt
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Margaret Chase Smith
Barry Goldwater
George McGovern
Richard Nixon
George Wallace