Upcoming Project!

Any Thoughts?

So, does anyone have any thoughts, or anything else? I would really like some imput with anything I've posted in this thread, just so that I can improve the TL.

EDIT: Added more text

1782

The end of the war is in sight by this point. Many Loyalists, sensing the end of fighting as well as fearing confiscations and reprisals from Patriots, begin leaving for either Great Britain or Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The House of Commons votes against continuing fighting in America on 27 February and on 20 March Lord North resigns as Prime Minister following the first motion of no confidence, to be replaced by The Marquess of Rockingham on 27 March. Fighting begins to wind down, but due to the time needed for communication it takes a few months for word to get to the port cities, and more time afterwards to reach the interior. The last skirmish along the Eastern Seaboard is fought on 27 August along the Combahee River in South Carolina. Peace negotiators in Paris reach a preliminary agreement to end the American Revolutionary War on 30 November. All is not finished however: It will be months before a final agreement will be worked out between the two sets of negotiators, and it is yet to be seen if the treaty will be on behalf of thirteen former colonies or one united North American nation. Dispatches from the Continental Congress, currently in Philadelphia, inform Benjamin Franklin and the other members of the American delegation to assume that such a unified government will be formed it time for the treaty. It is hoped that, with fighting in the Americas over, the Continental Congress will be able to settle the issues that lay before them to the point of having a preliminary government in place once the treaty is confirmed. Meanwhile, it is hoped that the diversity of the American delegation (John Adams of Massachusetts, John Jay of New York, Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, and Henry Laurens of South Carolina) will present an aura of a unified effort to the British, making them more willing to take part in the negotiations.

1783

Within the first quarter of the year, preliminary peace treaties are signed by the British delegations with representatives of both France and Spain (20 January); a declaration officially ending hostilities from Parliament (4 February) and a similar declaration from the Continental Congress (11 April). Meanwhile, the Continental Army is stationed outside of New York, near the town of Newburgh. Washington has promised to remain in the field until the British have evacuated their last stronghold in the former colonies, and so the army waits. In an effort to raise the morale of his troops, Washington creates the “Badge of Military Merit”, which took the form of a cloth purple heart. It would be presented to three soldiers that year, all sergeants: William Brown and Elijah Churchill on 3 May, while Daniel Bissell received his on 10 June. However, this decoration did little in the face of the actions of the Continental Congress. Unable to afford the back pay that was owed to the soldiers, regiments are sent home on leave throughout the year, finding out on their return home that they have been dismissed from service. By taking this action regiments at a time and not all at once, a mutiny by the army is prevented; however, the men remain embittered about what has happened, and are not likely to forget the slight. By 13 June, however, the main force of the Continental Army is disbanded, with Washington holding talks with British commander Sir Guy Carleton to establish the peaceful entry of American forces into New York. The Continental Congress also finds themselves in trouble when in late June the Pennsylvania Mutiny occurs, as dismissed Pennsylvania soldiers march on the State House to demand payment of their salaries. Forced to leave the city on 21 June, they resettle in Nassau Hall in Princeton, New Jersey on 30 June. On 3 September, after ten months of negotiations, proposals, and agreements, the Treaty of Paris is formally signed by the American and British delegations. The Americans have signed the document without receiving word of a unified government back home; the Pennsylvania Mutiny caused a closure of talks, and the delegates failed to overcome the same issues that arose in talks during the Albany Conference and the more recent debate on articles of confederation. The treaty is sent to both Westminster and the Continental Congress, who on 4 November leave Princeton and head south. Meanwhile, Washington and Carleton are able to come to an agreement, and on 25 November the British contingent in Manhattan leaves the city at noon. A British flag is nailed to the top of a greased pole in Battery Park by bitter British troops. However, before the British ships are out of sight, John Van Arsdale, a Patriot soldier, scaled the pole and, after tearing down the Union Jack, hammers the Continental Colors into place. Washington enters the city with his officers, in what will be celebrated as Evacuation Day. The following day (26 November) the Continental Congress holds its opening session in the Maryland State House in Annapolis, Maryland.

1784

The Treaty of Paris is ratified by the Continental Congress on 14 January, officially ending the war between the American states and Great Britain (pending approval by Parliament). There is talk about restarting efforts to form a unified government, but few take the talk seriously, as no success has been had with the issue dating back to the Albany Conference. For the time being, the political situation in America is that of thirteen independent states acting separately, while the Continental Congress attempts to function as a makeshift interstate government. On 6 February David Howell, delegate from Rhode Island, leaves Annapolis to return to his home state; his departure means there are no longer any representatives from Rhode island present in the Continental Congress. Over time, more delegates will begin to leave and go home, more interested in helping in local affairs then continental ones. The situation becomes irreversible on 25 March: The remainder of the Virginian delegation, among them Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe, departs from Annapolis and heads back to Virginia. Quickly followed by the departures of John Bull and Jacob Read of South Carolina and Richard D. Spaight of North Carolina, the Continental Congress is a shadow of its former self, with no members from south of the Potomac River and fewer members from the states still in attendance. 9 April proves to be a historic day on both sides of the Atlantic. In Britain, Parliament under the leadership of William Pitt the Younger approves the Treaty of Paris, bringing a legal and official end to the war. Hours later, on the other side of the Atlantic, the President of the Continental Congress, Thomas Mifflin of Pennsylvania, officially closes the last meeting of the Second Continental Congress with the dissolution of the body. The remaining delegates begin to leave Annapolis and return to their home states. A few delegates remain behind in Annapolis for the time being however. Looking for the best future course for his state, William Paca, the governor, sent a representative to Virginia to see about a possible union between the two states. The Virginian stance on using population (both free and slave) to figure out representation was not favorable for Maryland, as they would have very little voice in such a unified government. In turn, representatives from Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania enter into discussion on 12 April about a possible union amongst their states. After a slight break in talks, talks resume in Philadelphia on 19 April. Some of those in attendance include Thomas Mifflin, John Beatty of New Jersey, Gunning Bedford Jr. of Delaware, and James McHenry of Maryland. The talks are held in various locations, including City Tavern and Tun Tavern, and sometimes become very intense. They are never called off however, and the talks soon gather steam as issues are worked out, such as representation and structure. Eventually after much debate and discussion, the United States of America are declared a nation on 4 July (commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence), and the Continental Colors are raised above the Pennsylvania State House. By the terms of agreement, a confederation is established between the state governments and the newly formed national government. A freedom of movement is created, so any one person in one state can freely move amongst the other states. The national government is only allowed to conduct foreign relations and declare war, and no state is allowed to have its own army or navy, though they may keep militias. A unicameral legislature is created, and even though more populous states will have more members present in this legislature, each state may only cast one vote. A President of the Congress, who will first be James McHenry, will preside over the Senate and serve for a term of one year. Lastly, the national capital was to be located in Philadelphia. They are operating under a document known as the Philadelphia Plan of Union, a nod to Benjamin Franklin’s attempt at a unified government decades prior. To the north, in New York, the legislature, under the governorship of George Clinton and meeting in Poughkeepsie, the government sees no reason to join any such union. As long as trade continues to come into and flow out of New York City, the state is able to slowly reduce its debts from the just ended war; in fact, Alexander Hamilton will take a key role in the financial affairs of the state. To the north, the Republic of Vermont continues to operate by themselves in the Green Mountains. Claimed by New York, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, Vermont declared their independence from everyone in 1777, and continues under the direction of Thomas Chittenden as the aim to stay independent. The New England states, with concerns about their economic livelihoods, have agreed to lower tariffs for trade amongst themselves, creating what some may almost consider a free trade zone. The hope is that with little or no taxes on goods shipped between them, the debts needed to be paid back from the war will not be so demanding. Rhode Island, generally isolationist itself, has even agreed to take part; as such, ports stretching from New Haven to Portsmouth take on almost a festive-like appearance by the different manner of flags being flown for trade: the New England states, as well as other former colonies and European nations can all be found there. To the south of the United States, Virginia settlers continue to settle the Kentucky counties over the Appalachian Mountains. Some in Virginia would not mind seeing the Carolinas join Virginia, with themselves in the position of power. Instead, both North and South Carolina, under the leadership of Alexander Martin and Benjamin Guerard respectively, are working on an agreement for both mutual defense in North America and mutual trade in both the New World and the Old. This partnership works, as North Carolina supplies the naval stores to South Carolina’s booming merchant industry out of Charleston. In turn, South Carolina provided many of the fished goods and products for North Carolina. North Carolina relying on South Carolina’s ports and merchants are a change for the state, who previously relied on Virginia. Whether an issue Alexander Martin had with Virginia governor Benjamin Harrison V, or more likely an issue with Virginia’s desire for dominance, the two Carolinas were moving towards cooperation at the expense of the previous relationship between North Carolina and Virginia. Lastly, Georgia is doing its own thing, casting both eyes towards the Spanish territories of West and East Florida. Officially given to Spain by Great Britain the previous year, both of the Floridas still possess a decent number of both British settlers and North American settlers as well. Due to the treaty between the British and Spanish, were no northern border has been firmly established, there are already conflicting claims between Spain and Georgia. Governor John Houstoun decides to take advantage of the change over in ownership, and orders plans to be drawn up for a military venture to gain both territories.
 
Last edited:
Add more images too...

Table of flags used ITTL following 1784...while the notion of a "National Flag" didn't really exist yet, all of these states would have adopted a flag for their ships to use on the seas, and Vermont used this flag OTL, hence the fourteen flags. Going down the whole way before moving to the next column, you have: New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania; then New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Some are OTL, some are OTL with modification or a more modern design from being unable to find an older one that worked in paint, while others are made up in full.

Again, please leave any reaction you wish, a lot of people are viewing and I'd like to know what you think, to either correct mistakes or improve upon what I have.

Flags 1783.png
 
1782

there is No New Brunswick, and the Border between Maine [Massachusetts] and Nova Scotia is unclear.


Following the end of the Georgia Charter in the 1750's and the takeover as a Royal Colony Most Settlers in Georgia were from SCarolina.
As such - Georgia Would look close at joining the Carolinas.
 
Top