West Coast "sister republic"

[Wendell]

I could see this with a William Henry Harrison lives POD.

 

[Eckener]

I could see this with a William Henry Harrison lives POD.

So that's one of the things with my draft TL that I've got going. A lot of the big political names in the early half of the 19th century in the US got their start in some way or other thanks to the War of 1812, and their part in helping lead to an American victory (such as William Henry Harrison AND Andrew Jackson). With the war being a clear American defeat, will these be men that go on to lead the USA? Some might. Others may be part of the western emigres leaving the United States behind to seek fortune and glory elsewhere.

 

[GeneralInTheShell]

Theres a lot of "the USA will inevitably expand from shore to shore" here.

Because it was the popular sentiment of the vast majority of Anglo-Americans outside of New England at the time. The issue took Polk, a veritable "literally who"-tier politician and led to him defeating Martin Van Bueren, a far more established Democratic politician who opposed President Tyler's attempt to annex Texas, for the Democratic Presidential Nominee. Then it led to Polk defeating Henry Clay and becoming president. Most Texans wanted annexation; most Southerners wanted annexation; most Westerners (Illinoisans, Missourians, and the like) wanted annexation, and while many New Englanders, New Yorkers, and Pennsylvanians opposed the annexation of Texas because of their opposition to the extension of slavery, they supported the concept of Manifest Destiny. Most Anglo-Californians supported annexation and had supported it since the first time Alta-California had revolted against Mexican central authority and they were betrayed by the governor who fearing that they would push for annexation into the United States used his military victories to make Alta-California more autonomous rather than being outright independent. Northern Californian cattle ranchers were already more closely tied economically to the New England cattle trade than they were to the economy of Central Mexico and civil war conditions were emerging in Northern California by 1846 when Polk started his illegal war with Mexico. Trying to prevent this sort of popular sentiment is a much bigger ask than "What if X battle turned out differently?" and most of the "changes" you talk about that could have prevented this sort of sentiment are not simple or easy changes. They are enormous and unlikely shifts that require things like either the whole of the Napoleonic wars to play out differently or the Mexican Revolution to play out dramatically different than it did and not turn into the horrific 11-year slugfest that so devastated the country.

If California goes independent earlier rather than settling for greater autonomy, then the vast majority of Anglo-Californians will agitate for annexation, just as they did IOTL and as more Anglo-Americans flood into the newborn country, the Californio population will continue to be a shrinking demographic who will either have to bend to the will of the Anglo-American migrants or (just as likely) fight a civil war/revolutionary war against Northern California, perhaps even having to invite Mexico back into the country just as the Yucatecos had to invite Mexico back into the Yucatan when they were losing their war against the Maya.

I'm not saying that "Manifest Destiny" is an inevitability, but I am saying that the trends that led to it being such a popular ideology are difficult to counteract without enormous changes. I recommend A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico by Amy Greenburg if you are interested in seeing how pervasive and widespread the sentiment of Manifest Destiny was and how it took the Mexican-American war dragging on for far longer than people believed it would and it being far more gruesome for a large swath of the American public to turn against the ideology. And even then, voicing sentiment against it and against the war was politically toxic for men like Lincoln and Clay in the South and West.

 

[ThatHistoryLover]

Okay, so here is a working draft I have of how we might end up with independent west coast republics. Would love some feedback before I dive into the details to get beyond where I am currently at (and of course, open to suggestions on where to go with said details).

The timeline is really interesting, but there are a couple problems IMO.
1. Hamilton was an immigrant and would not have been eligible* to become President/Vice President. Instead, he was powerful because he could manipulate people. This is probably the most nit picky of my critiques, just and in an “oh also the constitution was a bit different” in 1787 or replace him with somebody he had strong control over, like John Jay.
2. He also wasn’t the leader of the Federalist Party, it was severely split between people who sided with the establishment, moderate Adams (the one party member Hamilton couldn’t control) and the radical, cocky Hamilton. In 1800, the party split over how to handle the Quasi-War. While they could work together, Adams wouldn’t have just given up and let Hamilton take the spotlight. He hated Hamilton, and still that thought he could gain power. After all, he did actually run in 1804. With John Jay, he maybe might have relinquished his power, especially since he wasn’t well liked by the population after the Alien and Sedition Acts.
3. Jefferson would have gone through every hoop to avoid a war with France, while Hamilton would have declared war over practically nothing. He wanted to declare all-out war on them over extortion and mild raiding. Over armed conflict? Of course. Similarly, Jefferson would have avoided it at all costs. Jefferson probably would have handed Burr over, even if it angered some westerners.* After all, he completely embargoed America’s two biggest trade partners, right after a recession, as a negotiating tactic. You could probably just have Jefferson turn him over instead of Hamilton. However, I understand Hamilton not wanting to be in a war with France and Britain at the same time. I do like the whole Hamilton turning Burr into prison idea, but Hamilton negotiating instead of just going to war feels a bit out of character.
4. Why is there an election in 1814 and not 1816? Is it a typo or did I miss something?

The only things I recommend is replacing Hamilton with John Jay, with jay being effectively a puppet (not unlike OTL) and having Jefferson hand over Burr and make a deal with France instead of Hamilton. Other than that, it’s a really interesting TL, definitely a really good one.

*Corrections:
I'm an idiot, of course Hamilton would have been able to run for office, since he was a citizen at the time the constitution was adopted.
I read the timeline wrong, I thought the war started under Jefferson's control and then Hamilton tried to end it before Britain joined.

 

[TrickyApe]

There's a lot of focus here on Louisiana but it seems to me that the Rockies make a pretty good barrier even if the Louisiana Purchase goes through. I can imagine a settled California with the land beyond the Sierra Nevada left empty of settlers, perhaps dedicated to fur trading in the more hospitable parts. That would be a pretty difficult barrier to breech, given the logistics and the generally undesirable nature of the land along the line of the Rockies.

 

[Strategos' Risk]

If California goes independent earlier rather than settling for greater autonomy, then the vast majority of Anglo-Californians will agitate for annexation, just as they did IOTL and as more Anglo-Americans flood into the newborn country, the Californio population will continue to be a shrinking demographic who will either have to bend to the will of the Anglo-American migrants or (just as likely) fight a civil war/revolutionary war against Northern California, perhaps even having to invite Mexico back into the country just as the Yucatecos had to invite Mexico back into the Yucatan when they were losing their war against the Maya.

Wondering if there could be more Hispanophone settlement from say people fleeing the Mexican wars of independence to offset the Anglo-Californian population. But uncertain if anyone thought that way- Alta California was probably a frontier backwater to them. Certainly with French Louisiana sticking around there could be more French settlers. Also an earlier Gold Rush could always propel all sorts of people heading to there. In any case, a mixed population presents more complications for the U.S. to simply annex.

 

[Deleted member 139407]

1. Hamilton was an immigrant and would not have been eligible to become President/Vice President. Instead, he was powerful because he could manipulate people. This is probably the most nit picky of my critiques, just and in an “oh also the constitution was a bit different” in 1787 or replace him with somebody he had strong control over, like John Jay.

Hamilton absolutely would've been able to run and become President because "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States": he was a citizen at the time of adoption of the Constitution and he would have been in his early 50s in 1808.

 

[oshron]

Hamilton absolutely would've been able to run and become President because "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States": he was a citizen at the time of adoption of the Constitution and he would have been in his early 50s in 1808.

yup. "no person except a natural born citizen" by itself would've invalidated every single one of the Founding Fathers from becoming President since, y'know, the US didn't exist for them to be born in at the time.

 

[Eckener]

Because it was the popular sentiment of the vast majority of Anglo-Americans outside of New England at the time. The issue took Polk, a veritable "literally who"-tier politician and led to him defeating Martin Van Bueren, a far more established Democratic politician who opposed President Tyler's attempt to annex Texas, for the Democratic Presidential Nominee. Then it led to Polk defeating Henry Clay and becoming president. Most Texans wanted annexation; most Southerners wanted annexation; most Westerners (Illinoisans, Missourians, and the like) wanted annexation, and while many New Englanders, New Yorkers, and Pennsylvanians opposed the annexation of Texas because of their opposition to the extension of slavery, they supported the concept of Manifest Destiny. Most Anglo-Californians supported annexation and had supported it since the first time Alta-California had revolted against Mexican central authority and they were betrayed by the governor who fearing that they would push for annexation into the United States used his military victories to make Alta-California more autonomous rather than being outright independent. Northern Californian cattle ranchers were already more closely tied economically to the New England cattle trade than they were to the economy of Central Mexico and civil war conditions were emerging in Northern California by 1846 when Polk started his illegal war with Mexico. Trying to prevent this sort of popular sentiment is a much bigger ask than "What if X battle turned out differently?" and most of the "changes" you talk about that could have prevented this sort of sentiment are not simple or easy changes. They are enormous and unlikely shifts that require things like either the whole of the Napoleonic wars to play out differently or the Mexican Revolution to play out dramatically different than it did and not turn into the horrific 11-year slugfest that so devastated the country.

If California goes independent earlier rather than settling for greater autonomy, then the vast majority of Anglo-Californians will agitate for annexation, just as they did IOTL and as more Anglo-Americans flood into the newborn country, the Californio population will continue to be a shrinking demographic who will either have to bend to the will of the Anglo-American migrants or (just as likely) fight a civil war/revolutionary war against Northern California, perhaps even having to invite Mexico back into the country just as the Yucatecos had to invite Mexico back into the Yucatan when they were losing their war against the Maya.

I'm not saying that "Manifest Destiny" is an inevitability, but I am saying that the trends that led to it being such a popular ideology are difficult to counteract without enormous changes. I recommend A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico by Amy Greenburg if you are interested in seeing how pervasive and widespread the sentiment of Manifest Destiny was and how it took the Mexican-American war dragging on for far longer than people believed it would and it being far more gruesome for a large swath of the American public to turn against the ideology. And even then, voicing sentiment against it and against the war was politically toxic for men like Lincoln and Clay in the South and West.

I don't disagree with you on this, that after a certain point not supporting the general westward expansion of the USA is political suicide for any politician. The examples you cite back up that concept pretty clearly. What I am wanting, in part at least, to explore here is how to get to a world where the manifest destiny policy is not able to take root. It would take changes not long after independence is settled (the lack of a Louisiana Purchase I think would be part of it, along with changes in the Napoleonic Wars as you've alluded to).

At the end of the day, my main interest lies more in what such an independent West Coast might look like, and how the rest of the continent would function, and less on the nitty-gritty details of how independence is achieved. Not saying that information isn't important, nor do I plan to completely ignore it. Just isn't going to be my primary focus.

The timeline is really interesting, but there are a couple problems IMO.
1. Hamilton was an immigrant and would not have been eligible to become President/Vice President. Instead, he was powerful because he could manipulate people. This is probably the most nit picky of my critiques, just and in an “oh also the constitution was a bit different” in 1787 or replace him with somebody he had strong control over, like John Jay.
2. He also wasn’t the leader of the Federalist Party, it was severely split between people who sided with the establishment, moderate Adams (the one party member Hamilton couldn’t control) and the radical, cocky Hamilton. In 1800, the party split over how to handle the Quasi-War. While they could work together, Adams wouldn’t have just given up and let Hamilton take the spotlight. He hated Hamilton, and still that thought he could gain power. After all, he did actually run in 1804. With John Jay, he maybe might have relinquished his power, especially since he wasn’t well liked by the population after the Alien and Sedition Acts.
3. Jefferson would have gone through every hoop to avoid a war with France, while Hamilton would have declared war over practically nothing. He wanted to declare all-out war on them over extortion and mild raiding. Over armed conflict? Of course. Similarly, Jefferson would have avoided it at all costs. Jefferson probably would have handed Burr over, even if it angered some westerners. After all, he completely embargoed America’s two biggest trade partners, right after a recession, as a negotiating tactic. You could probably just have Jefferson turn him over instead of Hamilton. However, I understand Hamilton not wanting to be in a war with France and Britain at the same time. I do like the whole Hamilton turning Burr into prison idea, but Hamilton negotiating instead of just going to war feels a bit out of character.
4. Why is there an election in 1814 and not 1816? Is it a typo or did I miss something?

The only things I recommend is replacing Hamilton with John Jay, with jay being effectively a puppet (not unlike OTL) and having Jefferson hand over Burr and make a deal with France instead of Hamilton. Other than that, it’s a really interesting TL, definitely a really good one.

Glad you think its interesting!

Others already beat me to pointing out that Hamilton was as eligible as any of the other founders to run for president so I won't dwell on that bit. As for your point in number 2, my thinking was that, by 1808, Adams would have slid to more of the background as an unpopular ex-president, and Hamilton would have come back to more of the foreground and been able to gain the nomination for the presidency and eek out a win over a divided DR party.
As for number 3, Jefferson had been out of office since 1809, before Burr was arrested, and before any armed conflict got started. I actually have over two years of war (started by Hamilton), and Hamilton only reluctantly went to the negotiating table after the French threaten war over the continued incidents going on along the Mississippi. So I'm not sure what your objection is here. Hamilton DOES go to war, and only agrees to negotiate to avoid a fight with two different nations at the same time.
And yes, as for number four, that was a typo on my part, I'm moving that to 1816 where it belongs.

There's a lot of focus here on Louisiana but it seems to me that the Rockies make a pretty good barrier even if the Louisiana Purchase goes through. I can imagine a settled California with the land beyond the Sierra Nevada left empty of settlers, perhaps dedicated to fur trading in the more hospitable parts. That would be a pretty difficult barrier to breech, given the logistics and the generally undesirable nature of the land along the line of the Rockies.

As pointed out elsewhere, once America has a claim to all the land from the Mississippi to the Rockies, it becomes MUCH harder to avoid the manifest destiny drive to move further and further westward.

I do think you are right that IF you have independent states on the west coast, you end up with a much more depopulated Rocky Mountain region compared to OTL. Especially if you have the middle of the continent also independent of the US as I have shaping up. Most of the states will be more focused on ocean-going commerce, and overland routes will be secondary, and won't drive the same sort of development we saw in OTL, when so much of that development was driven as part of the effort to connect the coasts together.

Wondering if there could be more Hispanophone settlement from say people fleeing the Mexican wars of independence to offset the Anglo-Californian population. But uncertain if anyone thought that way- Alta California was probably a frontier backwater to them. Certainly with French Louisiana sticking around there could be more French settlers. Also an earlier Gold Rush could always propel all sorts of people heading to there. In any case, a mixed population presents more complications for the U.S. to simply annex.

Sounds pretty plausible to me!

 

[TrickyApe]

As pointed out elsewhere, once America has a claim to all the land from the Mississippi to the Rockies, it becomes MUCH harder to avoid the manifest destiny drive to move further and further westward.

I wouldn't assume this to necessarily be the case. The idea of expansion according to a manifest destiny is often left fairly vague, so it's important to understand how it would work in the case of a "sister republic" west of the Rocky Mountains.

There's often an idea that American settlers were fated, or driven, or something like that to just move West and occupy lands of their own accord, in some sort of unstoppable wave. That's not going to happen in the Rocky Mountain area. It's not East Texas with its cotton lands. There's barely any land for farming at all nearby, if we assume the international border is at the Continental Divide or somewhere thereabouts. Even in OTL the traffic along the Oregon and California trails was just passing through, on the way to good land closer to the coast. If that land is controlled by an organized polity (better organized than Mexican California at least) and is known to be closed to unauthorized settlers, you'd be hard pressed to find people to fill wagon trains on such an adventure. In this sense, a Rockies border is much more resistant to penetration that one somewhere around the Mississippi.

The other possibility is one of international conflict, in which the US simply goes to war and conquers the other republic. That's certainly possible, despite the formidable logistics required, since one can safely assume a huge disparity in population and other resources. But there are a lot of variables that might work the other way. If California is truly a "sister republic" in the Jeffersonian sense, why would the US go to war with it? On the other hand, if California is under the influence of some European country or another, then it's probably protected and the US might hesitate to start a large war. There was a sense that Canada should become part of the US too, but of course the practicalities precluded serious moves in that direction.

 

[ThatHistoryLover]

Hamilton absolutely would've been able to run and become President because "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States": he was a citizen at the time of adoption of the Constitution and he would have been in his early 50s in 1808.

Ah, my bad. I didn't think of that. Thank you.

 

[ThatHistoryLover]

I don't disagree with you on this, that after a certain point not supporting the general westward expansion of the USA is political suicide for any politician. The examples you cite back up that concept pretty clearly. What I am wanting, in part at least, to explore here is how to get to a world where the manifest destiny policy is not able to take root. It would take changes not long after independence is settled (the lack of a Louisiana Purchase I think would be part of it, along with changes in the Napoleonic Wars as you've alluded to).

At the end of the day, my main interest lies more in what such an independent West Coast might look like, and how the rest of the continent would function, and less on the nitty-gritty details of how independence is achieved. Not saying that information isn't important, nor do I plan to completely ignore it. Just isn't going to be my primary focus.


Glad you think its interesting!

Others already beat me to pointing out that Hamilton was as eligible as any of the other founders to run for president so I won't dwell on that bit. As for your point in number 2, my thinking was that, by 1808, Adams would have slid to more of the background as an unpopular ex-president, and Hamilton would have come back to more of the foreground and been able to gain the nomination for the presidency and eek out a win over a divided DR party.
As for number 3, Jefferson had been out of office since 1809, before Burr was arrested, and before any armed conflict got started. I actually have over two years of war (started by Hamilton), and Hamilton only reluctantly went to the negotiating table after the French threaten war over the continued incidents going on along the Mississippi. So I'm not sure what your objection is here. Hamilton DOES go to war, and only agrees to negotiate to avoid a fight with two different nations at the same time.
And yes, as for number four, that was a typo on my part, I'm moving that to 1816 where it belongs.


As pointed out elsewhere, once America has a claim to all the land from the Mississippi to the Rockies, it becomes MUCH harder to avoid the manifest destiny drive to move further and further westward.

I do think you are right that IF you have independent states on the west coast, you end up with a much more depopulated Rocky Mountain region compared to OTL. Especially if you have the middle of the continent also independent of the US as I have shaping up. Most of the states will be more focused on ocean-going commerce, and overland routes will be secondary, and won't drive the same sort of development we saw in OTL, when so much of that development was driven as part of the effort to connect the coasts together.

Sounds pretty plausible to me!

Number 3 was my mistake, I didn't read it right, my bad.

 

[Deleted member 139407]

Ah, my bad. I didn't think of that. Thank you.

No worries, matey 👋

 

[Strategos' Risk]

A lot of non-AH.com or published AH from way back on wikis or personal sites felt like that. In a way I become increasingly nostalgic for that said creativity as AH becomes more mainstream (so to speak) and historical research rises and plausibility becomes more considered.

I can definitely relate to that. While I do appreciate deeper research and greater plausibility, I too enjoyed that older sort of creativity where the focus was more on creative world building, willing to bend plausibility for the sake of a cool story. I generally try to find a balance between these two ends as best I can.

An archive for non-SA members for the French Revolution nationsim can be found here with details.

How Louisiana stayed French starts here. One season later (Autumn 1792), we're at this:

-Upon hearing of Robespierre’s betrayal of him, Brissot decides to abandon France. The nation is doomed, a rotting carcass too burdened by its history to experience revolutionary change. The only place where the Revolution can thrive is in the New World. Brissot makes one final appearance, just outside Paris, inviting true French Republicans to follow him to the New Orleans before disappearing. Attempts by Lafayette to arrest him before he can escape are a failure. He is spotted in the Port of New Orleans several months later, ready to start a new nation, a new republic.

- A massive influx of immigrants start to arrive in Louisiana. Royalists, Republicans, Babeufists, Haitian exiles, they all see New Orleans as an opportunity to start fresh and escape the chaos of the homeland. De Sade’s initiatives and city planning are able to lessen the impact of some of this mass immigration, but the colonial government can barely keep up. Some particularly adventurous individuals decide to move further north, toward Indian territory.

- They are followed by thousands of soldiers from Saint-Dominique. Realizing their struggle’s futility, French soldiers have moved en masse to New Orleans, abandoning Hispaniola to the freed slaves. The people of Haiti are experiencing freedom for the first time in a long while.

- Using his remaining funds and some anonymous donations from France, Governor De Sade is able to establish a mass schooling system, the first of its kind in the West. People of all trades and backgrounds are able to learn basic skills. De Sade’s popularity in New Orleans explodes.

- In celebration of their beloved leader, the people of New Orleans establish a new holiday known as SADI GRAS. Drinking and debauchery are seen across Louisiana through the night and into the early morning. De Sade himself encourages these celebrations, by paying all prostitutes to offer their services for free for the evening. Thus, a tradition is born. Napoleon’s troops take the opportunity to relax for the first time in a long while.

- De Sade transfers La Garde Libre from his control, to the newly arrived Napoleon. Faced with an incredibly undisciplined fighting force, Napoleon initiates immediate army reforms. He teaches the men how to maintain formation and forms a line of command, both novel concepts to the heavily disorganized body. The group is not transformed overnight, but the foundations are put in place for further improvement.

- Two days after Sadi Gras, to cope with hangovers, Napoleon marches his forces into Northern Louisiana to drive out the Spanish settlers. He finds most of the Spanish garrisons already deserted, having apparently left when France retook the colony. He gives the land to white French settlers.

- In addition to driving out the Spanish, Napoleon maps out a number of new French settlements up north. Using De Sade’s specifications, Napoleon christens dozens of new settlements, which consist of at least 500 Frenchmen each. Several towns come under immediate attack by Indians and mysterious raiders. The city of Bonerville is burned to the ground and its inhabitants scattered across the plains!

 

[Timthehuman]

Just have the people in the Pacific Northwesr be religious oddballs and have American and British sovereignty disputes be worse.

 

[Strategos' Risk]

Besides the French holding on to Louisiana, there's a later POD of Spain retaking parts of Mexico, and similarly hemming in the Americans. Very well-thought out concept:

Spain sent forces to Mexico in Tampico, Tamaulipas and Veracruz, Veracruz per that Wikipedia article posted above. Currently the only major port on the Gulf Coast between Tampico and Veracruz City is Tuxpan in northern Veracruz State and it is much smaller than either of Tampico or Verarcruz City. That is a significant handicap for Mexico, but because of Tuxpan's proximity to Mexico City it will result in a corridor of development in that region greater than OTL.

Spain keeping Southern Veracruz would delay Mexico taking Chiapas allowing it to stay with Central America, and would delay or prevent Mexico's annexation of the Yucatan Peninsula and Central America. If Spain could win in Veracruz, and coax the people there back into allegiance then I believe they would also retain the Yucatan Peninsula and unite it with southern Veracruz. Because the secession of Central America was reportedly bloodless I think it is possible that Spain could coax Central America back into allegiance if they had a strong presence in Veracruz. The Yucatan will probably be a sink of resources in suppressing revolts of the subjugated indigenous people there.

From what I recall, the northeastern states tended to be ambivalent about the Mexican War for Independence and even had a relatively greater portion of their residents being colonial Spaniard families than central Mexico so they might be willing to stay under Spain's authority in exchange for concessions. By holding Tampico I think Spain could negotiate a treaty with Mexico to regain most of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, and Coahuila y Tejas - Bravo Captaincy. Spain might even get to keep, or have a strong claim on, most of New Mexico and the northern half of Chihuahua by following the Rio Grande north. However, I don't think they will get the Conchos river watershed, which is a tributary of the Rio Grande in southern Chihuahua, because the Mexicans will be able to assert dominance on it through short overmountain supply routes from Sinaloa on Mexico's west coast.

This gives Bravo, Veracruz y Yucatan, and Central America - plus the concessions would likely have to be extended to at least Cuba which would secure its allegiance to Spain much more firmly than in OTL. The Spanish American War is much less likely than in the OTL.

Spain and the United States had negotiated a resolution to their dispute over the western portion of the modern state of Louisiana prior to the Mexican War for Independence, but there is still clearly American interest in expanding west from Louisiana. Recall that the USA tried to argue that the Louisiana Purchase extended to Texas' Colorado River in the negotiations for the Adams-Onis Treaty, so they have an interest in that coastal region. From the land claims of this Bravo Captaincy I suspect that Spain would be willing to sell off the part between the Louisiana Purchase and the confluence of Texas' Colorado River with its tributary the Llano River to appease the USA - the East Texas Cession. This would also provide an emigration destination for the Texian settlers in Coahuila y Tejas if Spain wished to maintain the Spanishness of Bravo by expelling the the Texians.

Americans will try to expand further west towards the Continental Divide, especially in fighting against groups like the Comanches, and this could bring the Americans across Texas and into Chihuahua, and New Mexico. Spain could also sell off the land between the above mentioned cession and the watershed of the Pecos River to the USA - the Central Texas Cession. However, I do not believe the Americans would be willing to risk a war with Spain just to get land that is hemmed in by Mexico so I doubt they would invade the upper watersheds of the Rio Grande that constitute OTL New Mexico. What I do think the Americans will do is extend the Missouri Compromise Line to the Pacific to split the "Californias" into ATL Northern and Southern because they desperately want a secure connection to San Francisco Bay, and that line would be a convenient preexisting cartographical feature. That Line gives Tulare Lake to ATL Southern California, and the area of OTL Lake Mead will be south of it as well. There will probably be carve outs on that Line such as to retain most of Monterey Bay for ATL Southern California. America could also make two states out of the Texas Cessions, and maybe increase the size of Oklahoma with the addition of the OTL Texas Panhandle and the northeastern corner of OTL New Mexico. I recall that Oklahoma was originally included in Arkansas so maybe it stays that way and the Trail of Tears doesn't happen as it did in the OTL.

Since OTL there was an American filibuster to break off northern California from Mexico this ATL would likely receive such American subterfuge and would be its version of OTL War of Texan Independence with respect to it's affects on the morale of American culture. If the USA can't negotiate a mostly peaceful purchase of the Colorado River's Upper Watershed, the Great Basin, and ATL Northern California from Mexico then it could secure the complicity of Spain by assisting in the creation of a state over ATL Southern California, Arizona, and Sonora. Spain would probably object to an outright American annexation of all that land. I don't know how much Spain could reincorporate this newborn California y Colorado into it's fold, but stripping ATL Mexico of half of its land claim would probably make ATL Spain pretty smug even if it doesn't get any of it back.

 

[Eckener]

Besides the French holding on to Louisiana, there's a later POD of Spain retaking parts of Mexico, and similarly hemming in the Americans. Very well-thought out concept:

That IS a very intriguing idea.
I'm not sure it would work the same way ITTL, since I am going with Louisiana remaining French - or at least not becoming part of the USA.

My knowledge of Mexican history is rather limited - need to do some reading on that. So I'm not sure just how ALT Mexico would develop with Louisiana remaining French and the USA never getting all the way across the continent. I still think there would be enough Anglo interest that Mexico will have a hard time keeping all of its northernmost territories, but I don't see them all becoming US controlled either. And what independence would look like for those areas in this world is still an open question as well.

 

[Eckener]

Well, after some busy time at work coupled with writer's block, I've got more of the rough draft TL for you:

• 1815​

  • Over the summer, with the uptick in settlers/explorers traveling to Fort Astor (what will eventually become Astoria), Astor’s company officially charters the area as the “Columbia Colony,” setting up a basic system of order and governance that answered to the company. It would be the first - but not the last - privately chartered colony on the West Coast.

• 1816​

  • Astor works out an agreement with the British that recognizes the Pacific Fur Company (and, by extension, its Columbia Colony) as a “multi-national firm,” that owed no specific allegiance to the United States. Although the British had an interest in the region, they did not force Astor to align his settlement with them as long as it was also not officially American. As such, no American flag would fly at Fort Astor. The same year, Fort Brooklyn is set up near OTL Portland, on the Willamette River, near where it enters into the Columbia (the future site of New Brooklyn).
  • The forced removals of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, and Choctaw peoples out of the south and to the Confederacy of Nations begins in earnest in April, after a brief and unsuccessful court battle challenging the removal law passed in 1814. President Hamilton has the army assist the southern states in the marches. It is estimated that close to a third of the natives in the region had already relocated on their own since the end of the Northwest War. Although the Confederacy welcomes the new arrivals with open arms, the influx of refugees puts enormous pressure on the fledgling nation, making it rely more and more on British aid.
  • November: Vice President Pinckney is defeated by DeWitt Clinton and his running mate, Jared Ingersoll (Monroe, having lost twice to Hamilton, declined to run for a third race).

• 1817​

  • In March, DeWitt Clinton becomes the 5th President of the United States.
  • As a result of the fall of Napoleon in 1815 (more or less as per OTL), several thousand Bonapartists flee France for Louisiana, resulting in a colony that chaffs under Bourbon rule. New Orleans tends to be more of a loyalist stronghold, so many of these newer arrivals settle northwards up the Mississippi River, many coalescing around St. Louis.
  • Indiana Territory becomes the State of Franklin (wanting to drop the “Indiana” name now that it was on the border with the Native Confederacy).
  • Founded by Bostonian Peter Seward, the American Pacific Company aims to set up settlements in Puget Sound, with it’s first expeditions setting sail in May. It arrives in late October, setting up Fort Puget on OTL Vashon Island, part of the larger Puget Colony, which was organized by Am-Pac that year when the expedition set out. Seward worked out a deal with the British similar to what Astor had done in 1816.

• 1818​

  • The Willamette Mission is founded near Willamette Falls. Although officially under the auspices of the Columbia Colony Charter, and therefore PFC, this is not a money-making community, but rather a religious commune with a focus on missionary work with the native communities in the region.

• 1819​

  • After repeated demands for a localized colonial legislature fall on deaf ears, and after separate requests to break off the St. Louis region from the administration of New Orleans are similarly ignored, Bonapartists in and around the city organize a revolt that begins to spread. To the frustration of President Clinton, many in the western states support this move and start shipping supplies. By the end of the year, a volunteer group has formed, planning on sending military aid to help the city.
  • Mississippi becomes a state.

• 1820​

  • DeWitt Clinton wins re-election to the presidency, despite a decent challenge from Federalist candidate Louis Baker of Massachusetts. Baker campaigned on a strict neutrality platform when it came to the growing conflict in Louisiana, which President Clinton has spoken out against but refused to categorically refuse to get involved.
  • In Louisiana, the St. Louis Revolt has become a full-blown move for independence, and a defacto civil war, with Loyalists maintaining control of New Orleans, only just barely. The French crown is also slow in response, sending forces to hold New Orleans, but not enough to send an effective counter to put down the independence movement, which has started styling itself the Republic of Illinois (after the traditional French name for the region, and also wanting to separate it from the earlier American attempt at creating an independent state there). Formally, the USA refused any sort of negotiation or recognition of the newly declared independent state, but informally, agents were in contact with Illinoisan leadership, and the governors of territory along the western boundary of the USA also had contact and were sending aid. Private military groups were also continuing to volutneer.

• 1821​

  • The Confederacy of Nations adopts a formalized charter/constitution, after nearly a decade of adhoc rule from Prophetstown. Each nation that had joined the Confederacy received territorial allotment, with some territory held communally by the confederacy - which would be open for either the arrival of new nations in the future, or expansion of existing ones. Each nation was given leeway to govern their territory according to their customs. A bicameral council was established, with a lower council consisting of representatives elected by each nation, and an upper council consisting of the chiefs/governors of each nation (or an appointed deputy). The upper council will then appoint a high chief to act as head of state for the country for five years.
  • In Louisiana, the French authorities finally begin to send larger numbers of troops, and an offensive attack is planned for the spring. This occurs in April, but the Illinoisans are able to stop the advance (with aid from American irregulars and also material aid from the British via the CoN). A second attempt is made in June, and this is also rebuffed. Small skirmishes will continue throughout the rest of the year.
  • Founding of Vanderbilt’s Landing (near OTL Vancouver, WA, and the modern site of Vanderbilt) by Cornellius Vanderbilt, as a subsidiary of PFC (start of what would become the North Chinook Province).
  • The AmPac founds the settlements of New Boston (OTL Seattle), and Fort Tahoma (OTL Tacoma).
  • Alabama becomes a state.

• 1822​

  • The Illinoisans win a major offensive battle at Arkansas Post in May, and start invading core lower Louisiana. At the same time, they work with local partisans in New Orleans to touch off a revolt there as well, which - while failing to take the city, weakens the Royalist positions and puts large areas of the surrounding countryside in rebel hands. France has threatened war with both the United States and Britain, but both are able to *technically* claim neutrality, since neither government has formally given aid to the Illinoisans. Western “Democrats” push for more involvement - as they’d like to claim some, if not all, of the upper Louisiana region - while eastern “Republicans,” like the President, want to avoid war.
  • Harmony, another “planned community,” is established further up the Willamette River, near OTL Salem. Concerned about the interest in these non-profit communities, the PFC sets up Fort Oregon, near OTL Newberg, to act both as a financial and administrative center for the northern Willamette Valley. There is a slow but growing tension between the “for-profit” settlers from the Columbia and those in the Valley that are seeking to live more in harmony with the native peoples of the region.
  • Maine is separated from Massachusetts and becomes a state.

• 1823​

  • Battle of Batton Rouge, June 13. French Royalists are defeated. In the weeks that follow, rebels in New Orleans rise up against the French administrators, and control of the city essentially falls to the local rebels (who declare a separate republic from that operating out of St. Louis). The United States - trying to gain the most from the opportunity - offers to host peace talks between the French and their rebellious colonists.
  • Talks begin in Boston between the French and the Illinois rebels in August.
  • On November 22, the Treaty of Boston is signed, formally recognizing the independence of the Louisiana territory as two separate entities: the Republic of Louisiana, and the Republic of Illinois. The USA was guaranteed river access, as were both of the new republics. Louisiana would be approximately OTL Louisiana and Arkansas, with Illinois more vaguely defined, mostly OTL Missouri and Iowa in practicality. In the agreement, the two republics are barred from annexation into the USA - on the threat of war from France. There will be increased talk of filibustering territory farther north and west, but for now, this will be respected.

• 1824​

  • Thanks to the East-West split between the former Democratic-Republicans (now essentially operating as separate sectional parties), Louis Baker of Massachusetts, a Federalist, is elected as President, with Congressman Benjamin Buttler of Virginia as his VP.

• 1825​

  • President Baker forges an alliance with the western Democrats, on the issue of domestic improvements, wanting to sponsor a system of national roads to help link the country together, which the Westerners support as a way to connect themselves to the rest of the country. The Republicans remain opposed to such projects being funded federally, preferring to keep them done either privately, or in state-private partnership at the local/regional level.
  • On April 3, the Federalist-Democratic alliance passes the Federal Roads Act, which is signed into law by President Baker, which will set up a series of roads to connect the East Coast with the interior, in addition to at least one North-South road to link the coast together (work on the northern sections will begin quickly, but work on the southern sections will lag due to various court hearings and other attempts by southern Republicans to stall).
  • June 1, the first Assembly of the Columbia is held at Ft. Brooklyn. It is an unsanctioned, ad-hoc popular assembly designed to put pressure on the company administration in Astoria to open things up to a proper democratic government. They pass the Fort Brooklyn Declarations on June 15th, demanding the creation of a popularly elected assembly along with a popularly elected governor to replace the company-appointed governor and administrators. Company Governor Hiram Thornwhistle is sympathetic but says his hands are tied due to company policy, though he promises to pass the declarations back to Astor in New York.
  • September - The Fort Brooklyn Declarations arrive in New York, and JJ Astor decides to send his son, William, to negotiate with the Assembly. He gives permission to concede to the demands in part, as long as the company retains some sort of upper executive function. William Astor will arrive in Astoria the following year and negotiations will begin in earnest after that.

• 1826​

  • In March, the Second Assembly of the Columbia meets and begins negotiations with William Astor, Governor Thornwhistle, and other company officials. In the end, after nearly a month of negotiations, the Assembly approves the Charter of the Columbia, which will act as the colony’s constitution until independence. It creates a unicameral Assembly, with representatives coming from each county equally (5 reps per county - and each county essentially centered on one of the major communities in the colony: Astoria, Fort Brooklyn, Vanderbilt’s Landing, Willamette Mission, Fort Oregon, and Harmony). The colony would formally be led by the “Executive Council,” which would be headed by an elected governor, and consist of that official, the company’s “Chief Colonial Officer” two other Company Councilors, and the Speaker of the Assembly. This way, the company keeps some executive controls but cedes some power to the new Assembly. Assembly elections would be held every five years, along with the governor. Company officials would be appointed at the will of executives back in New York, with William Astor assuming the role of CCO - initially only until New York approved of a suitable candidate, but this would end up being a lifetime role for the son of J.J. Astor. Thornwhistle is appointed as Deputy CCO for Internal Affairs - one of the Company Councilors. Benjamin Pillar is elected as Governor, and Peter Yates as Speaker of the Assembly.
  • In June, the Illinois Senate adopts a law that restricts settlement in the “outer districts” of the republic to those who have been citizens for more than five years (with grandfather clauses worked in for residents of French/colonial birth from prior to the revolution). This is aimed at preventing filibustering Americans from trying to settle far-flung chunks of the republic’s territory and then trying to break it off to form either their own nation or join the United States.

• 1827​

  • A group of pioneers and speculators led by a Kentuckian named John Marshall Fellows starts a trek to the western edges of what had been the Louisiana territory at the edge of the Rocky Mountains. They cross through the Republic of Louisiana, not Illinois, as the former is not as picky about American settlers (in fact, it encourages them to try and help settle the “Western District.” The Fellows’ Party will reach the area around OTL Denver in June, founding what would become Avalon City.
  • Private financiers in Canada set up the Canadian Pacific Trading Company, and set up a base on OTL Vancouver Island. The settlement is named Fort George, after the King, George IV.

• 1828​

  • Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun make an alliance between the Democrats and the Republicans in order to recapture the White House, and campaign together (with Clahoun as the head of the ticket) to try and oust President Baker. The election is a close one, as some Democrats are not fond of the alliance, but in the end, the joint ticket prevails, and Calhoun is elected President.
  • In April, the Puget Colony - with permission from company HQ back in Boston - sets up a representative assembly. It will not be as authoritative as its counterpart in Columbia, but the first real step towards self-government in Puget Sound.

• 1829​

  • President Calhoun and Vice President Clay take office. Calhoun promises to champion infrastructure projects that will help support the westward movement of settlers and commerce, and also the expansion/protection of slavery as best he can. He also promises to increase the military’s presence in the west, which is nervous about both the two Louisianne Republics along with the Confederacy of Nations.

• 1830​

  • President Calhoun championed - and ultimately signs - the Fugitive Slave Act, which requires officials in any state to capture and return runaway slaves to their masters. This is immediately challenged in Federalist-controlled New England, which has outlawed slavery, and where the general sentiment and practice has been for nearly a generation that if a slave makes it to their territory, they are considered free (something that both Massachusetts and Rhode Island have placed as law, not just common practice).
• 1831
  • In Massachusetts v. US, the Supreme Court rules that the Fugitive Slave Act is constitutional, as the federal government has the power to regulate inter-state relations. “Items considered property in one state, must be considered property in all states.” This is quickly interpreted to mean that a slave owner could relocate with his slaves anywhere in the country and keep his human property, which outraged the north further. It also doesn’t sit well with some westerners who don’t like that the Democrats have sided with the pro-Slavery Republicans.
  • Columbian Election: Governor Pillar is reelected, and Peter Yates remains as Speaker of the Assembly. There is a growing debate on the company land policy, which remains highly unpopular in much of the colony - that all land within the colony’s boundaries is owned by the company, and only leased to the citizens, and the company holds the right to end a lease on relatively short notice should it decide it needs to. Such action is controlled by the office of the CCO. Some of the not-for-profit communities fear that the CCO might try and dissolve their communities as part of a power grab - these communities are not popular with the Astors but have attracted a fair number of settlers from the USA and Europe, and they tend to be some of the loudest political agitators as well, especially the town of Harmony. (Puget Sound operates under a somewhat different policy. All of the settlements are company-owned, with citizens given permission to lease land to build their own buildings. However, all other lands outside the towns, while initially company property, is sold to new owners, not leased).
• 1832
  • In the presidential election, the Federalists nominated Benjamin Banner, Congressman from New York for President, with Thomas Harlow, Governor of Ohio as VP. They campaign on the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act, and doubling infrastructure efforts, along with maintaining peace with the Confederacy and Illinois. President Calhoun and VP Clay campaign on “Status Quo,” keeping the FSA in place and beefing up security on the Mississippi - along with not interfering with “explorers who seek to venture westwards” (a clear nod to tacit support for filibustering efforts out in the far western reaches of Illinois). In the end, Calhoun and Clay are reelected with a comfortable margin.
• 1833
  • Despite VP Clay, some western Democrats are becoming disaffected with the “Grand Alliance,” worried that President Calhoun and Congress are being too pro-slavery and not pro-west enough. At the same time, there are some in the NE who are less concerned with the Federalist “pro-national” agenda and are more concerned with societal reform - and the abolition of slavery. By the end of the year, these disaffected NE federalists will form the Liberal Party. Out West, we will see the formation of the People’s Party, which is neutral-to-hostile on slavery and wants to protect small farmers.
• 1834
  • Puget Incident - July 6, a British Royal Navy ship lands at Fort Puget, claiming that they have been tracking down smugglers that have been causing problems up at Fort George. They demand to be able to search the town and the ships docked there - and permission to cross over and do the same at New Boston and Tahoma. The Governor refuses, and there is a minor scuffle, and two British sailors and seven townsmen are killed. Company owners will launch a formal protest when word reaches the East Coast months later. In the meantime, the Puget Sound Colony begins to organize a militia and there's a discussion of attacking Fort George. In the end, the leaders at Fort Puget and New Boston are able to get cooler heads to prevail, and lodge a formal complaint with the British governor at Fort George and send one back to company offices in Boston. Word arrives in December, and the company lodges a formal complaint at the British Embassy in D.C. This quickly captures the attention of the national press - and then back to Britain and up into Canada.
• 1835
  • The Puget Incident captures the national imagination - with some calling for military action over the attack on American citizens living abroad, which has more or less been the status of the colonial inhabitants. The US does not formally claim the territory, but it does recognize those people as its citizens. In March, President Calhoun proposes a summit with the British Foreign Minister in Montreal, along with representatives from the PFC and the APC. In the end, the Montreal Accords state the following:
    • The USA and the British formally recognize the PFC and APC colonial boundaries, as “independent, multi-national entities.”
    • That the USA officially drops all claims to the Pacific Northwest, but Americans who live within the aforementioned colonial boundaries are free to keep their citizenship.
    • Britain will no longer send military forces within the colonial boundaries.
  • Within six months of this agreement, however, the British start checking all ships going into Puget Sound before they cross over into the colonial claim, keeping tensions simmering.
• 1836
  • US Presidential Election - Henry Clay was elected, though he faced a stern challenger from Federalist Josiah Logan of New York and rising star Alexander Willard of Ohio. The slavery issue is pushing many Westerners away from the Republicans, and the Federalists have made a more openly hostile stance towards slavery - calling for a curtailment of the practice over a period of twenty-five years, and abolishment of the Fugitive Slave Law, which has remained a sore fight in the North, where many officials refuse to enforce despite fines and even jail time.
  • Columbian Election: Formal political parties have started to emerge:
    • The People’s Party - advocating for sweeping protections for workers and farmers, including an end to the company land ownership policy, which has remained in force despite nearly a decade of agitation against it.
    • The Columbia Party - the pro-company party that is all big-business
    • The Naturalist Party - primarily popular around the settlement of Harmony, advocating for less destructive practices in the natural environment, as well as coexistence with the native peoples of the region.
    • The Independence Party - advocating for full independence for the colony and the creation of a republic.
    • Election Results:
      • Columbia - 57% - Peter Yates remains as Speaker, and Governor Pilar is also reelected - and there are growing rumblings of term limits.
      • People’s - 33%
      • Independence - 7%
      • Naturalist - 3%
• 1837
• 1838
  • Tennessee & Kentucky both vote to curtail slavery on a basis similar to the Federalist plan that had been proposed in 1836 - shocking the Deep South and raising fears of what would happen in the next Presidential election.
  • Puget Sound Colony adopts a formal Charter of Government, expanding the role of the Representative Assembly, which will now meet in New Boston, which is declared the capital of the colony, instead of Puget City. The Assembly’s chairman will serve on the company-appointed Colonial Board of Directors, acting as its Deputy Governor.
• 1839
  • Maryland and Delaware approve of the gradual curtailment of slavery in their states. The laws in both states follow Kentucky and Tennessee’s example: The state shall buy and manumit all slaves within 25 years, and immediately bans the sale and transfer of new slaves into the state. Maryland follows the same said example by stating that all children born of slaves after five years' time would be free. Delaware’s law is more radical, stating that all children born after the signing of the law would be free.
• 1840
  • US Presidential Election - With growing sentiment to curtail slavery over a quarter century, as has now been approved of in four states, Federalist Andrew Willard is able to oust President Clay in the election, promising to bring manumission and the phasing out of slavery to the whole country. His victory strikes a panic in the Deep South.
  • December 9 - Georgia votes to secede from the Union, triggering the start of The Crisis.
• 1841
  • January - South Carolina, Florida, and Alabama vote to secede.
  • February - North Carolina, Mississippi, and Virginia vote to secede. Tennessee and Maryland reject secession. The Kentucky legislature refuses to hold a vote on the topic.
  • March 4 - President Willard is sworn in as president of the USA, and on that same day the governor of Georgia invites delegates from the seceding states to meet in Atlanta to create a new country
  • March 20th - the Federation of Dixie is declared.
  • April 1 - Fighting breaks out in Virginia between Federal troops refusing to surrender a fort in Norfolk.
  • June - With the start of the conflict in the USA, and an uptick in people trying to get out of the USA, the Columbian Election has an upset:
    • Columbia Party - 41%
    • People’s Party 37%
    • Independence Party - 14%
    • Naturalist Party - 8%
    • For the first time, no single party has a majority, resulting in a coalition between the People’s Party, the Independence Party, and the Naturalist Party, known as the Great Coalition, and headed by PP leader Thomas Gains, who becomes the new Speaker of the Assembly.
    • Governor Pilar declined to run for reelection - term limits were not passed in the previous session, but he decided to bow to popular pressure despite company support. This results in the election of George Banner, a popular philanthropist in New Brooklyn.
• 1842
  • March - pro-Federationalists in Kentucky and Tennessee declare the western parts of their state to be the “State of Washington,” and launch a campaign to overthrow the legitimate governments of both states and bring them into the Federation - an effort ultimately successful in Tennessee, but not in Kentucky.
  • After hushed negotiations with CCO William Astor, in which Speaker Gains assures the PFC that company property will be honored and treated as favorably as possible, the Columbian Assembly votes to declare independence from the PFC and any remaining claims from the United States on June 7th, and declares the Columbia Colony to be the Republic of the Columbia. For the time being, the Colonial Charter is essentially confirmed as the constitution of the new republic, with the only real change being the removal of company officials from the Executive Council, which would now serve as the governor’s appointed cabinet, approved of by the “National Assembly.” The PFC flag, which had been a simple blue field with the letters PFC in green, was replaced by a flag with two green stripes, separated by a blue stripe, representing the Columbia River.
  • The Federation halts a Union attempt at taking Richmond, essentially stalling the Army of the Atlantic from making further inroads farther south, ending its so-called “March to Atlanta.”
• 1843
  • April 1st - The Columbian National Assembly passes a law formally ending PFC land control practices. If the land had not been directly developed for company use, the land reverted either to the republic or to the owner of any such development on the land (homes, farms, businesses, etc). The other land of the republic that had been claimed by the company but not developed was placed in “public trust,” to be sold off to raise money as needed - and, with a proviso added by the Naturalist Party, some land would remain in permanent trust. When word of this reaches back to the East Coast, there is more than a little outrage, but the plan had been endorsed, in principle at least, by William Astor.
  • Following the example of their “brethren to the south,” the Puget Sound Colony declares independence from the home company and any nominal US claim on May 9th, as the Republic of Puget Sound. Almost immediately, leaders from both republics begin to put out feelers about combining the two nations as one.
  • November 13: President Willard and Congress flee Washington as the Federation’s army marches on the city. Britain and France both declared recognition of the Federation after this victory, and begin giving some assistance.
• 1844
  • April 12-14: Battle of Philadelphia. The Federation wins, and captures the President and some of Congress.
  • April 16th: Cease Fire is declared.
  • April 22nd: President Willard signs the Treaty of Philadelphia, which legally recognizes the sovereignty of the Federation of Dixie - including Tennessee, and ends the fighting. Congress will ratify the treaty on April 29th, bringing the war to a close.
  • June: The Independence Party and the Columbia Party combine to establish the Union Party - which officially supports the creation of a new republic with Puget Sound. This position is also supported by the People’s Party. The name “Grand Cascadia” floats around in newspapers in both Republics.
  • US Presidential Election - President Willard declines to run for reelection, and his VP, Terrance McAlfie of New Hampshire, runs only a token campaign. Western Democrat Patrick Lawler of Kentucky wins in a landslide.

• 1845
  • March 20th - The Republic of Columbia and the Republic of the Sound sign the Treaty of Astoria, formally announcing that the two republics will unite to form the Republic of the Cascades. The constitutional convention will last until May, and largely borrows from the structure of the Columbia Colony, which had a more independent colonial government:
    • Executive Branch:
      • The Council of State, headed by the Executive Councilor - would be appointed by legislature, who would then appoint his fellow councilors (executive department heads).
        • The CoS can pass temporary orders that can be in effect for up to one year, provided that 3/4s of the councilors agree to the motion, it is approved by the ExC, and it is approved by the GG. The National Assembly can override any executive order with a 2/3s vote.
      • The Governor-General, elected at large by the populace every six years, and would serve as head of state with some limited powers:
        • Can order new elections to the National Assembly - on his own, the elections would happen in 120 days, or, with CoS approval, 60 days.
        • GG’s approval is required on all legislation, though their veto can be overridden.
    • Legislative Branch: Unicameral National Assembly, which would have elections every three years. Assemblymen would be limited to five terms. A new Council of State would be chosen after each election (or the previous one maintained). ExCs would NOT be allowed to be Assembly members.
      • Regular legislation requires only a 51% majority to pass.
      • Treaties, taxes, and budgets require 2/3s the majority to pass.
      • Declarations of war require a 3/4s majority to pass.
      • No confidence in the CoS, or Impeachment of the GG both requires a 3/4s majority to pass.
    • Judicial Branch:
      • High Court of the Republic - the highest court of appeals in the nation.
      • Constitutional Review Court - gives an automatic review and final approval of any law passed by the NA before it is approved by the executive branch, to ensure that the law is in line with the constitution. Will also hear any suit claiming that a law, policy, or action taken by the government as a whole or an individual officer of the government is unconstitutional.
    • Rights:
      • Freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion.
      • Right to a fair and speedy trial by jury
      • Right to vote at 21 for all men, regardless of race.
    • Responsibilities:
      • Jury service
      • 3 years of “national service” for all men, 18-20, which will consist of a mix of military training and service, along with labor - infrastructure building, as the new government hopes to start developing propper roads and even railroads, along with better harbor infrastructure.
      • Voting - once every three years.
  • Elections for the national assembly are held in June, with more than half a dozen different political parties represented.
    • Union Party (pro-business, city, industry & pro central gov’t) - 34%
    • People’s Party (pro farmer, worker, & pro central gov’t) - 29 %
    • Naturalist Party (pro farmer, anti-city, protect nature & natives) - 12%
    • Regionalist Party (weak central government, more power to the “districts) - 17%
    • Federalist Party (dissolve the districts, have all decisions made by the national government) - 6%
    • Liberty Party (devolve almost all control to the local communities, forming a loose “Cascadian Alliance” instead of a more organized state) - 2%
    • This results in Union Party leader Harrison Mitchel of Columbia being appointed as first ExC, and creating a “Grand Coalition” (Union, People, and Naturalist) for the Council of State. Joshua Campbell of Puget Sound is elected as the first Governor-General. The new government takes office on July 1st.
• 1846
  • With the USA now weakened and still in political disarray, the British decide to try and take control of the PNW, and send a small flotilla and nearly 3,000 marines to occupy Puget Sound, landing at New Boston on April 9th. This launches a year-long struggle by the Republic of the Cascades to achieve independence.
  • September 10 - Battle of the Columbia - the British attempt to sail up the Columbia River to occupy Astoria and possibly New Brooklyn (as a precaution, the government evacuates the capital at Astoria and relocates to New Brooklyn - with plans in place to go up the Willamette in case of further disaster). However, thanks to the weather and good strategy, the British are driven back, and the battle is considered a success for the Republic.
• 1847
  • April 14 - Battle of the Sound - after nearly a week of fighting, the British are driven out of New Boston and Puget City (Tahoma had remained free, although it had been bombarded several times).
  • August 3 - Battle of Fort George: the Cascadians, along with help from Mexico, Illinois, Louisiana, and even some from Dixie and the USA, occupy the settlement, and force the British to the negotiating table.
  • October 11 - Treaty of New Orleans signed, which formally recognizes the independence of Cascadia by all nations in North America. Vancouver Islands is ceded to the Cascadians as well. The border between the RotC and British North America is set at the 51st Parallel. The southern border with Mexican California was set at the 41st Parallel, with Mexico formally dropping any potential claim to the PNW. The eastern border was nominally agreed to be the ridgeline of the Cascades when south of the Columbia River, and the Columbia River itself when it veered northwards out at least to the 119th line of latitude, but acknowledged that the RotC would have an informal claim on lands farther to the east that they would have the opportunity to enforce as settlement spread.
  • November 1: The Republic of Cascadia votes to create a new capital city across the river from New Brooklyn, in an area sparsely settled, to be called Cascadia City. Grand plans were soon drawn up for a capital that the Cascadians hoped would one day surpass Washington, D.C. (in the meantime, the government would remain in New Brooklyn).
• 1848
  • The northern Mexican territories of Texas, New Mexico, and California all announced secession from the Mexican Empire.
  • US Presidential Election - President Lawler wins reelection.
  • Cascadian Election - ExC Mitchel and the Grand Coalition retained.

I'm also working out ideas for a story set in this world, taking place in 1942 as the Cascadians prepare to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their declaration of independence. More on that later.