WI: The CS-US Duel Protectorate of Indian Territories

What if the Indian Territories were kept as a protectorate under both the USA and CSA after the event of the CSA gaining independence?

This is an idea that was listed on another thread about alternate boarders that could be drawn after a CS victory and I would like to see it discussed more. I find it to be an interesting change from the idea of the Indian Territories almost always being given to the CSA.
 
This could be very good for the Indians. In a US/CS split, neither side would probably want white settlers from the other side moving into the territory, leaving the Indian's land more intact and the Indians themselves a little less exposed to disease, alcohol and violence. In the long term, however, it may be difficult to run effective social programs for the Natives (such as free health care) if said programs have to be set up by the bureaucracies of two potentially hostile nations, which could harm the native population recovery that began after the Indian New Deal IOTL*




*of course, there is the argument that greater autonomy has greater impact on the wellbeing of the Native American population than any government program. I do not know enough of the research to really support one conclusion or the other.
 
It might work, buffer states can be very useful. They can be great hot beds of intrigue and a neutral place to do business. The state would need to be like Switzerland and both the US and the CS would need to guarantee it's independence. I'm assuming that you are talking about the Cherokee in Oklahoma It would have to be big enough to be viable, but given that the great plains were considered to be the great american desert at the time, that could be done.
If done right it might end up being a cross between Switzerland and Monaco
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
I plead guilty to planting this idea in SPJ's head in this thread. I must admit, though, that I am not sure I included the idea because it seems plausible or because it would make for a more interesting and fun TL.
 
Let's not forget Oklahoma has oil and natural gas. Rather than Switzerland and Monaco, this might look more like Kuwait.

Now I just an evil thought of tribal overlords treating American employees the way oil sheikhs maltreat foreign guest workers, except it's generally not a good idea to piss off the people who guarantee your independence.
 
Hmm. . . perhaps Oklahoma gas and oil will be the spark to set off a new war between USA and CSA in the early 20th century?

That works.

My steampunk Confederacy TL* features the Confederate government illegally trying to use Texas money for non-Texas projects, provoking a Texan secession.

If something similar should happen in TTL, the CSA might gamble on the U.S. not being willing to stop an attempt to grab Oklahoma to compensate, especially if the Five Civilized Tribes have done something provocative.

(Saddam claimed the Kuwaitis were slant-drilling Iraqi oil and it turns out he might have been right, even if conquering the country was a bit of an overreaction.)

*Not on the board yet.
 
What if the Indian Territories were kept as a protectorate under both the USA and CSA after the event of the CSA gaining independence?

I'd expect constant squabbles between the US and CS over how to administer the place. When the Indians, or at least bandits who happen to be Indians, raid somewhere the Union and the Confederacy will start blaming each other. Tribes at war with either the Union or the Confederacy will probably try to use Indian Territory as a refuge. Tribes defeated in the Indian Wars may be forced to relocate to Indain Territory. Once oil and natural gas are discovered, both the Union and the Confederacy will want it.

In short, it's very existence is probably going to trigger another Union-Confederate war at some point.
 
What would the chances of the Indian Territories becomeing a free state in this situation be before/after oil is found within its boarders?
 
I recently came up with some new questions for this thread.

If such a protectorate was made what form of government would it have, and who would be it's leaders? Also which tribes within the territory could have the most influence and what forms of internal conflicts could occur? As well what sort of industrial developments could be likely within the protectorate such as the building of railroads? Plus how might slavery be handled within the protectorate if under both US and CS influence?
 
Plus how might slavery be handled within the protectorate if under both US and CS influence?
Well, the Indian Territory was a slave territory to begin with (and had been ever since it was still officially part of Arkansaw Territory) so I'd bet slavery would be legal in the protectorate. Remember that the North was willing to tolerate the practice of slavery (indeed, it kept three slave states during the war) but not the expansion of slavery into the west. Since slavery is already in place, it stays.
 
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