1839:
February:
The first meeting between Shawnee Nation officials and representatives of the Sioux Nation took place on the 23rd. The Sioux representatives were made up of various Chiefs who had come to witness the progress of the Shawnee Nation and make judgement on whether or not the path the Shawnee were following was the same the Sioux wanted to follow in turn. Tours were conducted showing the Sioux representatives the budding transport system, schools and of course, the Army. Many of the Sioux Chiefs were amazed at what they saw and were also quite outraged. Were the Shawnee to turn their backs on everything they had once held so dear?!
Matters were only helped by the fact that the Sioux lands themselves were being entrenched upon by white settlers from the east. The American Government had worked up a fairly disgraceful reputation when it had come to the Native populations. Any which got in the way of the settling of the Great Plains or any other area that anyone wanted to expand to were brutally dealt with by the US Army. Though the Sioux had been minimally affected by this so far, the stories of razed villages and slaughter had been enough to worry many of the Tribes.
For this reason alone, the Sioux Chiefs were more willing to listen to the Shawnee than they’d usually be. The negotiations for greater co-operation between the Tribes dragged on throughout the year before there was the faintest hint of success as Sioux stubbornness countered Shawnee insistence.
July:
The growing relationship between Napoleon II and the seventeen year old daughter of the noble Potocki family had progressed to the point where the announcement of an engagement was almost imminent. This was not to the joy of Prussia and Austria who both had stakes in keeping Poland as far away from France (Politically speaking) as possible. Their attempts came to naught however as Napoleon II was determined to pursue his love. With the idea of a French-Polish Alliance coming to the fore, many in Austria and Prussia began to exert influence on Poland to try and change the course of events. King Jozef II was forced to agree that the marriage wouldn’t entail an alliance of any kind. Although this settled the minds of both Prussia and Austria, the insulting demands rankled within the Polish Government and they weren’t soon forgotten.
September:
The Rebels of Texas who had escaped from the Mexican Government began to smuggle weapons into both Texas and California once they realised they weren’t going to get any help from the American Government. Throughout Northern Mexico, militias began to train and prepare for the day when their freedom would come. They were also given a clear message, no matter what, never trust the Americans for anything.
November:
The elections in New England once again saw the Federalists win a decisive victory and the ousting of the Old Guard from the Industrial Party. Although the Party claimed to be representing the common man, their views on various important issues were seen as largely the same as the Federalists. Jack Pail and his faction were cast out from the Party and a new, more Conservative faction took power. They promised a much different thought process than the old Party and started to canvas support for the next election. Phillip Hanson was the new leader of the Industrial Party and he began to change the direction of it to a bold and brand new way of thinking that would set it directly at odds with the Federalists.