Emperor Scorpious II
Deus Vult
This thread is for developing lore for the Sundered West nation building RP.
The Beginning of the End
In the year of our lord 1784, former general and American hero George Washington went on an expedition to western Pennsylvania to survey land he owned there. While out on the trip, he caught a terrible case of pneumonia, leaving him bedridden for days. Though after a month of illness, he recovered from the sickness, it left him frail and with a permanent cough.
Three years later, a convention of the states was held in Philadelphia, PA to discuss reforms of Articles of Confederation and their failure to govern. Washington was invited to lead the convention, but due to his health, he solemnly turned it down, stating, "The future of America will be governed by the future generations." Delegates from all states disputed ways of reform, and eventual replacement of the Articles of Confederation. A Virginia Plan was proposed giving large states more power, along with a New Jersey Plan to counter it for smaller states. As the convention continued over the weeks, partisanship grew between federalists and anti-federalists.
After unending debate, Rhode Island withdrew from the convention. Patrick Henry, leading the anti-federalists, then withdrew Virginia's delegation from Philly. With the most populous, and central state, of the union gone, the convention unraveled. Disputes over territories west resulted in the rest of the southern states withdrawing, along with Connecticut. The remaining delegates concluded that the United States could no longer function as a united country, publishing a declaration:
Sixty Years Later...
In the decades following disunited states of America formed their own republics and factions arose. In 1801, the first border war between united states erupted with the Republic of Maryland invading the Republic of Delaware in a 3 month “Summer War”, resulting in the annexation of all of Delaware. With Boston’s strong economic power and diplomacy, the republics of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire joined Massachusetts to create the Commonwealth of New England in order to counterbalance the Republic of New York’s growing power and wealth. New Jersey, suffering from corruption and economic stagnation following the failed constitutional convention, was partitioned between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Republic of New York.
Without a unified government, native tribes west of the Appalachians strengthened their holds against settler expansion. The Cherokee people, seeing the advances of a European-style government, began to centralize and “civilize” themselves with their own writing and republic. The Shawnee Confederacy centralized under Tecumseh while neighboring Illinois Confederacy followed suit. The Seminole Tribes unified also under a central chief, but after numerous wars with the Georgian Republic were pushed to the southern reaches of the Florida peninsula.
Rise of Empires & Revolutions
Without strong republicanism in North America, a retention of monarchy spread in the west. Mexico retained the crown of the Iturbides, though has become unpopular since the crowning of Agustín II in 1829. Considered weaker than his father, his 20 year reign thus far has been wrecked by constant secessionist movements and an ever weakening economy. The Empire of Brazil continues, economically prosperous but politically unstable with several civil and secession wars in its short imperial history also. Managing to survive his plight with yellow fever, Toussaint Louverture managed to secure the entire island of Hispaniola and with political pressure, took the crown of emperor. The “Caribbean Crown” continues to rule the island under Saint-Jean I, despite 2 unsuccessful rebellions thus far with more expected in the future.
Conflict and instability in the old US drove many American immigrants into Canada, which fueled the Upper and Lower Canadian Rebellions into successful independence movements, leaving the United Kingdom holding only Newfoundland & Labrador and the Hudson Bay Company holdings in the northern continent, which have swelled in the past few years with Roman Catholic Irish immigrants fleeing famine and death in their homeland.
Simón Bolívar continues to rule Gran Colombia into his old age, continuing to centralize power around his presidency which he is elected to unopposed every time. While a war with Peru has carved out the Republic of Ecuador as a buffer state between the two nations, Bolívar has kept his nation together if only by his name alone. His continued presence in South America have inspired many other republican movements, carving themselves out of the Empire of Brazil and fragmenting the Argentinian Confederacy.
For God, Country, and Crown
The Second Great Awakening brought forth Joseph Smith’s Mormonism movement, though finding no home in the east moved into the center of the continent, carving out the Republic of Zion along the Mississippi River but a schism within the church led James Strang to found the Kingdom of New Canaan north of the republic, with himself as monarch. The Mormon States have remained at an uneasy peace three years since their establishment but tension over dogma and borders continue to grow.
Many other religious revivals continue throughout the North American continent, creating a wave of missionaries “set forth to liberate the savages of the west from their heathen beliefs”. Many Amerindians have adopted the Christian faith, but often mix it with traditional beliefs.
The Catholic Church, once a pillar that held society and government together, has weakened with many republican secession wars, having property seized and rights reduced wherever liberal governments in Latin America have arisen. As a reaction, the monarchies and conservative governments have grown closer to the Church to ensure the survival of the One, True Church in their realms.
New Nations, Old Institutions: Slavery in the West
While slavery has been abandoned by the Old World, nations in the west continue to build their prosperity on the backs of the chained. The economies of the “Old American South” have ingrained their wealth on enslaved Africans and their descendants while nations in Latin America continue with their policies of enslavement as most abolitionists secede from the nation with various republican rebellions. With the diffusion of culture, many Amerindian tribes in North America neighboring these slave nations have slowly begun to adopt the institution in some form. Despite all this, abolitionist movements in general are on the rise, with Freedom Societies forming in the Old American northeast and Canada arguing for their nations to intervene on behalf of Negroes south of them.
Further pressure from the United Kingdom has put diplomatic strains on most of the Americas, as the Royal Navy actively hunts slave ships off the coast of Africa as well as the West Indies. English pressure have pushed Spain to end slavery in its remaining colonies, while its politics have reduced some trade between the Americas and Europe.
------------
Religion in the Western Hemisphere, 1850
Yellow: Catholicism
Blue: Protestant Denominations
Green: Mormonism
Brown: Amerindian traditional beliefs
Slavery in the Western Hemisphere, 1850
The Beginning of the End
In the year of our lord 1784, former general and American hero George Washington went on an expedition to western Pennsylvania to survey land he owned there. While out on the trip, he caught a terrible case of pneumonia, leaving him bedridden for days. Though after a month of illness, he recovered from the sickness, it left him frail and with a permanent cough.
Three years later, a convention of the states was held in Philadelphia, PA to discuss reforms of Articles of Confederation and their failure to govern. Washington was invited to lead the convention, but due to his health, he solemnly turned it down, stating, "The future of America will be governed by the future generations." Delegates from all states disputed ways of reform, and eventual replacement of the Articles of Confederation. A Virginia Plan was proposed giving large states more power, along with a New Jersey Plan to counter it for smaller states. As the convention continued over the weeks, partisanship grew between federalists and anti-federalists.
After unending debate, Rhode Island withdrew from the convention. Patrick Henry, leading the anti-federalists, then withdrew Virginia's delegation from Philly. With the most populous, and central state, of the union gone, the convention unraveled. Disputes over territories west resulted in the rest of the southern states withdrawing, along with Connecticut. The remaining delegates concluded that the United States could no longer function as a united country, publishing a declaration:
We the People of the United States, unable to form a more perfect union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our States, do veto and disassemble these United States of America.
Sixty Years Later...
In the decades following disunited states of America formed their own republics and factions arose. In 1801, the first border war between united states erupted with the Republic of Maryland invading the Republic of Delaware in a 3 month “Summer War”, resulting in the annexation of all of Delaware. With Boston’s strong economic power and diplomacy, the republics of Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New Hampshire joined Massachusetts to create the Commonwealth of New England in order to counterbalance the Republic of New York’s growing power and wealth. New Jersey, suffering from corruption and economic stagnation following the failed constitutional convention, was partitioned between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and Republic of New York.
Without a unified government, native tribes west of the Appalachians strengthened their holds against settler expansion. The Cherokee people, seeing the advances of a European-style government, began to centralize and “civilize” themselves with their own writing and republic. The Shawnee Confederacy centralized under Tecumseh while neighboring Illinois Confederacy followed suit. The Seminole Tribes unified also under a central chief, but after numerous wars with the Georgian Republic were pushed to the southern reaches of the Florida peninsula.
Rise of Empires & Revolutions
Without strong republicanism in North America, a retention of monarchy spread in the west. Mexico retained the crown of the Iturbides, though has become unpopular since the crowning of Agustín II in 1829. Considered weaker than his father, his 20 year reign thus far has been wrecked by constant secessionist movements and an ever weakening economy. The Empire of Brazil continues, economically prosperous but politically unstable with several civil and secession wars in its short imperial history also. Managing to survive his plight with yellow fever, Toussaint Louverture managed to secure the entire island of Hispaniola and with political pressure, took the crown of emperor. The “Caribbean Crown” continues to rule the island under Saint-Jean I, despite 2 unsuccessful rebellions thus far with more expected in the future.
Conflict and instability in the old US drove many American immigrants into Canada, which fueled the Upper and Lower Canadian Rebellions into successful independence movements, leaving the United Kingdom holding only Newfoundland & Labrador and the Hudson Bay Company holdings in the northern continent, which have swelled in the past few years with Roman Catholic Irish immigrants fleeing famine and death in their homeland.
Simón Bolívar continues to rule Gran Colombia into his old age, continuing to centralize power around his presidency which he is elected to unopposed every time. While a war with Peru has carved out the Republic of Ecuador as a buffer state between the two nations, Bolívar has kept his nation together if only by his name alone. His continued presence in South America have inspired many other republican movements, carving themselves out of the Empire of Brazil and fragmenting the Argentinian Confederacy.
For God, Country, and Crown
The Second Great Awakening brought forth Joseph Smith’s Mormonism movement, though finding no home in the east moved into the center of the continent, carving out the Republic of Zion along the Mississippi River but a schism within the church led James Strang to found the Kingdom of New Canaan north of the republic, with himself as monarch. The Mormon States have remained at an uneasy peace three years since their establishment but tension over dogma and borders continue to grow.
Many other religious revivals continue throughout the North American continent, creating a wave of missionaries “set forth to liberate the savages of the west from their heathen beliefs”. Many Amerindians have adopted the Christian faith, but often mix it with traditional beliefs.
The Catholic Church, once a pillar that held society and government together, has weakened with many republican secession wars, having property seized and rights reduced wherever liberal governments in Latin America have arisen. As a reaction, the monarchies and conservative governments have grown closer to the Church to ensure the survival of the One, True Church in their realms.
New Nations, Old Institutions: Slavery in the West
While slavery has been abandoned by the Old World, nations in the west continue to build their prosperity on the backs of the chained. The economies of the “Old American South” have ingrained their wealth on enslaved Africans and their descendants while nations in Latin America continue with their policies of enslavement as most abolitionists secede from the nation with various republican rebellions. With the diffusion of culture, many Amerindian tribes in North America neighboring these slave nations have slowly begun to adopt the institution in some form. Despite all this, abolitionist movements in general are on the rise, with Freedom Societies forming in the Old American northeast and Canada arguing for their nations to intervene on behalf of Negroes south of them.
Further pressure from the United Kingdom has put diplomatic strains on most of the Americas, as the Royal Navy actively hunts slave ships off the coast of Africa as well as the West Indies. English pressure have pushed Spain to end slavery in its remaining colonies, while its politics have reduced some trade between the Americas and Europe.
------------
Religion in the Western Hemisphere, 1850
Yellow: Catholicism
Blue: Protestant Denominations
Green: Mormonism
Brown: Amerindian traditional beliefs
Slavery in the Western Hemisphere, 1850