Hello, I'm following what my other friends are doing and creating a general thread to post my work. I hope you enjoy.
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From my TL a Shining Valley that has been posted around before.
The United States of America is a country with a troubled history, scarred by civil war, rebellion, and ethnic strife. In 1820, in response to Nationalist obstructionism the Republicans sent militia to march on Washington D.C. to ensure John Calhoun's election. While Calhoun won the election legitimately, the military coup set the country down on a dangerous path, that the United States that it could not recover from. While threats of military intervention were nothing new, once it actually happened it soon became a political tool for candidates to use. It didn’t take long for intimidation and mob violence to follow every campaign. Violent elections became common, but the system didn’t completely break down until the election of 1860.
The coup of 1861 was the culmination of the debate over slavery and the continued weakening of democracy in the United States. A coup by pro-slavery forces and a countercoup by abolitionists led the country into a civil war as abolitionist forces crushed a haphazard rebellion in the south, A period of major violence followed, as the south became ground zero for large scale insurgency that lasted for two decades. Despite the violence, some stability would return to American politics as the North united to suppress the Southern Insurgency. Out of the ashes of the Insurgency emerged two states safe for ex-slaves, Louisiana and South Carolina (renamed Liberia), led by free black governments. This would only enrage the south, and the region smoldered for decades until 1915 when a war between the states erupted once again.
The crisis struck a weak and ineffective federal government crippled by political infighting and a weak Presidency. With the federal government unable to effectively respond to the crisis, it was left to Commanding General of the Army James Reed to clean up the mess. His ability to force a temporary ceasefire made him extremely popular and he was tapped by the Opposition to run for President in the 1916 election. However the election was marred by fraud and resulted in no clear winner, which plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. With the country sliding into chaos, under Reed's command the Army marched on Washington and ensured his own election in a military coup. As President, Reed crushed loyalists of the old government while bringing back order to the South. To ensure that America would never again fall to tyranny or instability, a new Constitution was written and the Second United States was born.
Reed recognized that African Americans were a nation of their own, so after some negotiations the Free States of Louisiana and Liberia were born. These Free States are nominally independent with full exemption from federal laws. However they still have to follow the United States Constitution and in return they have no representation in Congress. Since then, Free Statehood has been granted to Californios soon after the end of military occupation. The legacy of these Free States is mixed; while it arguably has empowered ethnic minorities the whole system has been criticized as a way to side step racial issues completely. Nevertheless the system endures and it is unlikely to change in the near future.
Today the United States consists of 42 states and 3 free states. The country still continues to deal with poor race relations, especially with the growing number of Hispanic immigrants scattered across the country from Mexico. Nevertheless the country is hopeful that it can resolve these issues amicably, preferably with another Free State somewhere. The incumbent President has promised to continue the American System, an economic program designed to tie the countries of the Americas closer to the United States. As part of the program, she has worked with the Free States, investing millions of dollars into mega-infrastructure projects to increase the Free States' economic ties with the country as a whole.
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From my TL a Shining Valley that has been posted around before.
The United States of America is a country with a troubled history, scarred by civil war, rebellion, and ethnic strife. In 1820, in response to Nationalist obstructionism the Republicans sent militia to march on Washington D.C. to ensure John Calhoun's election. While Calhoun won the election legitimately, the military coup set the country down on a dangerous path, that the United States that it could not recover from. While threats of military intervention were nothing new, once it actually happened it soon became a political tool for candidates to use. It didn’t take long for intimidation and mob violence to follow every campaign. Violent elections became common, but the system didn’t completely break down until the election of 1860.
The coup of 1861 was the culmination of the debate over slavery and the continued weakening of democracy in the United States. A coup by pro-slavery forces and a countercoup by abolitionists led the country into a civil war as abolitionist forces crushed a haphazard rebellion in the south, A period of major violence followed, as the south became ground zero for large scale insurgency that lasted for two decades. Despite the violence, some stability would return to American politics as the North united to suppress the Southern Insurgency. Out of the ashes of the Insurgency emerged two states safe for ex-slaves, Louisiana and South Carolina (renamed Liberia), led by free black governments. This would only enrage the south, and the region smoldered for decades until 1915 when a war between the states erupted once again.
The crisis struck a weak and ineffective federal government crippled by political infighting and a weak Presidency. With the federal government unable to effectively respond to the crisis, it was left to Commanding General of the Army James Reed to clean up the mess. His ability to force a temporary ceasefire made him extremely popular and he was tapped by the Opposition to run for President in the 1916 election. However the election was marred by fraud and resulted in no clear winner, which plunged the country into a constitutional crisis. With the country sliding into chaos, under Reed's command the Army marched on Washington and ensured his own election in a military coup. As President, Reed crushed loyalists of the old government while bringing back order to the South. To ensure that America would never again fall to tyranny or instability, a new Constitution was written and the Second United States was born.
Reed recognized that African Americans were a nation of their own, so after some negotiations the Free States of Louisiana and Liberia were born. These Free States are nominally independent with full exemption from federal laws. However they still have to follow the United States Constitution and in return they have no representation in Congress. Since then, Free Statehood has been granted to Californios soon after the end of military occupation. The legacy of these Free States is mixed; while it arguably has empowered ethnic minorities the whole system has been criticized as a way to side step racial issues completely. Nevertheless the system endures and it is unlikely to change in the near future.
Today the United States consists of 42 states and 3 free states. The country still continues to deal with poor race relations, especially with the growing number of Hispanic immigrants scattered across the country from Mexico. Nevertheless the country is hopeful that it can resolve these issues amicably, preferably with another Free State somewhere. The incumbent President has promised to continue the American System, an economic program designed to tie the countries of the Americas closer to the United States. As part of the program, she has worked with the Free States, investing millions of dollars into mega-infrastructure projects to increase the Free States' economic ties with the country as a whole.
