American Quilt collaborative TL proposal.

[thekingsguard]

Early collapse of the USA - one of the most underused PODs with the richest possibilities. I have one of my own that's I'd use if I could come up with stories to use in the setting - I'm a wizard at worldbuilding, but setting stories in the worlds I create... still working on it

Now, as for this setting, they got it spot on that Virginia would be the major power barring something drastic. They control the most territory both directly and de jure, and go from the coast to Mississippi. On the upside, the more land Virginia controls, the weaker slavery will get, seeing as how West Virginia alone was nealy enough to get gradual abolition passed by the 1830s, so odds are good with Kentucky and a chunk of the Northwest, Virginia will abolish slavery early on. Government wise, expect a combination of the US Constitution and our existing State Government - early leadership ala Jefferson, Madison or Monroe would very likely see it shaped as such. The one thing the map also ignores is the Commonwealth of Virginia would be the one nation of the former USA with the ability to expand across the Mississippi, likely into OTL Missouri, though not much farther.

That said, if we're doing collaborative work here, allow me to toss my hat in the ring for the Old Dominion

 

[Baconheimer]

That's good, and you are a Virginian as well, so that should help. Mind if I ask what part?

 

[thekingsguard]

That's good, and you are a Virginian as well, so that should help. Mind if I ask what part?

Richmond, born and raised

 

[Demothenes]

Make sure to look at the internal problems of the state, the tidewater aristocrats in power and the poor farmers

 

[ElCaudillo]

So what is the POD. We need somebody to write that up, then perhaps we each write a chapter for our state going up to 1800.

I can do it if no one else wants to. Anyway, for the POD, I was thinking that Shays' Rebellion is either averted (perhaps through Shays' death) or crushed more easily, weakening the perception of the need to scrap the Articles of Confederation. Thus, they are only amended, and as the federal government cannot in fact run the country this way (for instance, customs could not be collected before the articles were scrapped because Rhode Island vetoed them), the differences between the states leads to a collapse of confederation by, let's say, 1810? 1820?

 

[Indigo]

I claim a state, preferably Connecticut(Western Reserve should be interesting). For PODs, in addition to Shays Rebellion, it could be something with the Newburgh Conspiracy.

 

[ElCaudillo]

I claim a state, preferably Connecticut(Western Reserve should be interesting). For PODs, in addition to Shays Rebellion, it could be something with the Newburgh Conspiracy.

Ooh, I do like the sound of that! Completely different approach; Newburgh Conspiracy is real and several groups of soldiers rise up against Congress (led perhaps by Horatio Gates?)--as things begin to go downhill, several states take matters into their own hands?

Also, I claim Georgia, as well as New Jersey if no one wants it.

 

[thekingsguard]

Make sure to look at the internal problems of the state, the tidewater aristocrats in power and the poor farmers

That's one positive POD at least - without the fellow Southern Plantation owners to ally with, the Tidewater planters powerbase would be all the weaker as the smaller yeoman farmers crop up everywhere else. Plus, a lot of Virginia Commonwealth leadership - from Thomas Jefferson to Henry Clay - would side against the Tidewater aristocrats. Even in OTL, they didn't truly gain control of Virginia until the 1830s or so.

As for General PODs, you have several choices, and several choices as far as when to start. The one I use in mine is the standard issue death(s) of a few key unifying figures during the 1880s, chiefly George Washington and Ben Franklin. Then just send a few more confrontational delegates to the Constitutional Convention - Patrick Henry from Virginia is a popular choice - and e unim, plurbis

I recommend starting in the 1780s or 90s, if only because the backdrop of the era, especially Europe wrecked by the Napoleonic Wars, make for a nice way to force alliances between the new American nations, and for spreading chaos elsewhere - just picture Britian courting potential allies with bits of Canada while France courts them with bits of Louisiana for one example.

 

[ElCaudillo]

-snip-

Actually, if we use the Newburgh Conspiracy as the starting point, all we'll need is the death of Washington! I think that could set it off, no?

 

[thekingsguard]

Actually, if we use the Newburgh Conspiracy as the starting point, all we'll need is the death of Washington! I think that could set it off, no?

I don't know as much about the Newburgh Conspiracy - what was it in OTL?

 

[ElCaudillo]

I don't know as much about the Newburgh Conspiracy - what was it in OTL?

Short version--In 1783, at the very end of the revolution, a letter was circulated throughout Continental Army officers' circles, suggesting that unspecified action should be taken against Congress because of the lack of pay to soldiers and various other grievances. It may very well have been a nascent coup d'etat and had links all the way up to some congressmen and Horatio Gates. Washington, however, put a definite stop to it with an impassioned speech to the officers. If he hadn't been there...

 

[thekingsguard]

Short version--In 1783, at the very end of the revolution, a letter was circulated throughout Continental Army officers' circles, suggesting that unspecified action should be taken against Congress because of the lack of pay to soldiers and various other grievances. It may very well have been a nascent coup d'etat and had links all the way up to some congressmen and Horatio Gates. Washington, however, put a definite stop to it with an impassioned speech to the officers. If he hadn't been there...

I dunno - I'd worry about this wiping out a lot of the earlier Colonial leadership that would be handy in securing separate nations.

 

[ElCaudillo]

I dunno - I'd worry about this wiping out a lot of the earlier Colonial leadership that would be handy in securing separate nations.

Well, I was thinking it could kill some, but luckily (or unluckily) not the more radical, States-rightsian types. It'd require a bit of meddling to make that happen, but heck, that is basically what we do all the time.

 

[thekingsguard]

Well, I was thinking it could kill some, but luckily (or unluckily) not the more radical, States-rightsian types. It'd require a bit of meddling to make that happen, but heck, that is basically what we do all the time.

Even that would have MASSIVE effects on the shattered Union - an independent Commonwealth of Virginia would be a vastly different place if say, Thomas Jefferson or James Madison aren't alive to help form it, or Massachusetts and New England without John Adams.

Just having the Constitutional Convention fail or turn into an all out brawl, its much cleaner

 

[Nataraj]

DUDE! I am so into this. Let's do it. I would love to take on New England or New York.

Also, I personally like the idea of the Newburgh Conspiracy causing this, but you're right, we'd lack a lot of useful people if it went through.