I'm back after a long period away from the board, so I offer the beginning of a basic timeline based on a theme I've explored before - the fragmentation of the United States after the American Revolution. I'll admit I have a slight obsession with this theme for timelines.
1783 – Treaty of Paris establishes the United States of America (the "Old USA" or "original USA" as an independent nation
1785 – Death of George Washington after a sudden illness
1787, 1789 – Two attempts to create a modified constitution for the US fail. The ineffective Articles of Confederation remain in place.
1789 – Beginning of French Revolution
1792 – 1794 – Old USA breaks into 3 separate nations. New York and the New England states form the Federal States of America (FSA); Pennsylvania and New Jersey form the United States of America ("new USA", "small USA", or "final USA"); other states further south form the Independent States of America (ISA)
1795 – Old USA territories between Appalachians and Mississippi form Western Confederation
1800 – FSA declares gradual emancipation for the states that still have slavery (New York and Connecticut)
1801 – Retrocession of Louisiana to France by Spain (secret)
1802 – Cotton gin invented in South Carolina
- Napoleon sends troops to Haiti and Louisiana
1804 – Haitian rebels defeat French forces and establish an independent republic. Defeat of French squadron by Royal Navy off the coast of Cuba. Louisiana effectively cut off from France. French military governor of Louisiana gives generous land grants to Anglo-American settlers in return for assistance in fighting any British invasion.
1805 – Eli Whitney of the FSA joins with several partners to found a company to manufacture muskets and rifles using interchangeable parts.
1807 – British expedition against New Orleans is repulsed.
1807 – 1812 – British fur traders supported by a few soldiers move into most of the northern and western Louisiana territory and stake Britain's claim to the entire region.
1808 – First commercially successful steamboat run by Fulton on Hudson River (there had been earlier working prototypes in Britain, the USA, and the FSA)
1810 – First steamboat on Ohio/Mississippi River system.
1812 – Disastrous failure in Russia turns tide against Napoleon
1813 – Second British attempt to capture New Orleans fails
- Militia from ISA seize West Florida
1814 – Final defeat of Napoleon, who is killed in Battle not far from Paris
1815 – Peace of Vienna is close to OTL in Europe, though the boundaries between Prussia, Russia, and some of the small German states are slightly different. In North America, Louisiana is recognized as an independent republic, consisting roughly of OTL states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and about 2/3 of Missouri. The rest of the old Louisiana territory goes to Britain, except for a small piece along the southwestern edge that goes to Spain.
1815 – 1825 – A significant number of ex-Napoleonic officers, soldiers, and officials move to Louisiana, which partly balances the influx of Anglo-Americans and helps to keep the two languages and cultures on an even basis instead of having the French speaking population overwhelmed in numbers by English speakers.
1817 – USA begins gradual emancipation.
1821 – Mexico becomes an independent nation, under the leadership of Augustin Iturbide, who like in OTL declares himself Emperor the next year, and unlike in OTL keeps power for many years and founds a dynasty.
1824 – All former Spanish colonies in South and Central America achieve independence with the final defeat of Spanish colonial forces.
1825 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia recovers from the serious illness that killed him in OTL. He will reign for almost 25 more years.
1826 – Britain purchases East Florida from Spain.
1827 – 1828 – First Egyptian-Ottoman war.
1828 – 1829 – Major slave uprising in South Carolina in the ISA, suppressed after a year with assistance from army and militias of other ISA states after much bloodshed and atrocities on both sides. Smaller slave rebellions flare in other parts of the ISA, in the southern part of the Western Confederation, and in Louisiana, but are quickly suppressed. Most states of the ISA and Western Confederation expel free blacks, while Louisiana deprives them of voting and most citizenship rights.
1830 – French King Charles X overthrown and replaced by Louis Philippe.
- Revolt in the southern part of the Netherlands fails. In the coming years, the region will be given more autonomy, which will end significant popular support for independence. (This uprising succeeded in OTL and established Belgium as an independent country.)
Completion of the Erie Canal in the FSA (later than in OTL, and the first railroads are appearing in the FSA and USA at this time)
1830 – Emperor Agustin I Iturbide of Mexico offers free black refugees land north of the Rio Grande in Mexico's thinly-populated province of Tejas. Some runaway slaves and refugees who participated in the revolt also come, since Mexican authorities ask few questions. Some refugees also go to British Florida.
1832 – Slavery abolished throughout the British Empire. Florida soon becomes a major destination for runaway slaves, increasing tension between Britain and the slaveholding republics of North America.
1834 – Whitney Firearms introduces the world's first practical revolver.
1835 – Uprising by French speaking population of Lower Canada against British rule is suppressed. Britain encourages more English speakers to immigrate to Lower Canada, both from Britain itself and the FSA, which has become quite friendly with Britain. Substantial numbers of French-speaking Canadians move to Louisiana, Texas, and even Mexico in the years to come.
1835-1838 – The Tejas War. English and French-speaking settlers in northern Tejas province revolt against Mexican rule. The Mexicans send regular troops and two volunteer regiments of free blacks against them, and encourage the slaves of the rebels to desert their masters and join the Mexican forces. Volunteers from Louisiana, the Western Confederation, and the ISA come to back the rebels. The war takes on strong racial tones – white rebels vs. mestizo and black soldiers fighting under the Mexican banner. In the end, northern Tejas becomes independent as the Republic of Tejas, but Mexico keeps southern Tejas, which has fairly large numbers of well-armed blacks with military training.
1838 – 1844 – Construction of railroad running from Upper Canada through Toronto, Kingston, and Montreal to Quebec. This allows the Canadian ports to compete with New York City as centers for exporting grain and other goods from the interior of North America.
1842 – France seizes Tunis after a quarrel with its ruler (Tunis will be the center of French expansion instead of OTL Algeria)
1843-45 – Mormons move en masse from the Western Confederation, USA, and FSA into territory west of the Mississippi (OTL parts of Iowa, northern Missouri, southern Minnesota, and Nebraska) that is very thinly settled by whites. They do this to escape hostility from non-Mormon neighbors and to set up their own community run according to their own principles. The British authorities generally disapprove of the Mormon beliefs, but they want settlers for the territory as a buffer against other settlers who might be unfriendly to Britain. The Mormon leaders agree to support Britain's claims in any border dispute in return for the British leaving them alone to practice their religion and turning a blind eye to controversial practices, especially polygamy.
1847 – King Louis Philippe of France makes some political concessions which win more support from the middle class of France.
1848 – Famines in Europe cause rioting, but no organized revolutions. (No successful revolution against Louis Philippe in France means there is no galvanizing example to inspire organized uprisings elsewhere.)
1783 – Treaty of Paris establishes the United States of America (the "Old USA" or "original USA" as an independent nation
1785 – Death of George Washington after a sudden illness
1787, 1789 – Two attempts to create a modified constitution for the US fail. The ineffective Articles of Confederation remain in place.
1789 – Beginning of French Revolution
1792 – 1794 – Old USA breaks into 3 separate nations. New York and the New England states form the Federal States of America (FSA); Pennsylvania and New Jersey form the United States of America ("new USA", "small USA", or "final USA"); other states further south form the Independent States of America (ISA)
1795 – Old USA territories between Appalachians and Mississippi form Western Confederation
1800 – FSA declares gradual emancipation for the states that still have slavery (New York and Connecticut)
1801 – Retrocession of Louisiana to France by Spain (secret)
1802 – Cotton gin invented in South Carolina
- Napoleon sends troops to Haiti and Louisiana
1804 – Haitian rebels defeat French forces and establish an independent republic. Defeat of French squadron by Royal Navy off the coast of Cuba. Louisiana effectively cut off from France. French military governor of Louisiana gives generous land grants to Anglo-American settlers in return for assistance in fighting any British invasion.
1805 – Eli Whitney of the FSA joins with several partners to found a company to manufacture muskets and rifles using interchangeable parts.
1807 – British expedition against New Orleans is repulsed.
1807 – 1812 – British fur traders supported by a few soldiers move into most of the northern and western Louisiana territory and stake Britain's claim to the entire region.
1808 – First commercially successful steamboat run by Fulton on Hudson River (there had been earlier working prototypes in Britain, the USA, and the FSA)
1810 – First steamboat on Ohio/Mississippi River system.
1812 – Disastrous failure in Russia turns tide against Napoleon
1813 – Second British attempt to capture New Orleans fails
- Militia from ISA seize West Florida
1814 – Final defeat of Napoleon, who is killed in Battle not far from Paris
1815 – Peace of Vienna is close to OTL in Europe, though the boundaries between Prussia, Russia, and some of the small German states are slightly different. In North America, Louisiana is recognized as an independent republic, consisting roughly of OTL states of Louisiana, Arkansas, and about 2/3 of Missouri. The rest of the old Louisiana territory goes to Britain, except for a small piece along the southwestern edge that goes to Spain.
1815 – 1825 – A significant number of ex-Napoleonic officers, soldiers, and officials move to Louisiana, which partly balances the influx of Anglo-Americans and helps to keep the two languages and cultures on an even basis instead of having the French speaking population overwhelmed in numbers by English speakers.
1817 – USA begins gradual emancipation.
1821 – Mexico becomes an independent nation, under the leadership of Augustin Iturbide, who like in OTL declares himself Emperor the next year, and unlike in OTL keeps power for many years and founds a dynasty.
1824 – All former Spanish colonies in South and Central America achieve independence with the final defeat of Spanish colonial forces.
1825 – Tsar Alexander I of Russia recovers from the serious illness that killed him in OTL. He will reign for almost 25 more years.
1826 – Britain purchases East Florida from Spain.
1827 – 1828 – First Egyptian-Ottoman war.
1828 – 1829 – Major slave uprising in South Carolina in the ISA, suppressed after a year with assistance from army and militias of other ISA states after much bloodshed and atrocities on both sides. Smaller slave rebellions flare in other parts of the ISA, in the southern part of the Western Confederation, and in Louisiana, but are quickly suppressed. Most states of the ISA and Western Confederation expel free blacks, while Louisiana deprives them of voting and most citizenship rights.
1830 – French King Charles X overthrown and replaced by Louis Philippe.
- Revolt in the southern part of the Netherlands fails. In the coming years, the region will be given more autonomy, which will end significant popular support for independence. (This uprising succeeded in OTL and established Belgium as an independent country.)
Completion of the Erie Canal in the FSA (later than in OTL, and the first railroads are appearing in the FSA and USA at this time)
1830 – Emperor Agustin I Iturbide of Mexico offers free black refugees land north of the Rio Grande in Mexico's thinly-populated province of Tejas. Some runaway slaves and refugees who participated in the revolt also come, since Mexican authorities ask few questions. Some refugees also go to British Florida.
1832 – Slavery abolished throughout the British Empire. Florida soon becomes a major destination for runaway slaves, increasing tension between Britain and the slaveholding republics of North America.
1834 – Whitney Firearms introduces the world's first practical revolver.
1835 – Uprising by French speaking population of Lower Canada against British rule is suppressed. Britain encourages more English speakers to immigrate to Lower Canada, both from Britain itself and the FSA, which has become quite friendly with Britain. Substantial numbers of French-speaking Canadians move to Louisiana, Texas, and even Mexico in the years to come.
1835-1838 – The Tejas War. English and French-speaking settlers in northern Tejas province revolt against Mexican rule. The Mexicans send regular troops and two volunteer regiments of free blacks against them, and encourage the slaves of the rebels to desert their masters and join the Mexican forces. Volunteers from Louisiana, the Western Confederation, and the ISA come to back the rebels. The war takes on strong racial tones – white rebels vs. mestizo and black soldiers fighting under the Mexican banner. In the end, northern Tejas becomes independent as the Republic of Tejas, but Mexico keeps southern Tejas, which has fairly large numbers of well-armed blacks with military training.
1838 – 1844 – Construction of railroad running from Upper Canada through Toronto, Kingston, and Montreal to Quebec. This allows the Canadian ports to compete with New York City as centers for exporting grain and other goods from the interior of North America.
1842 – France seizes Tunis after a quarrel with its ruler (Tunis will be the center of French expansion instead of OTL Algeria)
1843-45 – Mormons move en masse from the Western Confederation, USA, and FSA into territory west of the Mississippi (OTL parts of Iowa, northern Missouri, southern Minnesota, and Nebraska) that is very thinly settled by whites. They do this to escape hostility from non-Mormon neighbors and to set up their own community run according to their own principles. The British authorities generally disapprove of the Mormon beliefs, but they want settlers for the territory as a buffer against other settlers who might be unfriendly to Britain. The Mormon leaders agree to support Britain's claims in any border dispute in return for the British leaving them alone to practice their religion and turning a blind eye to controversial practices, especially polygamy.
1847 – King Louis Philippe of France makes some political concessions which win more support from the middle class of France.
1848 – Famines in Europe cause rioting, but no organized revolutions. (No successful revolution against Louis Philippe in France means there is no galvanizing example to inspire organized uprisings elsewhere.)
