Miscellaneous: Before 1900 (Alternate) History Thread

  Based on a rough TL I have for a possible ISOTl scenario.

a)  A somewhat different American revolution which is less successful with Britain maintaining the region north of the Ohio valley, along with Georgia - using its claims west to the Mississippi and Florida.

b)  In a 1812 equivalent you get a longer conflict in which maintains the British territories, sees the New England Confederation [NEC] established - as a result of the longer war and Washington's hostility towards the interests of the New England region.  Also the US suffers badly with a lot of destruction in coastal areas and slave unrest, many slaves escaping to Georgia, where they form a sizeable element of the population with an obvious reason for loyalty to the British crown.  Couple with increasing distrust between the two nations leading to reduced migration and investment for the US.

  One other significant factor is that with the loss of so much territory in the north compared to OTL despite also losing Georgia [including Alabama and Mississippi states] and Florida the US is predominantly a slave-holding nation, especially in the senate and a slightly earlier ending of slavery in the British empire heightens the tension over this issue.

  Furthermore the better position of the UK results in the agreed extension of the border westwards on the 45th parallel rather than the 49th.

c)  Either the US has similar victories as OTL over Mexico - having still getting the Louisiana purchase - but then loses most of those lands to Britain/Canada and Mexico in a later war - or Mexico gets a much better deal with a shorter and far less destructive independence war and it establishes a stable government.  In the latter case it successfully defends Tejas against the rebels and then later defeats a US attack, possibly with UK support.

d)  At some time tensions over slavery boils over with possibly a successful northern break-away which either stays an independent state or joins with the NEC.

e)  At some point slavery ends in the south but the country remains under-developed and with continued tension with its smaller but more economically developed northern neighbour, the latter probably having good relations with the kingdom of Canada.

  If the borders of the rump US in this scenario are basically north of the larger Georgia, the west bank of the Mississippi and some neighbouring regions into part of the great plains and say in the north including Kentucky and Virginia - which might or might not lose OTL W Virginia - and Maryland its still going to be sizeable but underdeveloped and handicapped by deep internal social and racial divisions and poor relations with its neighbours.  Possibly with a measure of internal instability and intermittent military rule as OTL Brazil.  Its a significant local power but not really fulfilling its potential.

Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Years of Rice and Salt" seems like this.