NationStates Jolt Archive


The United States of America (Timeline 191)

Florida Oranges
25-11-2006, 00:01
The United States of America

http://turtledove.wikia.com/images/f/f0/34Stars.jpg

*=See Key Notes

*Population: 63, 794, 373

*States:
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Dakota, Deleware, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
Total: 32

Capital: Washington D.C., *Philadelphia

The Administration

http://z.about.com/d/womenshistory/1/0/u/C/1913seal.jpg

*President James S. Sherman (http://www.homeofheroes.com/presidents/vp_sherman.jpg)
(1905-1909)(1909- )
First elected president in 1904, 55-year-old President James S. Sherman has had a quiet but successful relationship with the American public since his inaugeration. There is little not to like about him, at least from a United States perspective, as he is a fierce Democrat who constantly emphasizes the values of the Remembrance ideaology through his policies. Intensely nationalistic, he still manages to be only a moderate reactionary despite his political views, and has yet to provoke another war with his southern neighbors. His critics, such as Democrat leader Teddy Roosevelt, cite this as his biggest weakness, claiming that the United States needs to be tough on the Confederates. Sherman has an unparalleled work ethic and is constantly on the move, which has concerned a good many of his colleagues. His gallstones are no secret, nor is his deteriorating health, and some Democrats believe that if he doesn't slow down, his health will fail him. He is currently in his second term.

Vice President Leslie Mortimer Shaw (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Leslie_Shaw%2C_Bain_photo_portrait.jpg)
A former banker, treasurer, and governor, 62-year-old Leslie Mortimer Shaw was certainly an interesting choice for vice president, especially considering the variety of Democrats there were to choose from. He is a member of the wealthy elite and has no qualms about it; he often flaunts his wealth quite openly amidst his peers. The newspapers have painted him as an elitist pig with no sense of compassion; socialists finger him as the poster-child of what the Democratic party stands for. Still, President Sherman weighs Shaw's worth in his financial know-how and his willingness to be a yes-man, which is why he was chosen for vice president. Shaw has never been known to cooperate with foreign countries and has a bit of a bad reputation among foreign ambassadors. He's not afraid to be curt with the public or his southern neighbors. He has served with Sherman both terms.

Secretary of State Philander C. Knox (http://www.nndb.com/people/107/000059927/knox_p_sized.jpg)
57-year-old Philander Knox, though undoubtedly a member of the Democratic social elite, is excellent at his position despite being just recently appointed. He is charismatic, reasonable, and a strong member of his political party, so much so that many figure him to run for president in the 1912 election. Whether or not relations between the U.S.A. and C.S.A. improve or deteriorate as a result of his appointment remains to be seen, however.

Secretary of War William Taft (http://content.answers.com/main/content/img/webpics/william_taft.jpg)
Although hardly as charismatic as Philander Knox, the 53-year-old William Taft makes a good cabinet member simply because he listens and he gets the job done. He's not particularly liked by the members of his own party, and the socialists think he's absolutely daft, but President Sherman recognizes Taft as a reliable pillar in the cabinet, and supports Taft in this position whole-heartedly. There has been heavy speculation as to who exactly controls the war-time affairs though; General Custer has a lot of sway due to constantly being in the national limelight.

Military

General of the Armies George Armstrong Custer (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/G_a_custer.jpg)
At the ripe old age of 71-years-old, it's amazing that Custer is allowed to operate in the most important military position in the entirety of the United States. The old man has been called everything from daffy to incredibly vain, as it is very public knowledge that he bleaches his long (and disappearing) white hair and mustache. Still, his military genious, ferocity, and the bravery he exhibited in the Utah revolt and the attack on Montana simply cannot be over-looked, and many believe his appointment as supreme general has long been overdue. He and Teddy Roosevelt are both bitter rivals, and it is expected that should Roosevelt run for president in 1912, Custer may find himself in a lesser position.

Information
The U.S. military can be a somewhat confusing topic as there are two different terms it can go by. The Regular Army is the army kept in times of peace. It is an army made up strictly of men who are paid for their time and service. As it is a volunteer organization, the standing Regular Army is not particularly large or frightening, although it should be pointed out that they're there primarily in case of attack. In times of war, the Regular Army takes on the name of National Army. The National Army is a combination of Regular Army troops, conscripted troops, and the National Guard. At its height it is believed to be able to reach numbers as high as two million, although that's including logistics personnel.

Equipment

The Springfield M1903
The main infantry weapon of the National Army, the Springfield M1903 is a bolt-action rifle with a 5-round clip.

River Monitors
River Monitors are gunboats that patrol the many rivers and lakes of the United States. They have two six-inch guns and are outfitted with machine guns.

Key Notes
-The population of the U.S.A. was determined through http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/histcensus/, a website listing historical population figures for the United States dating all the way back to 1790. I chose the year 1910 and added together the populations of all the states minus the Confederate ones, and that's how I determined my pop. number.
-Turtledove never made mention of the presidents of the United States 1901 through 1912. Although we know Teddy Roosevelt was elected in 1912, there's no mention of his predecessor. As such, I chose James S. Sherman for my president, who in real life was William Taft's Vice President. I think he should be an adequate choice all things considered. This will be his second term as president. It should also be noted that his entire cabinet is made up of historical figures.
-The number of states listed is 32. I understand that on the wikipedia pages the U.S. is listed as having 34 states at the start of the Great War, but this must've been an error on Turtledove's part. Supposedly in his books Dakota is one state, and Arizona is a part of New Mexico. Unless anybody has any qualms, I intend to keep 32 states.
-The reason I've got two capitals listed is because the Timeline 191 wikipedia indicated that the U.S. had a unique situation they had to address, concerning how close Washington D.C. was to Confederate territory. While Washington D.C. is still the capital, Philadelphia has become the acting seat of the government. Both the Powell House and the Senate reside in Philadelphia.

EDITS
1st Edit-Removed Barrels and planes from military equipment.
2nd Edit-Rewrote cabinet member biographies.
Moorington
25-11-2006, 00:32
Whoa, that blows my socks off, your factbook is so good.

Keep up the good work, and any "tweaking" you need to do is negligible.
Candistan
25-11-2006, 00:48
Deutschland Hereby Tags this article to make sure we know where the embassy is. A fine job, glorious ally of ours!
Ezaltia
25-11-2006, 01:26
Psst, barrels weren't invented yet. And I think Teddy Roosevelt is President.
Florida Oranges
25-11-2006, 01:36
Psst, barrels weren't invented yet. And I think Teddy Roosevelt is President.

Well, I think these things were sort of addressed in the key notes section. I put stars next to certain things because I knew there'd be some conflict with them; the president for example.

-Turtledove never made mention of the presidents of the United States 1901 through 1912. Although we know Teddy Roosevelt was elected in 1912, there's no mention of his predecessor. As such, I chose James S. Sherman for my president, who in real life was William Taft's Vice President. I think he should be an adequate choice all things considered. This will be his second term as president. It should also be noted that his entire cabinet is made up of historical figures.

You can doublecheck wikipedia, but you'll find that I'm correct. Teddy Roosevelt was elected in 1912...Turtledove never mentioned who came before him.

As for the tanks, I apologize, and I'll remove them immediately. Understand that I was somewhat basing my factbook off of those of other players, and I noticed that in your factbook you had the S.E.5a listed under equipment. The S.E.5a didn't fly its maiden flight until 1916, and wasn't actually used until 1917, at the height of the Great War. I figured since you'd listed the S.E.5a as already invented, I'd list the barrel and the Albatross under my equipment, but now that things are cleared up, I'll be happy to remove both of them. That is of course if you agree to remove the S.E.5a?
Ezaltia
25-11-2006, 01:46
Oh, sure. I'll replace it with some locally-prodiced plane.
Florida Oranges
25-11-2006, 02:10
That's fine, and I apologize for the misunderstanding. I wasn't implying that you should choose another model plane, however. Machine guns didn't get mounted on planes until 1914, and synchronizer gear wasn't available until 1915. What I was trying to say is that fighter aircraft wasn't invented for at least another five years. In 1910 there were planes, but they were strictly observational. Once again, sorry for the misunderstanding...the reason I had barrels and bi-planes in my factbook (which hadn't been invented) was because you had fighter aircraft (which also wasn't invented yet) in yours. And I'm not trying to be a dickhead or anything, I'm just trying to clarify myself.
Ezaltia
25-11-2006, 02:34
We could just say that, due to the increased tensions between the USA and CSA (which, of course, didn't happen in real life), somebody realized the importance of combat aircraft (and interrupter gear) five years earlier than in real life. So you could have your Wright (a copy of the German Albatros) and I'll have my Bulldog (a copy of the Sopwith Camel). My libray doesn't have American Front (grrr) so I really have no idea what kind of planes each side had at the start of the war.
Florida Oranges
25-11-2006, 02:47
We could just say that, due to the increased tensions between the USA and CSA (which, of course, didn't happen in real life), somebody realized the importance of combat aircraft (and interrupter gear) five years earlier than in real life. So you could have your Wright (a copy of the German Albatros) and I'll have my Bulldog (a copy of the Sopwith Camel). My libray doesn't have American Front (grrr) so I really have no idea what kind of planes each side had at the start of the war.

Which is why I had gone with a real life plane. There's only so much information available. Well, your proposal is fine by me, as long as the others approve.
Ezaltia
25-11-2006, 02:50
All right then. Also, here's a 34-star US flag:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ce/US_flag_34_stars.svg/380px-US_flag_34_stars.svg.png

If you're interested.
Moorington
25-11-2006, 03:53
Florida Oranges, you act like a different person. For having so few posts counts you act like someone was has had a thousand or so.

By chance, are you a second generation nation or a puppet?
Florida Oranges
25-11-2006, 04:33
Florida Oranges, you act like a different person. For having so few posts counts you act like someone was has had a thousand or so.

By chance, are you a second generation nation or a puppet?

Haha, well thanks man. I've been around NS with a lot of different concept nations, most of which bore me eventually and get deleted for inactivity. Ten Thousand Maggots, Ttambo, and Muhasafraq are my more recent nations, though I believe Maggots and Ttambo are deceased. Before Florida Oranges I had gone through a good many nations, none of which you'll recognize I'm sure. So yes, I've been around the block a few times, but this is my main nation. Thanks again, always nice to have an AMW guy give you props.
Moorington
25-11-2006, 22:14
Haha, well thanks man. I've been around NS with a lot of different concept nations, most of which bore me eventually and get deleted for inactivity. Ten Thousand Maggots, Ttambo, and Muhasafraq are my more recent nations, though I believe Maggots and Ttambo are deceased. Before Florida Oranges I had gone through a good many nations, none of which you'll recognize I'm sure. So yes, I've been around the block a few times, but this is my main nation. Thanks again, always nice to have an AMW guy give you props.

I knew you when you were Ten Thousand Maggots, ot at least I saw you around here and there.

I've had a lot of concept nations, but at the moment I have all of them active in one (non-issue related way) form or the other. Sorry for this ramble but I just have to let it out:

The Austrian Federacy- AMW Puppet; Dictatorship mixed with previous liberal policies.

Fal Dara in Shienar- Conservative, common sense nation.

Moorington- Common sense, capitalist (I pay attention more to factbook and details on the forum with this guy).

Moorington-s; Trying to turn communist.

Stille Incorporated- Uber capitalist

Messerschmitt Company- Liberal paradise

The Moorish Caphalite- Fanatical religious right.

The Moorish Caphlite- Same, but to a lesser extent, going to be deleted pretty soon.

Whoa, that was pretty off topic. Anyhow, I didn't know that AMW was so widely known, but then again, being around the blocks a couple times makes it hard not to see everything. Much less an RP that has been going for quite a while already.