The Dominion of New England
"Dominion New England," also called "Royalist New England" or "Tory New England," descends from those colonies that did not reject the English monarchy in the late 18th century. Its unification, and the treaties that bound it in friendship to "Republican New Enlgand," are a part of the ASB's origin story.
The Dominion is the only "internal federation" within the ASB confederal structure. And it does not encompass everything that is considered New England, which also includes Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Meanwhile, "Greater New England" includes all parts of North America heavily settled by Yankees, including St. John's Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Upper Connecticut on Lake Erie, along with smaller traditional Yankee communities throughout the North.
The diamond symbol on the map is the official logo of the country; there is also a coat of arms and flag used to represent New England.
The Dominion is the only "internal federation" within the ASB confederal structure. And it does not encompass everything that is considered New England, which also includes Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Meanwhile, "Greater New England" includes all parts of North America heavily settled by Yankees, including St. John's Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Upper Connecticut on Lake Erie, along with smaller traditional Yankee communities throughout the North.
The diamond symbol on the map is the official logo of the country; there is also a coat of arms and flag used to represent New England.
History
The original Dominion of the 1680s was an attempt by England's King James II to impose tighter control over the older, independent-minded colonies of New England. It fell apart quickly thanks to colonial opposition in America and parliamentary opposition in England. An even shorter-lived attempt was followed by a final, successful form of the Dominion in the 1710s. The new form emphasized cooperation rather than domination and left a great deal of initiative to local landowners acting through their assemblies.
Subsequent decades saw increased cooperation between New England and other English colonies to the south. Their leaders met in a series of Congresses to coordinate diplomacy with the Dutch and Iroquois, regulate inter-colonial trade, and - ultimately - to discuss grievances they had against the English government. Toward the end of the century rebellions broke out up and down the coast. In New England, all of the colonies except Saybrook and the Vineyards declared their independence as republican states. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Plymouth were later pulled back into the loyalist fold, with great difficulty and at great cost to the power of both Crown and Parliament. Rhode Island in particular was only won back by the promise of extremely liberal reforms including a bill of rights and regular elections. Only Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire continued to resist. Together with an emerging Vermont, these states attempted to form a new Confederation of New England, an even looser alliance that ultimately was simply absorbed into the institutions of the ASB.
Subsequent decades saw increased cooperation between New England and other English colonies to the south. Their leaders met in a series of Congresses to coordinate diplomacy with the Dutch and Iroquois, regulate inter-colonial trade, and - ultimately - to discuss grievances they had against the English government. Toward the end of the century rebellions broke out up and down the coast. In New England, all of the colonies except Saybrook and the Vineyards declared their independence as republican states. Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Plymouth were later pulled back into the loyalist fold, with great difficulty and at great cost to the power of both Crown and Parliament. Rhode Island in particular was only won back by the promise of extremely liberal reforms including a bill of rights and regular elections. Only Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire continued to resist. Together with an emerging Vermont, these states attempted to form a new Confederation of New England, an even looser alliance that ultimately was simply absorbed into the institutions of the ASB.
Government
The Dominion function as something like a regional consortium created to address a single issue like tolls or education - its powers have been very carefully delineated and it does not have jurisdiction in all areas. There is a divided judiciary, with regular courts being at the state level and appeals courts being at the level of the Dominion. The Crown is represented by a Governor-General, with Lieutenant Governors in each state.
For a New Englander, the Confederal Government deals with issues that affects all the ASB, not just New England, the Dominion Government deals with specific issues that has been carefully and clearly delineated out, the State Governments deals with everything else.
The functions that in other states are the purview of the state government are instead divided between the states and the Dominion. Supporters say it reflects their history and allows the small member states to pool their resources; detractors say it's nothing but an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
For a New Englander, the Confederal Government deals with issues that affects all the ASB, not just New England, the Dominion Government deals with specific issues that has been carefully and clearly delineated out, the State Governments deals with everything else.
The functions that in other states are the purview of the state government are instead divided between the states and the Dominion. Supporters say it reflects their history and allows the small member states to pool their resources; detractors say it's nothing but an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy.
Politics
All credit to Gwen for the political system of New England, as well as all other states.
Parties active throughout New England
Labor Party: Social democratic, rose in the 1910s and 1920s to eclipse the faltering Liberal Party. A confederation of five socialist parties (only one which deviates from the Labor name, that of the Vineyards Social Democratic Party). In general, it is led by Rhode Islander Jack Reed, the incumbent Prime Minister of New England.
Tory Party: Quite possibly the ASB's oldest political party, it tracks its history all the way back to the 1740s and the "Loyalist Association". A moderate-conservative party, it adapted to the popular changes its opponents made and thus kept itself popular. Led by Opposition Leader Linda McMahon of Lower Connecticut.
Parties specific to Lower Connecticut
Modern Whig Party: The spiritual descendant of the Lower Connecticut Liberal Party that collapsed in the 1930s. Stands for centrism.
Long Island Party: A party standing for Long Islander provincehood. Also runs in Saybrook.
Parties specific to Saybrook
Progressive People's Party: Nicknamed the "Pippers", it is the descendant of the Saybrook Liberal Party that collapsed in the 1920s. Stands for centrism.
Long Island Party: A party standing for Long Islander provincehood. Also runs in Lower Connecticut.
Parties specific to Rhode Island
Moderate Party: Nicknamed the "Cool Moose" Party after its leader made a particularly bizarre remark on live TV in the 1990s. Descendant of the RI Liberals.
Parties specific to Plymouth
Centre Party: Descendant of the Plymouth Liberal Party after it collapsed in the late 1910s. Somewhat more populist than the other liberal parties in NE.
Parties specific to the Vineyards
Vineyards First: A Vineyard nationalist party that argues for Vineyards' withdrawal from the Dominion of New England.
Green-Liberal Party: The Liberals barely held on here until the 1940s, when they merged with the nascent Greens to form the Green-Liberals. More "green" obviously.
The Modern Whigs, Pippers, Moderates, Centrists and Green-Liberals form a "Liberal Association" that is not an actual party, but qualifies as one for the debates and for their organisation in the New England Assembly. The "leader" of the Liberal Association is Robert J. Healey of Rhode Island, who is also the leader of the RI Moderates.
The leaders in each state are:
Lower Connecticut: Tom Foley (Tory-Modern Whig coalition)
Opposition: Ned Lamont (Labor)
Saybrook: Nancy Wyman (Labor-Progressive People's coalition)
Opposition: Rob Simmons (Tory)
Rhode Island: David Segal (Labor majority)
Opposition: John Loughlin (Tory)
Plymouth: Christy P. Mihos (Tory minority)
Opposition: Therese Murray (Labor)
Vineyards: Tim Madden (Social Democratic majority)
Opposition: Michelle Smith* (Vineyards First)
List of the Prime Ministers of New England
01: Oliver Wolcott, Sr. (Tory majority) 1765-1779
02: Arthur Fenner (Tory majority) 1779-1784
03: Samuel Huntingdon (Whig minority) 1784-1786
04: Arthur Fenner (Tory majority) 1786-1795
05: William Jones (Tory majority) 1795-1814
06: Marcus Morton, Sr. (Whig majority) 1814-1832
07: Gideon Tomlinson (Tory minority) 1832-1833
08: Marcus Morton, Sr. (Whig majority) 1833-1847
09: Thomas Dorr (Dorr Rebellion) 1845 (extralegal)
10: Isaac Toucey (Tory majority) 1847-1854
11: Thomas H. Seymour (Tory majority) 1854-1859
12: William W. Hoppin (Whig minority) 1859-1863
13: James E. English (Tory majority) 1863-1869
14: William W. Hoppin (Liberal majority) 1869-1875
15: Joseph R. Hawley (Liberal majority) 1875-1889
16: William Gaston (Tory-Independent Liberal coalition) 1889-1894*
17: John W. Davis (Tory-Independent Liberal/Unionist coalition) 1894-1899
18: Simeon E. Baldwin (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1899-1910
19: Charles A. Templeton (Liberal majority) 1910-1919
20: George P. McLean (Liberal majority, then minority) 1919-1920
21: Henry F. Lippitt (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1920-1925
22: Theodore F. Green (Labor minority) 1925-1926
23: Henry F. Lippitt (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1926-1929
24: William S. Flynn (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1929-1931
25: Jasper McLevy (Labor majority) 1931-1947
26: John D. Lodge (Tory majority) 1947-1960
27: John O. Pastore (Labor majority) 1960-1965
28: John D. Lodge (Tory majority) 1965-1971
29: John O. Pastore (Labor majority) 1971-1973
30: Tom Meskill (Tory minority with support from liberals) 1973-1975
32: Ella T. Grasso (Labor majority) 1975-1981
33: Bruce Morrison (Labor majority) 1981-1984
34: John Chafee (Tory majority) 1984-1992
35: Linville Almond (Tory majority) 1992-1999
36: Barbara Kennelly (Labor majority) 1999-2003
37: David Chafee (Tory majority) 2003-2009
38: Jack Reed (Labor majority) 2009-present
Parties active throughout New England
Labor Party: Social democratic, rose in the 1910s and 1920s to eclipse the faltering Liberal Party. A confederation of five socialist parties (only one which deviates from the Labor name, that of the Vineyards Social Democratic Party). In general, it is led by Rhode Islander Jack Reed, the incumbent Prime Minister of New England.
Tory Party: Quite possibly the ASB's oldest political party, it tracks its history all the way back to the 1740s and the "Loyalist Association". A moderate-conservative party, it adapted to the popular changes its opponents made and thus kept itself popular. Led by Opposition Leader Linda McMahon of Lower Connecticut.
Parties specific to Lower Connecticut
Modern Whig Party: The spiritual descendant of the Lower Connecticut Liberal Party that collapsed in the 1930s. Stands for centrism.
Long Island Party: A party standing for Long Islander provincehood. Also runs in Saybrook.
Parties specific to Saybrook
Progressive People's Party: Nicknamed the "Pippers", it is the descendant of the Saybrook Liberal Party that collapsed in the 1920s. Stands for centrism.
Long Island Party: A party standing for Long Islander provincehood. Also runs in Lower Connecticut.
Parties specific to Rhode Island
Moderate Party: Nicknamed the "Cool Moose" Party after its leader made a particularly bizarre remark on live TV in the 1990s. Descendant of the RI Liberals.
Parties specific to Plymouth
Centre Party: Descendant of the Plymouth Liberal Party after it collapsed in the late 1910s. Somewhat more populist than the other liberal parties in NE.
Parties specific to the Vineyards
Vineyards First: A Vineyard nationalist party that argues for Vineyards' withdrawal from the Dominion of New England.
Green-Liberal Party: The Liberals barely held on here until the 1940s, when they merged with the nascent Greens to form the Green-Liberals. More "green" obviously.
The Modern Whigs, Pippers, Moderates, Centrists and Green-Liberals form a "Liberal Association" that is not an actual party, but qualifies as one for the debates and for their organisation in the New England Assembly. The "leader" of the Liberal Association is Robert J. Healey of Rhode Island, who is also the leader of the RI Moderates.
The leaders in each state are:
Lower Connecticut: Tom Foley (Tory-Modern Whig coalition)
Opposition: Ned Lamont (Labor)
Saybrook: Nancy Wyman (Labor-Progressive People's coalition)
Opposition: Rob Simmons (Tory)
Rhode Island: David Segal (Labor majority)
Opposition: John Loughlin (Tory)
Plymouth: Christy P. Mihos (Tory minority)
Opposition: Therese Murray (Labor)
Vineyards: Tim Madden (Social Democratic majority)
Opposition: Michelle Smith* (Vineyards First)
List of the Prime Ministers of New England
01: Oliver Wolcott, Sr. (Tory majority) 1765-1779
02: Arthur Fenner (Tory majority) 1779-1784
03: Samuel Huntingdon (Whig minority) 1784-1786
04: Arthur Fenner (Tory majority) 1786-1795
05: William Jones (Tory majority) 1795-1814
06: Marcus Morton, Sr. (Whig majority) 1814-1832
07: Gideon Tomlinson (Tory minority) 1832-1833
08: Marcus Morton, Sr. (Whig majority) 1833-1847
09: Thomas Dorr (Dorr Rebellion) 1845 (extralegal)
10: Isaac Toucey (Tory majority) 1847-1854
11: Thomas H. Seymour (Tory majority) 1854-1859
12: William W. Hoppin (Whig minority) 1859-1863
13: James E. English (Tory majority) 1863-1869
14: William W. Hoppin (Liberal majority) 1869-1875
15: Joseph R. Hawley (Liberal majority) 1875-1889
16: William Gaston (Tory-Independent Liberal coalition) 1889-1894*
17: John W. Davis (Tory-Independent Liberal/Unionist coalition) 1894-1899
18: Simeon E. Baldwin (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1899-1910
19: Charles A. Templeton (Liberal majority) 1910-1919
20: George P. McLean (Liberal majority, then minority) 1919-1920
21: Henry F. Lippitt (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1920-1925
22: Theodore F. Green (Labor minority) 1925-1926
23: Henry F. Lippitt (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1926-1929
24: William S. Flynn (Tory-Unionist coalition) 1929-1931
25: Jasper McLevy (Labor majority) 1931-1947
26: John D. Lodge (Tory majority) 1947-1960
27: John O. Pastore (Labor majority) 1960-1965
28: John D. Lodge (Tory majority) 1965-1971
29: John O. Pastore (Labor majority) 1971-1973
30: Tom Meskill (Tory minority with support from liberals) 1973-1975
32: Ella T. Grasso (Labor majority) 1975-1981
33: Bruce Morrison (Labor majority) 1981-1984
34: John Chafee (Tory majority) 1984-1992
35: Linville Almond (Tory majority) 1992-1999
36: Barbara Kennelly (Labor majority) 1999-2003
37: David Chafee (Tory majority) 2003-2009
38: Jack Reed (Labor majority) 2009-present
The States
The Province of Lower Connecticut
The colony of Connecticut was founded in 1638 on the ruins of the Pequot confederacy, a nation that was virtually exterminated in one of the darkest incidents in New England's history. The colony was centered on a few towns on the middle Connecticut River valley. One of them, Hartford, became the capital. In order to secure a claim to land in New England, Connecticut bought most of the land from the struggling Saybrook colony. The Connecticuters did not buy the colony outright - they left a rump Saybrook that survives today - but they did buy the colony's claims to a strip of land stretching far to the west. The new colony lacked the resources to immediately make use of its western claim, but it became consequential in the late 18th century.
Meanwhile, Connecticut continued to grow, absorbing a separate colony founded at New Haven. It became a rich and prosperous province, a center of food production and trade that soon began to look beyond the confines of New England. The province granted land to settlers in the Wyoming valley west of the Delaware, in what is now Poutaxia. There the Yankees were able to establish the beginnings of New England town government, but they were surrounded by powerful competitors who prevented them from establishing a sovereign English enclave. They and other local towns eventually united to form the State of Poutaxia, of which the capital, Wilkspar, was originally a Connecticut Yankee settlement.
Connecticut's other major inland colony, today's Free State of Upper Connecticut, began soon after the province declared independence in 1769. Connecticut had to fight English and Loyalist forces to secure its independence, and this included sending a force to clear the English out of Fort Sanduskey, which lay within its claimed territory in the west. A force of rough, hardy militiamen set out, increasing their strength as they moved thanks to an alliance with the Indian-Mixt republic on the Cuyahoga. They captured Fort Sanduskey but failed to eliminate the English presence. Eventually the Connecticuters removed to positions on the Cuyahoga, which became the focal points of settlements as the new state offered incentives to farming families to relocate there. Thankfully the alliance with the Cuyahoga Indians held, because Upper Connecticut was surrounded with hostile neighbors who were far from pleased with the arrival of a large group of newcomers.
Back in Lower Connecticut, though, it was becoming apparent that the real threat was not western Indians, but their allied new republic, Massachusetts Bay. In the Confederation Congress, the body created to help the independent states cooperate, Massachusetts delegates were pushing hard for a stronger federal government, which the far larger state was sure to dominate. Relations with Massachusetts deteriorated, which had serious economic consequences for the little state. Loyalist sentiment resurfaced, especially after the Governor-General in Saybrook promised to respect the state's liberty and autonomy should it restore the monarchy. The General Assembly elected a Tory majority in 1781, who quickly voted to leave the confederation with Massachusetts Bay and re-join the Dominion.
The restoration was not popular with the folk of Upper Connecticut, who were mostly die-hard republicans. Connecticut', working with the Dominion, attempted to alter the population by giving grants of land to committed Loyalist families in the region called the Firelands, but this did not prevent UC from breaking away from both Hartford and the Crown in the next flare-up of violence in the 1800s, the War of the League of St. Joseph. Subsequent attempts by LC to claim territory in such places as Chicagou and the Mississippi and Missouri rivers were not successful, though Yankee populations in all those places point to the continuing influence of Lower Connecticut's extravagant western claims.
The province today is the largest and most populous in the Dominion. Its old agrarian culture still exists together with a more modern, urbanized, technological society. Parts of LC have close economic and cultural connections with New Amsterdam, while Yale and other universities make it a major intellectual center.
Lower Connecticut's flag embodies the contrasts in its history. St. George's cross, a symbol of loyalty to the Crown, is inset with a depiction of the Charter Oak, a symbol of freedom and resistance to royal power.
The Province of Saybrook
Saybrook began in 1635 as the project of a group of nobles and gentry, taking its name from two important proprietors, the Viscount Saye and Baron Brooke. The colony quickly ran into financial problems that lay in the fuzzy area between incompetence and fraud. They sold out to Connecticut in 1644 but kept the colony alive. They retained the area around Saybrook itself and the hope of expanding east of the Connecticut River, an land of uncertain boundaries and conflicting claims.
To keep their colony alive, its sponsors decided on a strategy that was unusual for New England: large grants of land, which could be granted through purchase or headright. Manorialism was not totally unknown in the region. The Mayhew family ruled Martha's Vineyard through a basically feudal grant, and Saybrook's own founder, Lion Gardiner, had a similar grant for an island off Long Island. So now, large planters could arrive with indentured laborers and receive large estates in a system modeled on that of Virginia. Saybrook's land and climate were not suited for the kind of agriculture that supported Virginia's plantation agriculture, but the new landowners were able to stay afloat by trading with the Indians and supplying food to the growing city of New Amsterdam. When their workers' indentures expired, they received grants to small plots nearby, and the large landowners were able to continue playing the role of local patrons. Eventually, the population grew enough that they could sustain themselves through commercial farming and forestry. Thus colonial Saybrook had a significant landed gentry, something not seen in the rest of egalitarian New England.
Of course the new great landowners - or Lords of the Manor, as they soon were calling themselves - had trouble actually controlling their estates. The neighboring colonies continued to carve out towns for their own settlers in land where Saybrook had already issued grants. To defend against this kind of encroachment, Saybrook made alliances with the surviving Wampanoag and Narragansett peoples. There was some violence between the colonies. Ultimately Saybrook agreed to an extremely generous border with Massachusetts Bay, but conflict continued with Connecticut and Rhode Island for years.
Saybrook's next strategic move was just as unusual, not to mention ironic in light of the staunch Parliamentarian beliefs of its founders: the colony reached out to make common cause with the Crown. The colonial assembly made repeated gestures of loyalty and friendship to the restored King Charles II, and were rewarded with a charter giving them most of what they wanted. Disputes continued, but the colony now had a secure footing and royal support. A titled gentry, a large population of allied Indians, and close ties to the Crown: Saybrook was certainly an oddity in New England by the late 17th century.
Over the next hundred years, Saybrook evolved and came to fit in better with its neighbors. New grants of land were made along the lines of traditional New England towns. The landowning upper class continued to set it apart, but these could easily socialize with the emerging mercantile upper class in Boston and other port cities. A lingering sense of loyalty to the king remained. When the movement for independence first stirred in Massachusetts Bay and Virginia, Saybrook remained a center of loyalism. At a raucous session of the Assembly that lasted late into the night, the colony voted no on a motion of independence that republicans had proposed. Soon after the colony strengthened Fort Saybrook and built other fortifications to stop any republican invasion. It emerged from the war a loyal member of the Dominion of New England.
The gentry of the colonial era are mostly gone. The titles were abolished in a 19th century reform. Several families speculated in land in the Upper Country, specifically the "Firelands" in Sanduskey Country that were allotted to New England Loyalists who had lost property in the Wars of Independence. A few of the Saybrook gentry relocated to Sanduskey.
The capital remains at Saybrook at the mouth of the Connecticut River, but most of the territory stretches to the east of it. The state flag quarters the arms of Lords Saye and Brooke. It is inspired by a design by DeviantArtist edthomasten, correcting a few inaccuracies.
Saybrook began in 1635 as the project of a group of nobles and gentry, taking its name from two important proprietors, the Viscount Saye and Baron Brooke. The colony quickly ran into financial problems that lay in the fuzzy area between incompetence and fraud. They sold out to Connecticut in 1644 but kept the colony alive. They retained the area around Saybrook itself and the hope of expanding east of the Connecticut River, an land of uncertain boundaries and conflicting claims.
To keep their colony alive, its sponsors decided on a strategy that was unusual for New England: large grants of land, which could be granted through purchase or headright. Manorialism was not totally unknown in the region. The Mayhew family ruled Martha's Vineyard through a basically feudal grant, and Saybrook's own founder, Lion Gardiner, had a similar grant for an island off Long Island. So now, large planters could arrive with indentured laborers and receive large estates in a system modeled on that of Virginia. Saybrook's land and climate were not suited for the kind of agriculture that supported Virginia's plantation agriculture, but the new landowners were able to stay afloat by trading with the Indians and supplying food to the growing city of New Amsterdam. When their workers' indentures expired, they received grants to small plots nearby, and the large landowners were able to continue playing the role of local patrons. Eventually, the population grew enough that they could sustain themselves through commercial farming and forestry. Thus colonial Saybrook had a significant landed gentry, something not seen in the rest of egalitarian New England.
Of course the new great landowners - or Lords of the Manor, as they soon were calling themselves - had trouble actually controlling their estates. The neighboring colonies continued to carve out towns for their own settlers in land where Saybrook had already issued grants. To defend against this kind of encroachment, Saybrook made alliances with the surviving Wampanoag and Narragansett peoples. There was some violence between the colonies. Ultimately Saybrook agreed to an extremely generous border with Massachusetts Bay, but conflict continued with Connecticut and Rhode Island for years.
Saybrook's next strategic move was just as unusual, not to mention ironic in light of the staunch Parliamentarian beliefs of its founders: the colony reached out to make common cause with the Crown. The colonial assembly made repeated gestures of loyalty and friendship to the restored King Charles II, and were rewarded with a charter giving them most of what they wanted. Disputes continued, but the colony now had a secure footing and royal support. A titled gentry, a large population of allied Indians, and close ties to the Crown: Saybrook was certainly an oddity in New England by the late 17th century.
Over the next hundred years, Saybrook evolved and came to fit in better with its neighbors. New grants of land were made along the lines of traditional New England towns. The landowning upper class continued to set it apart, but these could easily socialize with the emerging mercantile upper class in Boston and other port cities. A lingering sense of loyalty to the king remained. When the movement for independence first stirred in Massachusetts Bay and Virginia, Saybrook remained a center of loyalism. At a raucous session of the Assembly that lasted late into the night, the colony voted no on a motion of independence that republicans had proposed. Soon after the colony strengthened Fort Saybrook and built other fortifications to stop any republican invasion. It emerged from the war a loyal member of the Dominion of New England.
The gentry of the colonial era are mostly gone. The titles were abolished in a 19th century reform. Several families speculated in land in the Upper Country, specifically the "Firelands" in Sanduskey Country that were allotted to New England Loyalists who had lost property in the Wars of Independence. A few of the Saybrook gentry relocated to Sanduskey.
The capital remains at Saybrook at the mouth of the Connecticut River, but most of the territory stretches to the east of it. The state flag quarters the arms of Lords Saye and Brooke. It is inspired by a design by DeviantArtist edthomasten, correcting a few inaccuracies.
The Province of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Rhode Island was founded by religious dissidents in 1636 and has charted its own course ever since. Somewhat ostracized by its neighbors in the 17th century, the little colony had to fight to keep every inch of land outside its original island of Aquidneck. King Charles II declared that its western border would be a line running north from the mouth of the Pawcatuck; this conflicted with his earlier charter for Saybrook, and after a long squabble the two colonies agreed to divide the disputed land between them.
Rhode Island was founded by religious dissidents in 1636 and has charted its own course ever since. Somewhat ostracized by its neighbors in the 17th century, the little colony had to fight to keep every inch of land outside its original island of Aquidneck. King Charles II declared that its western border would be a line running north from the mouth of the Pawcatuck; this conflicted with his earlier charter for Saybrook, and after a long squabble the two colonies agreed to divide the disputed land between them.
Rhode Island declared independence in the 1760s along with most of New England, and for many years it had no intention of coming back to the Dominion. England even formally recognized its independence in the Treaty of the Hague, together with Massachusetts Bay and New Hampshire. But like the Connecticuters, Rhode Islanders were unhappy with the overbearing attitude of Massachusetts leaders. New England was led at the time by a Tory government under Arthur Fenner, but far from being anti-reform, the Tories were happy to further liberalize the laws of the Dominion to entice Rhode Island to return to the fold.
Once the Rhode Island Assembly was confident that the Dominion would respect its constitution and institutions, it was swayed, returning to the monarchy after almost thirty years of republicanism. Its membership gave the Dominion an unbroken stretch of territory from the Connecticut Panhandle to Cape Cod.
Within a few years, Newport, Rhode Island, was fortified and became the site of New England's main naval base. The military presence drew the political leadership, and Newport was made the permanent capital of the Dominion. This helped it win out over its rival, Providence, to be the sole capital of the state, as well.
Rhode Island, like all the states of greater New England, is divided into self-governing towns with strong traditions of participatory democracy. The province has 31 towns, a few of which are considered cities and have more elaborate municipal institutions.
Once the Rhode Island Assembly was confident that the Dominion would respect its constitution and institutions, it was swayed, returning to the monarchy after almost thirty years of republicanism. Its membership gave the Dominion an unbroken stretch of territory from the Connecticut Panhandle to Cape Cod.
Within a few years, Newport, Rhode Island, was fortified and became the site of New England's main naval base. The military presence drew the political leadership, and Newport was made the permanent capital of the Dominion. This helped it win out over its rival, Providence, to be the sole capital of the state, as well.
Rhode Island, like all the states of greater New England, is divided into self-governing towns with strong traditions of participatory democracy. The province has 31 towns, a few of which are considered cities and have more elaborate municipal institutions.
The Province of Plymouth
Plymouth was founded in 1620 by radical Calvinists looking to separate from the established Church of England, the oldest settlement in New England. As the original colony, it exerted an enormous influence on the later development of New England culture, law, and society. Like Rhode Island, Plymouth returned to the Dominion after declaring independence largely out of fear that Massachusetts sought to subvert its interests, take land, or even annex the state outright. Later the province grew wealthy from the whaling trade, while today tourism is an important source of income in the capital Plymouth and along Cape Cod.
Plymouth was founded in 1620 by radical Calvinists looking to separate from the established Church of England, the oldest settlement in New England. As the original colony, it exerted an enormous influence on the later development of New England culture, law, and society. Like Rhode Island, Plymouth returned to the Dominion after declaring independence largely out of fear that Massachusetts sought to subvert its interests, take land, or even annex the state outright. Later the province grew wealthy from the whaling trade, while today tourism is an important source of income in the capital Plymouth and along Cape Cod.
The flag of Plymouth is based on its colonial seal. In the original, in each quarter an Indian person knelt against a landscape background and held up a burning heart. The imagery reflected the religious mission of the early colony. It remained in use long after the province had ceased to be exclusively Calvinist. The flag uses the heart symbols while leaving out the human figures and landscapes. A version of it was first flown in 1820, the bicentennial of the founding of Plymouth. It was a time of many public celebrations and renewed interest in the Pilgrim Fathers that helped to build Plymouth's modern identity as a free and Loyal state. It was officially adopted some years later by act of the General Court of Plymouth.
The Province of the Vineyards
The Vineyards consist of the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, besides Martha's companion island of Chappaquiddick and some smaller islands scattered about the surrounding sea.
The colony, with its present limits, was founded by the Mayhew family, who received the islands in a grant in the early 17th century. The Mayhews were Puritans with a utopian vision of creating a mixed Christian society where Indians and English lived together. They were also would-be feudal lords for whom the form of this utopian society was strictly manorial. For this, the Mayhews relied on the support of the Hiacoomes family, the leading Indian family on the island of Martha's Vineyard.
The Mayhews' little realm became disputed territory. Different colonial governors and English noblemen took control of it, in a supervisory role, over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries. The English population also grew throughout this time, particularly in Nantucket, which became the seat of the North American whaling industry. Ultimately, the Mayhews were able to navigate these difficulties and keep their virtual independence. The final form of the Dominion of New England, imposed the 1710s, reserved much power for the individual colonial governments and put the Vineyards on an equal footing with the mainland colonies.
By the 1680s the English colonists resented the family's rule. The family had already weakened the manorial system in the towns of Nantucket, and now they began to gradually abolish it throughout the islands. By the mid-18th century, the Mayhews were still hereditary governors, but the feudal system existed in name only. Both Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket held regular island-wide Town Meetings to address local issues, like other communities in New England. Both Indians and English attended and spoke at these meetings. The first General Meeting for both islands took place in 1752. This became the nucleus of the colonial government.
From this time, the Mayhew heirs played a diminishing role in the colony's government. They put most of their attention into pastoral care of their Indian congregants. They were sympathetic toward the revolutionaries of Massachusetts Bay and did not object when some islanders left to fight on the mainland. However, English rule fell so lightly on the islands that neither the Governor nor the citizens felt particularly moved toward declaring independence themselves. In the waning years of the Wars of Independence, the governor, the Rev. Caleb Mayhew, resigned and abolished the hereditary governorship. In his place he submitted to the Governor-General of New England a council of three joint governors, two from Martha's Vineyard (one White, one Indian) and one from Nantucket. With a few interruptions, a three-person council has governed the vineyards ever since.
The islands' economy and population declined with the whaling industry. They have slowly revived over the last century as tourist destinations.
The Vineyards are still part of the Dominion of New England, a more centralized federal entity within the looser structure of the ASB. The Dominion has authority over maritime affairs, energy, post, and various other matters. The Vineyards themselves remain autonomous with fairly broad authority over such matters as education.
The Vineyards consist of the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, besides Martha's companion island of Chappaquiddick and some smaller islands scattered about the surrounding sea.
The colony, with its present limits, was founded by the Mayhew family, who received the islands in a grant in the early 17th century. The Mayhews were Puritans with a utopian vision of creating a mixed Christian society where Indians and English lived together. They were also would-be feudal lords for whom the form of this utopian society was strictly manorial. For this, the Mayhews relied on the support of the Hiacoomes family, the leading Indian family on the island of Martha's Vineyard.
The Mayhews' little realm became disputed territory. Different colonial governors and English noblemen took control of it, in a supervisory role, over the course of the 17th and 18th centuries. The English population also grew throughout this time, particularly in Nantucket, which became the seat of the North American whaling industry. Ultimately, the Mayhews were able to navigate these difficulties and keep their virtual independence. The final form of the Dominion of New England, imposed the 1710s, reserved much power for the individual colonial governments and put the Vineyards on an equal footing with the mainland colonies.
By the 1680s the English colonists resented the family's rule. The family had already weakened the manorial system in the towns of Nantucket, and now they began to gradually abolish it throughout the islands. By the mid-18th century, the Mayhews were still hereditary governors, but the feudal system existed in name only. Both Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket held regular island-wide Town Meetings to address local issues, like other communities in New England. Both Indians and English attended and spoke at these meetings. The first General Meeting for both islands took place in 1752. This became the nucleus of the colonial government.
From this time, the Mayhew heirs played a diminishing role in the colony's government. They put most of their attention into pastoral care of their Indian congregants. They were sympathetic toward the revolutionaries of Massachusetts Bay and did not object when some islanders left to fight on the mainland. However, English rule fell so lightly on the islands that neither the Governor nor the citizens felt particularly moved toward declaring independence themselves. In the waning years of the Wars of Independence, the governor, the Rev. Caleb Mayhew, resigned and abolished the hereditary governorship. In his place he submitted to the Governor-General of New England a council of three joint governors, two from Martha's Vineyard (one White, one Indian) and one from Nantucket. With a few interruptions, a three-person council has governed the vineyards ever since.
The islands' economy and population declined with the whaling industry. They have slowly revived over the last century as tourist destinations.
The Vineyards are still part of the Dominion of New England, a more centralized federal entity within the looser structure of the ASB. The Dominion has authority over maritime affairs, energy, post, and various other matters. The Vineyards themselves remain autonomous with fairly broad authority over such matters as education.
The state flag of the Vineyards follows the pattern of using the old proprietor family's coat of arms. Below is the sign for state highways. The Vineyards' system of numbered state roads is pretty adorably small, but it definitely has one; part of being a real state and all that. Single digit roads are on Martha's Vineyard, routes 11, 12 and 13 are on Nantucket.
External territories
New England traders and whalers were sailing all over the world by 1850, becoming some of the world's most accomplished mariners. Along the way they put down roots in some places, settling or taking over what became effectively colonies. Many of these, such as the New England settlements in California, no longer have any connection to the Dominion. But a few still do, mostly tiny islands in the Atlantic and Pacific. They are considered to be "outlying territories" of the ASB: the Confederation itself does not directly govern them and they are not considered ASB territory, but it does have responsibility for them in world affairs and therefore watches closely to make sure that they are governed competently.
The best known of these territories is the Falkland Islands. Falkland came under the dominion of Yankee whalers, and since the bulk of these were from the Loyalist states, England allowed them control of the islands. Nominally a colony of Plymouth, the Falklands have long been administered by the Dominion of New England government, with the confederal government closely supervising matters. There is a language divide in the islands: East Falkland speaks English and is largely made up of descendants of Yankees and Englishmen, but the less peopled West Falkland speaks Welsh, its population having close connections to New Cymru, a Welsh-speaking country at the southern tip of the South American mainland.
As a territory of the Dominion of New England, Falkland is loyal to the English monarchy. Its government and institutions are modeled on those of England.
The best known of these territories is the Falkland Islands. Falkland came under the dominion of Yankee whalers, and since the bulk of these were from the Loyalist states, England allowed them control of the islands. Nominally a colony of Plymouth, the Falklands have long been administered by the Dominion of New England government, with the confederal government closely supervising matters. There is a language divide in the islands: East Falkland speaks English and is largely made up of descendants of Yankees and Englishmen, but the less peopled West Falkland speaks Welsh, its population having close connections to New Cymru, a Welsh-speaking country at the southern tip of the South American mainland.
As a territory of the Dominion of New England, Falkland is loyal to the English monarchy. Its government and institutions are modeled on those of England.