Terms in the ASB
This page is to explain some of the vocabulary that I use in the project.
Race and Ethnicity
For the main broad racial groups, I have consistently used the terms Black, White, and Indian. I find these to be the most durable and the least baggage-heavy that I could choose. They were current in the colonial era, and they are current now. The people of the ASB might use a variety of other racial terms, some polite, others not; but these are the standard ones. In more recent material, I find myself gravitating to the word indigenous more and more, especially when I'm trying to make a comparison between the societies of the ASB and our own Latin America.
I have introduced the term Mixed to refer to descendants of White and Indian people. It's just a translation of the French Métis and the Spanish Mestizo, and it is an important term in a world where the English were much more willing to engage in such mixing. In some places I've used the French or Spanish words instead, not very consistently.
I have also mostly been careful to use the word English instead of British when talking about the nation that founded most of the English-speaking colonies. The timeline isn't finished yet, but I know that in the world of the ASB, England and Scotland did not stay together. Some of the older pages on this site still refer incorrectly to "British" colonies.
I have introduced the term Mixed to refer to descendants of White and Indian people. It's just a translation of the French Métis and the Spanish Mestizo, and it is an important term in a world where the English were much more willing to engage in such mixing. In some places I've used the French or Spanish words instead, not very consistently.
I have also mostly been careful to use the word English instead of British when talking about the nation that founded most of the English-speaking colonies. The timeline isn't finished yet, but I know that in the world of the ASB, England and Scotland did not stay together. Some of the older pages on this site still refer incorrectly to "British" colonies.
Government and political terms
Political terms are utterly inconsistent at all levels of the ASB, as fits its crazy quilt structure. I call the constituent members States as a general term. Some of the states actually call themselves that, but a lot of other words are used. Some call themselves Commonwealths, like in the United States. Some states call themselves Provinces; confusingly, some of the states are themselves subdivided into units called "provinces".
The ASB as a whole is usually called a Confederation, and we often use the word Confederal to refer to the central government. But even this is not consistent, because a few states are also called "Confederations," even if they are not confederal in structure. Calling the ASB a country or a nation can also create ambiguities: for one thing, many people do not think of the ASB as a single nation, but as a union of sovereign states; for another thing, both of those terms are also used at the state level! Some states call themselves Nations, and the Upper Country is not only thus called, but it is divided into more than twenty smaller units which are themselves called Countries or Constituent Countries.
In short, almost every political term in the ASB has multiple meanings depending on the context in which it's being used.
Often a state's identifier is a clue to its origins and history. States that call themselves Republics and Free States often had a violent revolution in their past. Most Provinces are either loyal English states or are former colonies that separated peacefully from the mother country. Nations and Confederations were generally founded as Indian polities. The greatest variety of names can be found among the ASB's remaining monarchies, which use names from their respective traditions. States that were created via diplomatic compromise tend to be called States or use no identifier.
All together, the ASB has eleven States, ten Provinces, seven Republics, four Commonwealths, three Nations, two Free States, two Confederations, a Realm, a Dominion, a Principality, a Captaincy-General, a Collectivity, and a Royal Province. Five of the ASB's members use no identifier in their official names.
The ASB as a whole is usually called a Confederation, and we often use the word Confederal to refer to the central government. But even this is not consistent, because a few states are also called "Confederations," even if they are not confederal in structure. Calling the ASB a country or a nation can also create ambiguities: for one thing, many people do not think of the ASB as a single nation, but as a union of sovereign states; for another thing, both of those terms are also used at the state level! Some states call themselves Nations, and the Upper Country is not only thus called, but it is divided into more than twenty smaller units which are themselves called Countries or Constituent Countries.
In short, almost every political term in the ASB has multiple meanings depending on the context in which it's being used.
Often a state's identifier is a clue to its origins and history. States that call themselves Republics and Free States often had a violent revolution in their past. Most Provinces are either loyal English states or are former colonies that separated peacefully from the mother country. Nations and Confederations were generally founded as Indian polities. The greatest variety of names can be found among the ASB's remaining monarchies, which use names from their respective traditions. States that were created via diplomatic compromise tend to be called States or use no identifier.
All together, the ASB has eleven States, ten Provinces, seven Republics, four Commonwealths, three Nations, two Free States, two Confederations, a Realm, a Dominion, a Principality, a Captaincy-General, a Collectivity, and a Royal Province. Five of the ASB's members use no identifier in their official names.
Glossary
Acadian: (1) As a civic term, a citizen of one of the four states of Acadia. (2) As an ethnic term, a member of a French-speaking ethnic group that settled in Acadia in the early 17th century.
Avus: Latin for "Grandfather," sometimes used as a title by members of the Chiefly Council. The feminine form is ava.
Black: (1) People descended from Africans. By far the majority are descended from people forcibly brought to America in the slave trade. (2) In some states, people with partial African ancestry.
Cazique: The lower rank in Carolina's aristocracy.
Central States: Region usually defined as the states between Massachusetts Bay and Maryland, and sometimes Lower Virginia. These states are the wealthiest in the confederation and exerted a great influence on its development, in particular its foreign policy and the growth of Congress.
Chief: (1) Depending on the context, any influential person, especially in local politics or society. (2) More specifically, a leader from an established family of wealth or influence. This can apply to people from traditional Indian ceremonial bloodlines and to descendants of old colonial gentry; these groups intermarried widely, so many are of Mixed blood.
Commonwealth: Name chosen by some states when they renounced English rule, whether to become a Jacobite monarchy (the Bahamas) or a republic (Pennsylvania and Virginia).
Confederal: Related to the government of the ASB as a whole.
Confederation: (1) The ASB as a whole. (2) The official name of the states of Iroquoia and Muscogia.
Congress: The deliberative body that originated with meetings between the English-speaking colonies and various Indian nations. It grew into the Congress of the Nations, the first permanent institution of the ASB.
Constituent Country: In the Upper Country, one of the subdivisions of the state.
Country: (1) The ASB as a whole. (2) In colonial usage, a broad region of the continent. Some of these regions have become states, such as the Illinois Country, the Ohio Country, and the Poutaxat Country. (3) A region of the ASB. (4) The official name of the Upper Country. (5) One of the divisions of the Upper Country.
Dominion: A self-governing nation under the English Crown. The Dominion of New England, today consisting of five states, was the earliest one. Other known Dominions include Newfoundland in the ASB, New Albion in California, and the independent country of Rupertsland.
Father: Historically, a colonial governor who acted as protector to allied Indian groups.
Grandfather/Grandmother: Indigenous form of address for a respected person; officially it is used for some Chiefs and for a European monarch who has realms in North America.
Green: A broad political coalition across different states. Some state Green parties are from an older, well-established agrarian movement, the "Rural Greens". In other states, the movement is newer and focused on environmentalism, the "Urban Greens". The two branches of the Green movement share similar goals but have very different cultures and flavors.
Governor: Most common term for the head of a state in the ASB. Governors' roles, powers, and method of selection vary widely from state to state.
Ha-nu-nah: Iroquoian name for the giant turtle whose back forms the continent of North America, according to indigenous folklore. He appears on the ASB's flag.
Independence: In ASB history, "independence" means separation from a colonial power or another state, while remaining part of the ASB confederation.
Jacobites: The line of kings descended from James II and VII of England and Scotland, and their supporters. The states of Maryland and the Bahamas recognize the Jacobite heir as their sovereign. Outside of those two states, the Jacobite movement mostly faded away long ago.
Landgrave: The higher rank in Carolina's aristocracy. Only a handful of Landgraves remain, as none have been created since the mid-18th century.
Little Island States: The states of Bermuda, the Vineyards, the Cayman Islands, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. The four are similar in size to each other but a good deal smaller than any other states.
Métis: French-speaking people descended from both French and Indians.
Mixed: (1) People with a mix of White and Indian ancestry. (2) People with ancestry from any multiple races.
New England: The eight states between New Netherland and Acadia, which share a common history and culture.
New France: (1) Historical name for Canada. (2) The Kingdom of New France, a superstate that united most of the French colonies during the Napoleonic era. (3) Occasionally, a term for all the French-speaking states of Boreoamerica.
Onontio: A title for the governor of Canada. It is derived from the Iroquois words for "Great Mountain", a translation of the name of an early governor, Charles de Montmagny.
Parliament: (1) The unicameral elected legislature of the ASB. (2) The name of several state legislatures.
Pennamite: (1) As a civic term, any person or thing related to Pennsylvania. (2) As an ethnic term, a member of an ethnic group (or stock) with origins in 17th- and 18th-century Pennsylvania. Pennamites speak English and German and have spread throughout the ASB.
Proprietor: Also Lord Proprietor, a landowner who was granted governing powers in a colony. Both Pennsylvania and Maryland still have sitting Proprietors, heirs to the famous Penn and Calvert families, who fill a ceremonial role.
Race: Within ASB society, the broadest ethnic classification. Traditionally, most people identified as one of the three main races (White, Black, and Indian) or as a mix of two or three of them. Modern-day immigration has expanded the number of racial groups in the country.
Realm: The usual term for self-governing nations under the crowns of Sweden, Russia, and Poland. Christiana is the only one within the ASB.
Republican: Of a person, opposed to monarchy. Of a state, non-monarchical. 37 of the ASB's 50 states have republican governments.
Saint Dominic: The most common name in English for the second-largest island in the Caribbean, divided into the states of East and West Dominica. The indigenous names Haiti and Quizqueia or Kiske are still used poetically. Columbus's name Hispaniola has fallen into disuse, it being deemed inappropriate for an island that is half Spanish and half French.
State: One of the fifty constituent members of the ASB confederation.
Stocks: Most common name for the English-speaking ethnic groups that descend from different colonial populations, such as Yankees, Pennamites, and Piedmonters.
Tory: (1) Loyal to the English crown. (2) Conservative, in some states.
Tribe: (1) An indigenous ethnic group, usually geographically dispersed. Today, tribes may or may not have a formal organization. (2) In Indian states such as Iroquoia, a civil grouping encompassing all citizens of a state or subdivision.
Whig: Historically, people in the English-speaking world who were opposed to the monarchy or to royal power.
Yankee: English-speaking stock (ethnic group) with origins in colonial New England.
Avus: Latin for "Grandfather," sometimes used as a title by members of the Chiefly Council. The feminine form is ava.
Black: (1) People descended from Africans. By far the majority are descended from people forcibly brought to America in the slave trade. (2) In some states, people with partial African ancestry.
Cazique: The lower rank in Carolina's aristocracy.
Central States: Region usually defined as the states between Massachusetts Bay and Maryland, and sometimes Lower Virginia. These states are the wealthiest in the confederation and exerted a great influence on its development, in particular its foreign policy and the growth of Congress.
Chief: (1) Depending on the context, any influential person, especially in local politics or society. (2) More specifically, a leader from an established family of wealth or influence. This can apply to people from traditional Indian ceremonial bloodlines and to descendants of old colonial gentry; these groups intermarried widely, so many are of Mixed blood.
Commonwealth: Name chosen by some states when they renounced English rule, whether to become a Jacobite monarchy (the Bahamas) or a republic (Pennsylvania and Virginia).
Confederal: Related to the government of the ASB as a whole.
Confederation: (1) The ASB as a whole. (2) The official name of the states of Iroquoia and Muscogia.
Congress: The deliberative body that originated with meetings between the English-speaking colonies and various Indian nations. It grew into the Congress of the Nations, the first permanent institution of the ASB.
Constituent Country: In the Upper Country, one of the subdivisions of the state.
Country: (1) The ASB as a whole. (2) In colonial usage, a broad region of the continent. Some of these regions have become states, such as the Illinois Country, the Ohio Country, and the Poutaxat Country. (3) A region of the ASB. (4) The official name of the Upper Country. (5) One of the divisions of the Upper Country.
Dominion: A self-governing nation under the English Crown. The Dominion of New England, today consisting of five states, was the earliest one. Other known Dominions include Newfoundland in the ASB, New Albion in California, and the independent country of Rupertsland.
Father: Historically, a colonial governor who acted as protector to allied Indian groups.
Grandfather/Grandmother: Indigenous form of address for a respected person; officially it is used for some Chiefs and for a European monarch who has realms in North America.
Green: A broad political coalition across different states. Some state Green parties are from an older, well-established agrarian movement, the "Rural Greens". In other states, the movement is newer and focused on environmentalism, the "Urban Greens". The two branches of the Green movement share similar goals but have very different cultures and flavors.
Governor: Most common term for the head of a state in the ASB. Governors' roles, powers, and method of selection vary widely from state to state.
Ha-nu-nah: Iroquoian name for the giant turtle whose back forms the continent of North America, according to indigenous folklore. He appears on the ASB's flag.
Independence: In ASB history, "independence" means separation from a colonial power or another state, while remaining part of the ASB confederation.
Jacobites: The line of kings descended from James II and VII of England and Scotland, and their supporters. The states of Maryland and the Bahamas recognize the Jacobite heir as their sovereign. Outside of those two states, the Jacobite movement mostly faded away long ago.
Landgrave: The higher rank in Carolina's aristocracy. Only a handful of Landgraves remain, as none have been created since the mid-18th century.
Little Island States: The states of Bermuda, the Vineyards, the Cayman Islands, and St. Pierre and Miquelon. The four are similar in size to each other but a good deal smaller than any other states.
Métis: French-speaking people descended from both French and Indians.
Mixed: (1) People with a mix of White and Indian ancestry. (2) People with ancestry from any multiple races.
New England: The eight states between New Netherland and Acadia, which share a common history and culture.
New France: (1) Historical name for Canada. (2) The Kingdom of New France, a superstate that united most of the French colonies during the Napoleonic era. (3) Occasionally, a term for all the French-speaking states of Boreoamerica.
Onontio: A title for the governor of Canada. It is derived from the Iroquois words for "Great Mountain", a translation of the name of an early governor, Charles de Montmagny.
Parliament: (1) The unicameral elected legislature of the ASB. (2) The name of several state legislatures.
Pennamite: (1) As a civic term, any person or thing related to Pennsylvania. (2) As an ethnic term, a member of an ethnic group (or stock) with origins in 17th- and 18th-century Pennsylvania. Pennamites speak English and German and have spread throughout the ASB.
Proprietor: Also Lord Proprietor, a landowner who was granted governing powers in a colony. Both Pennsylvania and Maryland still have sitting Proprietors, heirs to the famous Penn and Calvert families, who fill a ceremonial role.
Race: Within ASB society, the broadest ethnic classification. Traditionally, most people identified as one of the three main races (White, Black, and Indian) or as a mix of two or three of them. Modern-day immigration has expanded the number of racial groups in the country.
Realm: The usual term for self-governing nations under the crowns of Sweden, Russia, and Poland. Christiana is the only one within the ASB.
Republican: Of a person, opposed to monarchy. Of a state, non-monarchical. 37 of the ASB's 50 states have republican governments.
Saint Dominic: The most common name in English for the second-largest island in the Caribbean, divided into the states of East and West Dominica. The indigenous names Haiti and Quizqueia or Kiske are still used poetically. Columbus's name Hispaniola has fallen into disuse, it being deemed inappropriate for an island that is half Spanish and half French.
State: One of the fifty constituent members of the ASB confederation.
Stocks: Most common name for the English-speaking ethnic groups that descend from different colonial populations, such as Yankees, Pennamites, and Piedmonters.
Tory: (1) Loyal to the English crown. (2) Conservative, in some states.
Tribe: (1) An indigenous ethnic group, usually geographically dispersed. Today, tribes may or may not have a formal organization. (2) In Indian states such as Iroquoia, a civil grouping encompassing all citizens of a state or subdivision.
Whig: Historically, people in the English-speaking world who were opposed to the monarchy or to royal power.
Yankee: English-speaking stock (ethnic group) with origins in colonial New England.
