For God, Crown, and Country: A Collaborative Worldbuilding Timeline.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Welcome to For God, Crown, and Country. I've made numerous attempts at launching a timeline based around a parliamentary America that remains part of the broader British Empire. This was too tall an order to do on my own, and thus, in the spirit of Lord Caedus's original project on AH.com (which lasted 2010-2017), this project will continue in it's collaborative spirit. Meaning that all readers are welcome to post content based around subjects that arouse their interests. So, for example, if you are like Old School Republican and like sports, feel free to post a news article or a wikipedia infobox about your favorite team or a particularly important championship game. Or if you're a transportation policy nerd, feel free to give a write-up about an airport. Like Bernie Sanders? Shoot me a PM, and I'll draft a quick timeline of his career and you can write a biographical sketch or create an infobox for him. 

While this project is based around the original American Commonwealth thread on AH.com, however I've dramatically altered the party system and PM list to ensure the project is less of a wank in favor of one side or the other. In other words, I've taken the shell and changed the core.

I will act as moderator and thus have executive control, and will use this to ensure the cannon isn't violated or that our biases don't get in the way. However, I will likely rarely use this authority and honestly am probably not likely to use it at all, unless someone randomly kills off a major political figure or something like that.

Some key facts:

• The House of Commons consists of 350 constituencies, which are larger than OTL and thus more diverse and often more competitive. There are currently six parties represented in the House, and I'd like to keep it this way at least initially. 
• The Senate is closer to the American Senate in composition (two per state, elected by provincial legislatures) but is less powerful in practice, meaning it's very similar to Canada on the whole.
• The provinces maintain their own governments, headed by Premiers. This is similar to OTL Canada as well.
• The Supreme Court and judicial system is basically the same as the US judicial system, but I'd imagine they'd wear wigs :P
• There is a written constitution based on the US constitution, with key differences. But a bill of rights, complete with the right to own firearms, exists. However, we also have universal, single payer healthcare in the form of Medicare (thanks LBJ!). So the country is a hodge-podge of the US and Canada culturally overall.

Born from the nexus of history and philosophy, the Commonwealth of America is the foremost economic and military powerhouse on the North American continent and one of the most critical member states of the British Empire. With a total population of just shy of 350 million citizens representing a diverse variety of different demographics, the Commonwealth of America spans from the Arctic to the Caribbean, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Bordered by Mexico and Cuba to the south, the Commonwealth is the predominant English speaking nation on the North American continent. The capital is located in the city of Philadelphia, though other prominent cities include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Calgary, Charleston, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Halifax, Houston, Las Angeles, Las Vegas, Liverpool, Miami, Minneapolis, Montreal, New York, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg.

A highly developed nation, the Commonwealth boasts an abundance of natural resources and a long tradition of industry. With the seventh highest GDP per capita and ranked first by the Human Development Index, the Commonwealth of America is both the foremost economic power of both North America and the broader British Empire. Its advanced economy, the fourth largest in the world, relies on well-developed trade networks, agricultural and industrial export, finance, technology, and tourism. America is part of several major international and intergovernmental institutions or groupings including the United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the G7 (formerly G8), the Group of Ten, the G20, the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

The Commonwealth of America is a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II reigning as head of state, though executive powers are wielded through the Governor-General, who is appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister. The American Parliament is a bicameral legislative body, with the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, allocating its seats in proportion to population whereas the Senate consists of only two members for each province. The Dominion is a realm within the Commonwealth of Nations, and is officially bilingual. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, and education. It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. The current Prime Minister is Justin Trudeau of the Liberal Party, while Paul Ryan is the leader of the Conservative Party, which constitutes the opposition. Other parties represented in Parliament include the Progressive Party, the Grassroots Party, the Bloc Quebecois, and Reform Party.

Various indigenous peoples have inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Beginning in the 16th century, British and French expeditions explored, and later settled, along the Atlantic coast. As a consequence of various armed conflicts, France ceded nearly all of its colonies in North America in 1763. What followed after was a period of unrest over taxation, colonial autonomy, and corruption led to the ultimate Confederation of Britain’s continental holdings. This began an accretion of provinces and territories and a process of increasing autonomy from the United Kingdom. This widening autonomy was highlighted by the Statute of Westminster of 1931 and culminated in the American Constitution Act of 1946, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the British parliament, except for the power to amend its constitution.
Prime Ministers of the American Commonwealth.
1785-1790: Benjamin Franklin (Crossbencher) (1)*
1790-1800: Joseph Galloway (Tory) (2)
1800-1810: Thomas Jefferson (Whig) (3)
1810-1815: James Madison (Whig) (4)
1815-1820: James Monroe (Whig) (5)
1820-1823: Alexander Hamilton (Tory) (6)*
1823-1828: Henry Clay (Tory) (7)
1828-1834: John Calhoun (Whig) (8)
1834-1844: Henry Clay (Tory) (9)
1844-1848: James Polk (Whig) (10)
1848-1851: Henry Clay (Tory) (11)
1851-1852: Daniel Webster (Tory) (12)
1852-1855: Franklin Pierce (Whig) (13)*
1855-1860: James Buchanan (Whig) (14)
1860-1865: Abraham Lincoln (Conservative) (15)**
1865-1868: John MacDonald (Conservative) (16)
1868-1875: Horatio Seymour (Liberal) (17)
1875-1880: Samuel Tilden (Liberal) (18)
1880-1891: John MacDonald (Conservative) (19)*
1891-1892: James Blaine (Conservative) (20)
1892-1900: Grover Cleveland (Liberal) (21)
1900-1910: Joseph Cannon (Conservative) (22)
1910-1914: Oscar Underwood (Liberal) (23)
1914-1921: Theodore Roosevelt Sr. (Conservative) (24)*
1921-1923: Andrew Bonar Law (Conservative) (25)*
1923-1930: Herbert Hoover (Conservative) (26)
1930-1933: Richard Bennett (Conservative) (27)
1933-1938: Upton Sinclair (End Poverty in the Commonwealth) (28)
1938-1944: Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (Conservative) (29)*
1944-1945: Louis Saint Laurent (Conservative) (30)
1945-1950: Paul Martin Sr. (Liberal) (31)
1950-1957: George Drew (Conservative) (32)
1957-1962: Harold Stassen (Conservative) (33)
1962-1968: Lyndon Johnson (Liberal) (34)
1968-1976: Robert Stanfield (Conservative) (35)
1976-1980: Pierre Trudeau (Liberal) (36)
1980-1987: George HW. Bush (Conservative) (37)
1987-1993: Brian Mulroney (Conservative) (38)
1993-1993: Lynn Martin (Conservative) (39)
1993-2003: Bill Clinton (Liberal) (40)
2003-2008: Paul Martin Jr. (Liberal) (41)
2008-2010: Hillary Clinton (Liberal) (42)
2010-2015: Willard Romney (Conservative) (43)
2015-2019: Justin Trudeau (Liberal) (44)
*Dies in office.
**Assassinated.

[OBD]

Looks interesting! Are the state/province borders the same?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Looks interesting! Are the state/province borders the same?

Mostly, I’ll have a map up later. Ontario and Quebec are merged into Canada, though the bulk of eastern Ontario is its own province called Hudson. The Dakotas are one, and Florida is split along its historical East/west boundaries.

[DeSantis4Prez]

This looks awesome!!! I'm willing to do infoboxes for politicians, I love that stuff!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

This looks awesome!!! I'm willing to do infoboxes for politicians, I love that stuff!

That'd be great! Thanks!

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Leaders of the Conservative Party
1860-1865: Abraham Lincoln**
1865-1891: John MacDonald*
1891-1893: James Blaine
1893-1911: Joseph Cannon
1911-1921: Theodore Roosevelt Sr*
1921-1923: Andrew Bonar Law*
1923-1930: Herbert Hoover
1930-1934: Richard Bennett
1934-1944: Theodore Roosevelt Jr*
1944-1946: Louis Saint Laurent
1946-1957: George Drew*
1957-1962: Harold Stassen
1962-1964: William Miller (interim)
1964-1976: Robert Stanfield
1976-1977: Leslie Lynch King (interim)
1977-1987: George HW. Bush
1987-1993: Brian Mulroney
1993-1993: Lynn Martin
1993-1994: Robert Dole (interim)
1994-1996: Newt Gingrich
1996-1997: Jack Kemp (interim)
1997-2004: Elizabeth Dole
2004-2005: John Kasich (interim)
2005-2008: Stephen Harper
2008-2009: Connie Morella (interim)
2009-2015: Willard Romney
2015-2016: Rona Ambrose (interim)
2016-20XX: Paul Ryan

Leaders of the Liberal Party.
1860-1865: Stephen Douglas
1865-1875: Horatio Seymour
1875-1881: Samuel Tilden
1881-1887: Edward Blake
1887-1901: Grover Cleveland
1901-1906: Wilfrid Laurier
1906-1915: Oscar Underwood
1915-1925: Thomas Marshall
1925-1934: John W. Davis
1934-1939: Cordell Hull
1939-1946: Paul Martin Sr.
1946-1955: Harry Truman
1955-1968: Lyndon Johnson
1968-1969: John F. Kennedy (interim)
1969-1972: Hubert Humphrey
1972-1973: Carl Albert (interim)
1973-1980: Pierre Trudeau
1980-1981: John Turner (interim)
1981-1984: Walter Mondale
1984-1985: Tip O'Neill (interim)
1985-1988: Chuck Robb
1988-1989: Tip O'Neill (interim)
1989-2003: Bill Clinton
2003-2008: Paul Martin Jr.
2008-2010: Hillary Clinton
2010-2012: Jeanne Shaheen (interim)
2012-20XX: Justin Trudeau

Leaders of the Progressive Party.
1941-1946: Major James Coldwell
1946-1968: Tommy Douglas
1968-1970: Eugene McCarthy (interim)
1970-1980: George McGovern
1980-1981: Shirley Chisholm (interim)
1981-1988: Edward Broadbent
1988-1989: Audrey McLaughlin (interim)
1989-1993: Jesse Jackson
1993-1995: Alexa McDonough (interim)
1995-2003: Paul Wellstone*
2003-2003: Howard Dean (interim)
2003-2011: Jack Layton*
2011-2012: Russ Feingold (interim)
2012-20XX: Bernie Sanders

Leaders of the Bloc Quebecois.
1990-1996: Lucien Bouchard
1996-2016: Gilles Ducceppe
2016-2018: Martine Ouellet
2018-20XX: Rheal Fortin

Leaders of the Grassroots Party.
1979-1981: Barry Commoner
1981-1985: LaDonna Harris
1985-1989: Joan Russow
1989-2009: Ralph Nader
2009-20XX: Elizabeth May

Leaders of the Reform Party.
1987-1989: Ronald Paul
1989-1994: Ross Perot
1994-2004: Pat Buchanan
2004-2005: Deborah Gray (interim)
2005-2009: Tom Tancredo
2009-2010: Sarah Palin
2010-2013: Virgil Goode (interim)
2013-2018: Rick Santorum
2018-20XX: Maxime Bernier

[Gass3268]

What caused the breakdown of the first party system (Tory vs Whig) into the second (Conservative vs Liberal)? Slavery? Was it just a change in name for both or was their a reshuffling of affiliations?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

What caused the breakdown of the first party system (Tory vs Whig) into the second (Conservative vs Liberal)? Slavery? Was it just a change in name for both or was their a reshuffling of affiliations?

Yes, the Commonwealth's written constitution (adopted in 1785) means that the British parliament won't be able to abolish slavery there in the 1830s. There is an equivalent to the Civil War which I will explore in depth later when the timeline gets rolling, but basically the southern states, inspired by the failed revolution of the 1770s, attempt to form a nation similar to the Confederacy.

The modernization and formalization of the party system is the result of the various factions (Tories, Whigs, etc) consolidating into legal, official organizations. Beforehand, the parties were more or less just loose alliances of MPs.

[OBD]

Oregon Legislative Elections, 2015


Kate Brown (Liberal-Salem) 37 seats (+4) 45.6%
Brad Little (Conservative-Emmett) 30 seats (-3) 39.8%
Jo Anne Hardesty (Cascadian Progressive-East Portland) 7 seats (+/-0) 6.9%
Greg Chaney (Reform/American Values-Caldwell) 4 seats (-1) 5.2%
Marc Gibbs (Deseret-Preston) 2 seats (+/-0) 1.5%
Other 1.0%

The 2015 Oregon election was dominated by news of Premier John Kitzhaber's scandalous dealings with Cynthia Hayes, which threatened Liberal goals of taking Oregon's legislative chamber for the first time in history¹, as well as dissatisfaction with the Romney government that gave more leftist candidates an edge. After 4 years of messy divided government, both major parties were desperate to break the deadlock and seize an outright coalition majority (especially the Liberals, who were tired of having all of their policy goals dependent on two Mormon representatives from southeastern Oregon). The leftist coalition focused on attacking the Romney administration and courting voters in Conservative-leaning but swingy areas (such as the Willamette Valley and Boise), while the right tried to paint the Liberals as the highly corrupt party of John Kitzhaber² (who resigned in early 2015). Despite a vigorous campaign by Conservative leader Brad Little, the Liberals built on their massive 2011 gains to take a governing majority with the Cascadian Progressives, and newly minted Premier Kate Brown had a solid mandate to, at last, enact progressive reforms in what was once a deeply Conservative state.

¹It may seem that Oregon should be voting far more left than described here, but the combination of it with Idaho actually creates a true swing state (one that actually voted for both Trump and Romney). This was a really interesting and unexpected development, as clearly the addition of a huge conservative hinterland greatly alters Oregon's political landscape and expectations for both party coalitions.

²Not unlike this year's OTL Canadian election, as Labour 'won' despite the whole Trudeau blackface scandal.

[GoTfan]

I'd be willing to write up results analyses.

[Flyersfan232]

How are sports in this timeline?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Moving semi-truck tires at work today (I only weigh 130 pounds!) so I’m probably gonna be let off a bit early when it’s done because my boss is cool and happens to be my dad. I personally didn’t care for the whole Oregon/Idaho merger, but I wanted to keep the rest of the universe Lord Caedus created on AH.com intact overall. Great work Oregon Blue Dog!!

I'd be willing to write up results analyses.

I’ll send you what I got when I get home, I could always use the extra help!

How are sports in this timeline?

I’ve never cared for sports at all, so whatever you come up with is fine with me! I do know that American football exists like OTL in this timeline and that the SuperBowl is called the Connaught Cup. That’s the only sports detail from the original project I recall.

[DeSantis4Prez]

(own creation)

[DeSantis4Prez]

[Joseph Cao]

Oregon Legislative Elections, 2015

The 2015 Oregon election was dominated by news of Premier John Kitzhaber's scandalous dealings with Cynthia Hayes, which threatened Liberal goals of taking Oregon's legislative chamber for the first time in history¹, as well as dissatisfaction with the Romney government that gave more leftist candidates an edge. After 4 years of messy divided government, both major parties were desperate to break the deadlock and seize an outright coalition majority (especially the Liberals, who were tired of having all of their policy goals dependent on two Mormon representatives from southeastern Oregon). The leftist coalition focused on attacking the Romney administration and courting voters in Conservative-leaning but swingy areas (such as the Willamette Valley and Boise), while the right tried to paint the Liberals as the highly corrupt party of John Kitzhaber² (who resigned in early 2015). Despite a vigorous campaign by Conservative leader Brad Little, the Liberals built on their massive 2011 gains to take a governing majority with the Cascadian Progressives, and newly minted Premier Kate Brown had a solid mandate to, at last, enact progressive reforms in what was once a deeply Conservative state.

¹It may seem that Oregon should be voting far more left than described here, but the combination of it with Idaho actually creates a true swing state (one that actually voted for both Trump and Romney). This was a really interesting and unexpected development, as clearly the addition of a huge conservative hinterland greatly alters Oregon's political landscape and expectations for both party coalitions.

²Not unlike this year's OTL Canadian election, as Labour 'won' despite the whole Trudeau blackface scandal.

Neat work!
What happens to Washington State in this timeline, if I may ask?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Oregon Legislative Elections, 2015

The 2015 Oregon election was dominated by news of Premier John Kitzhaber's scandalous dealings with Cynthia Hayes, which threatened Liberal goals of taking Oregon's legislative chamber for the first time in history¹, as well as dissatisfaction with the Romney government that gave more leftist candidates an edge. After 4 years of messy divided government, both major parties were desperate to break the deadlock and seize an outright coalition majority (especially the Liberals, who were tired of having all of their policy goals dependent on two Mormon representatives from southeastern Oregon). The leftist coalition focused on attacking the Romney administration and courting voters in Conservative-leaning but swingy areas (such as the Willamette Valley and Boise), while the right tried to paint the Liberals as the highly corrupt party of John Kitzhaber² (who resigned in early 2015). Despite a vigorous campaign by Conservative leader Brad Little, the Liberals built on their massive 2011 gains to take a governing majority with the Cascadian Progressives, and newly minted Premier Kate Brown had a solid mandate to, at last, enact progressive reforms in what was once a deeply Conservative state.

¹It may seem that Oregon should be voting far more left than described here, but the combination of it with Idaho actually creates a true swing state (one that actually voted for both Trump and Romney). This was a really interesting and unexpected development, as clearly the addition of a huge conservative hinterland greatly alters Oregon's political landscape and expectations for both party coalitions.

²Not unlike this year's OTL Canadian election, as Labour 'won' despite the whole Trudeau blackface scandal.

Neat work!
What happens to Washington State in this timeline, if I may ask?

Part of British Columbia.

I'll get the election results calculated and up this week at some point. The locking of the thread due to the broader image issue took the wind out of my sails on this, and I went out of town this weekend, but I will resume things soon.

[Gass3268]

Is there a map? I'd love to do a provincial map for what's Wisconsin.

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Is there a map? I'd love to do a provincial map for what's Wisconsin.

[Transgender for Everybody]

Are these ridings? If so, who represents Charlotte and Worcester?

[OBD]

snip

Cool! What's the color code?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Are these ridings? If so, who represents Charlotte and Worcester?

Good question. I'll have to give a complete riding list (it's in an excel document) for the 2015 parliament soon, which I should do before I calculate the results from the poll (which should be closed hopefully by Wednesday).

Charlotte is represented by Mel Watt, who was swept into office as part of the Liberal landslide of 1993 and has since served as Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs. If by Worcester you mean the city in Massachusetts, it's Jim McGovern, a Progressive MP since the 1996 campaign.

snip

Cool! What's the color code?

Progressive, Liberal, Conservative, Reform, Bloc Quebecois, Grassroots. 

[Arson Plus]

When is the results going to be released or the map is the results?

Who is representing Pittsburgh?

[DeSantis4Prez]

[DeSantis4Prez]

Who are Connecticut's Represenatives for Parliament?

[Gass3268]

Premiers of the Province of Wisconsin
1848-1858: Henry Dodge (Whig-Iowa East) [1]
1858-1865: Alexander Randall (Conservative-Waukesha East) [2]
1865-1875: Lucius Fairchild (Conservatieve-Madison Centre) [3]
1875-1880: William Robert Taylor (Liberal-Dane Southeast) [4]
1880-1893: Jeremiah McLain Rusk (Conservative-Bad Axe East) [5]*
1893-1895: William D. Hoard (Conservative-Jefferson West)[6]
1895-1900: George W. Peck (Liberal-Milwaukee Northeast) [7]
1900-1914: Robert M. La Follette, Sr. (Progressive-Madison Centre) [8]
1914-1915: James O. Davidson (Progressive-Crawford) [9]
1915-1925: John J. Blaine (Conservative-Clay North) [10]
1925-1930: Walter J. Kohler Sr. (Conservative-Sheboygan City) [11]
1930-1935: Philip La Follette (Progressive-Madison Centre) [12]
1935-1940: Albert G. Schmedeman (Liberal-Dodge South) [13]
1940-1945: Philip La Follette (Progressive-Madison Centre) [14]
1945-1947: Walter S. Goodland (Conservative-Gogebic) [15]*
1947-1960: Walter J. Kohler Jr. (Conservative-Sheboygan West) [16]
1960-1965: Gaylord Nelson (Progressive Liberal-Madison Centre) [17]
1965-1970: Warren P. Knowles (Conservative-St. Criox—Pierce) [18]
1970-1985: Fred Risser (Progressive Liberal-Madison Centre) [19]
1985-2003: Tommy Thompson (Conservative-Juneau—Galloway) [20]
2003-2005: Mary E. Panzer (Conservative-West Bend) [21]
2005-2010: Jim Doyle (Progressive Liberal-Madison West) [22]
2010-2015: Scott Walker (Conservative-Wauwatosa) [23]
2015-Present: Tony Evers (Progressive Liberal-Madison Northeast) [24]
*Dies in office