Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, New Hampshire to the southwest, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is the northernmost portion of New England and is the easternmost state in the contiguous United States. It is known for its scenery — its jagged, mostly rocky coastline, its low, rolling mountains, and its heavily forested interior — as well as for its seafood cuisine, especially lobsters and clams.

The original inhabitants of the territory that is now Maine were Algonquian-speaking peoples. The first European settlement in Maine was in 1604 by a French party. The first English settlement in Maine, the short-lived Popham Colony, was established by the Plymouth Company in 1607. A number of English settlements were established along the coast of Maine in the 1620s, although the rugged climate, deprivations, and conflict with the local peoples wiped out many of them over the years. As Maine entered the 18th century, only a half dozen European settlements still survived. Patriot and British forces contended for Maine's territory during the American Revolution and the War of 1812. Maine was an exclave of Massachusetts until 1820, when as a result of the growing population and a political agreement regarding slavery, it became the 23rd state on March 15 under the Missouri Compromise.

Comment

The area that comprises Maine is still part of Massachusetts in The Two Georges. This is probably true in The Disunited States of America as well, but Turtledove does not specifically address the issue.

Maine in "Elder Skelter"

Maine was threatened with invasion by the Republic of Quebec.

Maine in "Joe Steele"

Republican candidates Herbert Hoover and Alf Landon carried Maine in 1932 and 1936. However, by 1940, President Joe Steele's power was firmly entrenched. Steele stood unopposed by the Republicans (or any other party) in subsequent elections until his death in 1953.

Maine in Southern Victory

Maine had been a part of the state of Massachusetts when it broke away to form its own state in 1820. During 1838-39, a number of clashes known as the Arrostook War took place over the border between Maine and the Canadian province of New Brunswick over the exact position of the border. The end result was the Webster–Ashburton Treaty, which was not to England's sattisfaction.

In 1881, during the Second Mexican War, a combined British and Canadian Army crossed the border from New Brunswick and invaded Maine. The invasion had two purposes, to settle the Maine and New Brunswick border once and for all, and to humiliate US president Blaine in order to bring about a quick conclusion to the war. The US Army in the region was defeated and drivin south losing the upper St.John and Aroostook River valleys. As part of the peace treaty, the US was forced to relinquish this territory to Canada, thus representing the only territorial loss suffered by the United States.

In 1914, dring the Great War, Maine was the launching pad for the US army's invasion of New Brunswick, and in 1918, when Canada was annexed into the Union, the lost territory was returned along with additional territory from New Brunswick.

Two U.S. Presidents called Maine home: James G. Blaine and Thomas Brackett Reed. Vice President Hannibal Hamlin was also from Maine. The Second Mexican War took place during Blaine's administration.  The loss of part of his home state was an additional blow to his legacy.