North American Union
From Turtledove
The North American Union (NAU) was a sovereign territory of the British Empire, encompassing the northern portion of the continent of North America (excepting Alaska, which was ruled by Russia).
[edit] Government
The North American Union was an integral part of the British Empire, although it maintained the trappings of an independent country. It had its own armed forces including an army and navy. Indeed, the British Royal Navy and Royal North American Navy were closely cooperating and co-equal organizations.
The North American Union also maintained its own system of diplomatic relations with other powers, which it could sever without needing the approval of London. Executive power was in the hands of the Governor General, and the opinion of the British Prime Minister substantially impact the administration of the NAU.
The reigning British monarch, on the other hand, was highly respected, and his/her good opinion was important to the population of the North American Union. However, the king-emperor (or queen-empress) was a constitutional monarch who had no wish to exercise concrete power in the NAU.
[edit] History
The North American Union's birth arose from a period of tension between the mother country and its colonies in North America. In the second half of the eighteenth century, in the period after the Seven Years' War, Britain passed several acts designed to closely administer its expanded empire. Tensions mounted as the American colonists grew frustrated with a lack of representation in the British parliament.
In an effort to stave off revolution and war, noted American military leader George Washington led a delegation to the court of King George III. Washington and the king were able to forge an agreement insuring that North America would remain part of the British Empire. This event was commemorated in a Thomas Gainsborough painting titled The Two Georges, which had itself become a symbol of national unity.
After the establishment of the North American Union, by 1834 slavery in the Union was abolished and black Americans were actively offered wide avenues of upward mobility and especially entry into senior positions in the civil service.
