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Description
It is the year 1880, and the Dominion of Columbia is celebrating its centennial anniversary at the same time as the admission of its thirty-second and thirty-third provinces. Marked by the unveiling of the new 33 star Dominion flag and a visit by Queen Victoria to its capital city, named in its honor, it would now be an excellent time to recount the 100 years of the Dominion's growth and development.

We begin before the Dominion's founding, in the year 1775. In that year the British Empire was faced with the onset of the Columbian Insurrection, a violent uprising across thirteen British colonies along the Eastern Seaboard from New Hampshire to Georgia. Led by a group of wealthy merchants and plantation owners, their disaffection towards Britain was driven by legitimate grievances. Even though the British government did afford many people freedoms unseen in other European nations or their colonies, they were still plagued by a lack of "responsible government" as later historians would call it, given a degree of capacity to rule themselves but still subject to British overlordship when London found it convenient. This was illustrated as such in the "Declaration of Independence", where the 13 rebelling colonies issued a set of grievances against King George III ranging from oppression of civil liberties to forced conscription in the armies. Of course, George III was fairly uninvolved in the actual political affairs of the day given that the British Parliament now oversaw things, but his status as the King made him a prime target.

Nonetheless George III would ultimately also end up as a figure of reconciliation. Although Britain had been financially drained from the process of the Seven Years War, and now faced opposition from France and Spain in support of their rebellious colonies, it would come to naught. Britain, with the assistance of many native tribes and loyalist forces in the colonies, would ultimately re-assert their control over the colonies. Parliament was baying for blood at this point, even with many of the insurrection's leaders from George Washington to John Adams being executed as traitors. And yet George III stepped in after an appeal from Benedict Arnold, a former Continental general whose defection to the British Army proved instrumental in the overall victory. Successfully arguing the case for a more moderate interpretation of the Continental's cause, George III began to pressure the Parliament to ease the post-war settlement, and to provide what would become the framework for the Responsible Government Act of 1780.

Britain would also benefit from gaining control of the colony of Louisiana, which had once been French and was until then ruled by Spain, as well as the Spanish colony of Florida. The failed bid at supporting Columbian independence and the subsequent indemnities only further served to send France spiraling into bankruptcy, leaving Britain free to consolidate its hold over North America. With the Responsible Government Act passed, the 13 rebelling colonies were organized into a loose confederation of provincial governments as part of the newly-organized "Dominion of Columbia". Ironically this new government loosely resembled the form which the colonies had attempted to form as a national government, but which had failed through their disunity and squabbling over self-interest. With a new cabinet of ministers organized, the new Dominion of Columbia was empowered to exercise a limited degree of control over domestic affairs. Though no one person was appointed as an overall Head of Government, Benedict Arnold (who officially served as the Secretary of State) wielded an increasingly large degree of control, and later historians name him as the first Prime Minister of Columbia.

This new confederation did ultimately achieve many goals that more moderate members of the Continental Congress had hoped for: increased self-governance, a modified relationship with Britain, and ultimately the restoration of law and order. With the end of the Insurrection, many were eager to see a return to peace, though the subsequent changes to political boundaries did begin to take full shape. Though modified, the Proclamation Line of 1763 was reinforced, allowing many native groups in the interior of the continent to organize under the aegis of British rule and form what would later become proper provinces of Columbia. This was eventually waived for much of the Ohio Valley, but other punishments for the colonies were put in place. Most notably New York was forced to surrender its northwestern territory to the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, though as compensation it was given full control over land previously disputed with Vermont.

No official capital was put in place, and so the first Dominion Congress was held in Philadelphia, the second in Boston, and so on. Many were actually in favor of this, as a means of giving representation to different regions in what was really rather a large new dominion, and only became more so as Britain passed further acts to incorporate more territory into Columbia: the Enabling Act of 1794 brought in the two provinces from Florida, the Confederation Act of 1814 incorporated much of Louisiana, and the Confederation Act of 1839 did the same for the "Canadian" provinces. By this point Columbia was rapidly becoming a major source of power for Britain as the French Revolution devastated the continent, spilling outwards and devastating many of Europe's long-standing powers. Columbia was only distantly concerned with these, but as the 19th Century dawned it became a massive place for immigration, boosting its population and allowing it to settle many of its new territories. The biggest issue had become slavery, especially as Britain had banned slavery in its direct colonial holdings but nominally allowed it to continue in Columbia. Most of the new territories were ill-suited for slavery, and so over time the institution began to die down, particularly as the cotton industry was revolutionized by the new cotton gin. A manumission bill would finally be passed in 1851.

The constant moving around was growing tiresome for many and the calls for selecting a capital grew louder and louder going into the 1830s. In 1838, the government of newly-crowned Queen Victoria passed the Capital Settlement Act that allowed for Columbia to formally select a capital. With its territory growing rapidly and at this point with the Canadian colonies on the verge of being incorporated, a decision was made to move the capital further to the interior, at a location where Lake St. Clair began to drain into Lake Erie. A new Capital District was portioned off for its creation to separate it from the provinces, and it was dubbed "Victoria" in honor of the new Queen. Victoria would soon grow into a major center of trade and commerce as well as that of a political hub, located at a favorable position for riverine and overland trade within North America and only made more so as the railroads developed throughout the middle portion of the century.

Finally with the Oregon Act of 1862, Columbia's borders were extended all the way to the Pacific Ocean as part of a plan to build a railroad across the continent, eventually terminating in Vancouver. The process of building the railroad was long and laborious but was finally completed in 1873, creating a transportation corridor from the Atlantic to the Pacific that led to a boom in settlement along the Pacific Coast, laying the foundations for what would become the provinces of Astoria and New Caledonia. All the while Columbia's meteoric growth only continued, immigration and a booming economy propelling it to being the "Jewel in the Crown" even as Britain expanded its control to the British Raj. While India may have been more valuable overall, Columbia was a major source of pride for the British Empire and served as the "Model Colony". Columbian soldiers would also serve on behalf of the Empire in various wars ranging from the Circassian War to the Zanzibar Wars and as far away as the imperialist Opium Wars against China.

As of 1880, a second railroad line now stretches to Astoria City, and Britain has an utter stranglehold on trans-Atlantic trade and commerce. Columbia's borders reach from the frigid Arctic to the tropical Bahamas, encompassing cultures ranging from Francophone Quebec and Louisiana to the Native-dominated provinces such as Michigamea, Choctaw, Cantachi, and territories such as Siouxia, Kiowah, and Wichita. As the confederation develops, it has also gained more control and power in its own affairs, the slow devolution of power from London to Victoria growing stronger year after year. The position of "Prime Minister" is also becoming stronger, taking shape as a much more firmly-established position though it remains an informal one. Now, in the 100th year of the Confederation, Columbia remains on a meteoric rise, a beacon of progress and prosperity to the world. E Pluribus Unum, God Save the Queen.

Description
It is the year 1880, and the Dominion of Columbia is celebrating its centennial anniversary at the same time as the admission of its thirty-second and thirty-third provinces. Marked by the unveiling of the new 33 star Dominion flag and a visit by Queen Victoria to its capital city, named in its honor, it would now be an excellent time to recount the 100 years of the Dominion's growth and development.

We begin before the Dominion's founding, in the year 1775. In that year the British Empire was faced with the onset of the Columbian Insurrection, a violent uprising across thirteen British colonies along the Eastern Seaboard from New Hampshire to Georgia. Led by a group of wealthy merchants and plantation owners, their disaffection towards Britain was driven by legitimate grievances. Even though the British government did afford many people freedoms unseen in other European nations or their colonies, they were still plagued by a lack of "responsible government" as later historians would call it, given a degree of capacity to rule themselves but still subject to British overlordship when London found it convenient. This was illustrated as such in the "Declaration of Independence", where the 13 rebelling colonies issued a set of grievances against King George III ranging from oppression of civil liberties to forced conscription in the armies. Of course, George III was fairly uninvolved in the actual political affairs of the day given that the British Parliament now oversaw things, but his status as the King made him a prime target.

Nonetheless George III would ultimately also end up as a figure of reconciliation. Although Britain had been financially drained from the process of the Seven Years War, and now faced opposition from France and Spain in support of their rebellious colonies, it would come to naught. Britain, with the assistance of many native tribes and loyalist forces in the colonies, would ultimately re-assert their control over the colonies. Parliament was baying for blood at this point, even with many of the insurrection's leaders from George Washington to John Adams being executed as traitors. And yet George III stepped in after an appeal from Benedict Arnold, a former Continental general whose defection to the British Army proved instrumental in the overall victory. Successfully arguing the case for a more moderate interpretation of the Continental's cause, George III began to pressure the Parliament to ease the post-war settlement, and to provide what would become the framework for the Responsible Government Act of 1780.

Britain would also benefit from gaining control of the colony of Louisiana, which had once been French and was until then ruled by Spain, as well as the Spanish colony of Florida. The failed bid at supporting Columbian independence and the subsequent indemnities only further served to send France spiraling into bankruptcy, leaving Britain free to consolidate its hold over North America. With the Responsible Government Act passed, the 13 rebelling colonies were organized into a loose confederation of provincial governments as part of the newly-organized "Dominion of Columbia". Ironically this new government loosely resembled the form which the colonies had attempted to form as a national government, but which had failed through their disunity and squabbling over self-interest. With a new cabinet of ministers organized, the new Dominion of Columbia was empowered to exercise a limited degree of control over domestic affairs. Though no one person was appointed as an overall Head of Government, Benedict Arnold (who officially served as the Secretary of State) wielded an increasingly large degree of control, and later historians name him as the first Prime Minister of Columbia.

This new confederation did ultimately achieve many goals that more moderate members of the Continental Congress had hoped for: increased self-governance, a modified relationship with Britain, and ultimately the restoration of law and order. With the end of the Insurrection, many were eager to see a return to peace, though the subsequent changes to political boundaries did begin to take full shape. Though modified, the Proclamation Line of 1763 was reinforced, allowing many native groups in the interior of the continent to organize under the aegis of British rule and form what would later become proper provinces of Columbia. This was eventually waived for much of the Ohio Valley, but other punishments for the colonies were put in place. Most notably New York was forced to surrender its northwestern territory to the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, though as compensation it was given full control over land previously disputed with Vermont.

No official capital was put in place, and so the first Dominion Congress was held in Philadelphia, the second in Boston, and so on. Many were actually in favor of this, as a means of giving representation to different regions in what was really rather a large new dominion, and only became more so as Britain passed further acts to incorporate more territory into Columbia: the Enabling Act of 1794 brought in the two provinces from Florida, the Confederation Act of 1814 incorporated much of Louisiana, and the Confederation Act of 1839 did the same for the "Canadian" provinces. By this point Columbia was rapidly becoming a major source of power for Britain as the French Revolution devastated the continent, spilling outwards and devastating many of Europe's long-standing powers. Columbia was only distantly concerned with these, but as the 19th Century dawned it became a massive place for immigration, boosting its population and allowing it to settle many of its new territories. The biggest issue had become slavery, especially as Britain had banned slavery in its direct colonial holdings but nominally allowed it to continue in Columbia. Most of the new territories were ill-suited for slavery, and so over time the institution began to die down, particularly as the cotton industry was revolutionized by the new cotton gin. A manumission bill would finally be passed in 1851.

The constant moving around was growing tiresome for many and the calls for selecting a capital grew louder and louder going into the 1830s. In 1838, the government of newly-crowned Queen Victoria passed the Capital Settlement Act that allowed for Columbia to formally select a capital. With its territory growing rapidly and at this point with the Canadian colonies on the verge of being incorporated, a decision was made to move the capital further to the interior, at a location where Lake St. Clair began to drain into Lake Erie. A new Capital District was portioned off for its creation to separate it from the provinces, and it was dubbed "Victoria" in honor of the new Queen. Victoria would soon grow into a major center of trade and commerce as well as that of a political hub, located at a favorable position for riverine and overland trade within North America and only made more so as the railroads developed throughout the middle portion of the century.

Finally with the Oregon Act of 1862, Columbia's borders were extended all the way to the Pacific Ocean as part of a plan to build a railroad across the continent, eventually terminating in Vancouver. The process of building the railroad was long and laborious but was finally completed in 1873, creating a transportation corridor from the Atlantic to the Pacific that led to a boom in settlement along the Pacific Coast, laying the foundations for what would become the provinces of Astoria and New Caledonia. All the while Columbia's meteoric growth only continued, immigration and a booming economy propelling it to being the "Jewel in the Crown" even as Britain expanded its control to the British Raj. While India may have been more valuable overall, Columbia was a major source of pride for the British Empire and served as the "Model Colony". Columbian soldiers would also serve on behalf of the Empire in various wars ranging from the Circassian War to the Zanzibar Wars and as far away as the imperialist Opium Wars against China.

As of 1880, a second railroad line now stretches to Astoria City, and Britain has an utter stranglehold on trans-Atlantic trade and commerce. Columbia's borders reach from the frigid Arctic to the tropical Bahamas, encompassing cultures ranging from Francophone Quebec and Louisiana to the Native-dominated provinces such as Michigamea, Choctaw, Cantachi, and territories such as Siouxia, Kiowah, and Wichita. As the confederation develops, it has also gained more control and power in its own affairs, the slow devolution of power from London to Victoria growing stronger year after year. The position of "Prime Minister" is also becoming stronger, taking shape as a much more firmly-established position though it remains an informal one. Now, in the 100th year of the Confederation, Columbia remains on a meteoric rise, a beacon of progress and prosperity to the world. E Pluribus Unum, God Save the Queen.