HOME | DD

Description
Looking at terrain maps, I could draw a line up the Hudson Valley through Lake Champlain into the St. Lawrence River, and I thought "What if..."
---
The Federal Commonwealth of Arcadia is an island country in North Laurentia, located in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and separated from the mainland by the narrow Sea of Frost, where it shares maritime borders with Stadacona in the north and Libertatia in the west. The island of Arcadia itself makes up the vast majority of its land area, along with a number of smaller islands of its coast. Its capital and largest city is Truro, while other major cities include Mouchoir, Saint Mary, New Gothenburg, and Salisbury.

The island of Arcadia itself is highly diverse in terms of its geography. There are a number of coastal plains while its interior is mountainous and has many tall yet eroded mountains, the tallest of which is Mount Tannenbaum. There are also many rivers, but the two largest rivers are the Cahwita and Lachrymose Rivers in the south and north respectively. Its jagged seaward coastline and many long valleys interspersed with rolling hills is the product of glacial erosion during the Last Glacial Maximum, when the island was covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The actual formation of the island itself dates back to the breakup of Laurentia, when stretching of the continental crust led to a short-lived rift system that separated the modern Arcadian landmass from Laurentia but failed to fully separate into a new tectonic plate. The mountains of Arcadia are thus considered a disrupted but associated northern extension of the ancient Appalachian Mountains.

Native Laurentians have lived on the island since not long after its deglaciation, forming a number of local cultures which were primarily semi-nomadic societies of hunter-gatherers practicing some agriculture. Most natives of this area are considered to be within a singular "Arcadian" culture group, and while there is no recorded history of any larger societies the Haudenosaunee of the adjacent mainland speak of the Atenátiaka, who were supposedly a large tribe that warred with their nations until they were defeated some time before European arrival. Overall historiographical and archaeological evidence provides little justification for the existence of any large Native Laurentian nation-state.

The European arrival came in 1616 with the English explorer John Smith, and not long afterwards the island became the focus for three nations: Sweden, England, and France (a brief Scottish venture was attempted in 1622 but failed). With all three nations seeking to colonize the island for themselves three separate colonies were established within eight weeks of each other: Sweden established New Gothenburg at the southern end, France established New Marais at the northern end, and England established Plymouth in the southwest. Over time the colonies became more established and although they would constantly skirmish and fight amongst each other for the most part the island was generally peaceful up until the outbreak of the Seven Years War in Europe. France and Sweden allied against Britain and Russia, and in the end British victory ensured that the entire island would be annexed by the United Kingdom.

After its victory in 1763, the island was reorganized under British rule into a series of eleven colonies governed under a British viceroy as the "Dominion of New Cambria", but with increasing oversight by the British government. At this point the unhappiness of the French and Swedish subjects combined with opposition to the increasingly mercantilist practices of the growing British Empire engendered a great deal of opposition to continuing British rule. Ultimately the Arcadia Convention of 1772 formed an ultimatum: they called on the British to overturn a series of deeply unpopular laws and tariffs or they would declare themselves in rebellion. The British responded by revoking the colonial charter and granting the Viceroy full power to enforce British authority.

Even while the Arcadian Revolution was taking place, the new government was divided between Federalists and Populists, the former wanting stronger centralized authority and the latter wanting stronger authority from the newly-established "States" of the Commonwealth. Ultimately the Federalists would win out of necessity to coordinate a unified response to the British invasion, and the government organized under a bicameral Parliament with a directly-elected Chancellor to run it. The eleven states were federated under this central government, and the capital was placed in the largest city of Truro. Under the leadership of Chancellor Adam Partridge, victory would ultimately be achieved in 1782.

The new nation faced a number of challenges, not least of which was languages. While the large majority of the new Commonwealth was English-speaking and Anglican, the south was dominated by Swedish Lutherans and the north was dominated by French Catholics. What's more the social trends of the new state were being driven by the onset of industrialization, fueled by the use of water mills to drive machinery. However as coal became a more dominant power the coal-poor nature of the island became a major economic handicap. It was at least partially out of economic concern that Arcadia supported the rebellions in the British Dominion of Appalachia, which had much greater coal reserves and when it had managed to secure independence as the United Republic of Libertatia it began to import coal by the boatload.

Fueled by this Arcadia became a major center of industrial development in Laurentia, further driven by immigration from Europe that led to astronomical population growth. This only further resulted in internal friction as the Swedish and French communities of the country agitated for greater recognition. Eventually in 1843 this would be achieved with the passage of the Arcadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, recognizing the unique trilingual status of the country and ensuring respect for the nation's religious pluralism. This was underscored by the election of the nation's first non-English Chancellor, Gustav Blomqvist, the next year in 1844. This was only the opening salvo in a number of efforts at civil rights nationwide, which would last for much of the next century.

Over time the increasingly industrialized Arcadia became increasingly affluent in global economics and diplomacy, along with taking a much more aggressive foreign stance. When British Laurentia rebelled to form the Republic of Stadacona in 1856 it used its navy to attack British ships, and landed forces in Stadaconan territory to support their militias, securing Stadacona's full sovereignty in 1859. It similarly became a center of abolitionist sentiments, as the British Empire had been dragging its feet on abolition with the importance of chattel slavery in the Dominion of Virginia, which unlike Stadacona and Libertatia was firmly loyalist to the British. The Virginian Servile Insurrection of 1861-1871, a massive slave uprising against both Virginia and Britain, was not-so-subtly funded and supported by the Arcadian government, and when the Federation of Freedonia was formed out of the revolt Arcadia allied itself to it.

As European imperial rivalries spiraled into the European Great Wars starting in 1896, Arcadia and the "Coalition of Democracy" which it led with nations such as Louisiana, Stadacona, Freedonia, California, and Libertatia formed an important counterbalance to Europe especially as the three successive Great Wars of 1896-1901, 1907-1912, and 1913-1919 wrought havoc on European nations both demographically, economically, and militarily. As European colonies began to fall away in the mid-20th Century the "Arcadian System" spread like wildfire in the world, being adopted by many new nations that sought their own freedom from European control as well as seeking to build their own identities. It is telling that when the World Assembly was formed in 1942, the chosen headquarters city would be Truro itself.

Modern Arcadia has moved away from industrialization towards a more commercial economy based on finance, international trade, and service industries. It continues to boast a strong economy and is one of the most populous nations in Laurentia, along with boasting a culturally diverse population formed of immigrant communities from all over the world. Rating high on measures of citizen happiness, democratic freedoms, and civil liberties, Arcadia's "Grand Experiment" in the development of former colonial states into developed nations has been a model which nations from Vespuccia to Africa to Antipodia have followed, and as the 21st century continues into this age of increasing progress and idealistic ambitions, Arcadia continues to have a leading role in it all.

Description
Looking at terrain maps, I could draw a line up the Hudson Valley through Lake Champlain into the St. Lawrence River, and I thought "What if..."
---
The Federal Commonwealth of Arcadia is an island country in North Laurentia, located in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean and separated from the mainland by the narrow Sea of Frost, where it shares maritime borders with Stadacona in the north and Libertatia in the west. The island of Arcadia itself makes up the vast majority of its land area, along with a number of smaller islands of its coast. Its capital and largest city is Truro, while other major cities include Mouchoir, Saint Mary, New Gothenburg, and Salisbury.

The island of Arcadia itself is highly diverse in terms of its geography. There are a number of coastal plains while its interior is mountainous and has many tall yet eroded mountains, the tallest of which is Mount Tannenbaum. There are also many rivers, but the two largest rivers are the Cahwita and Lachrymose Rivers in the south and north respectively. Its jagged seaward coastline and many long valleys interspersed with rolling hills is the product of glacial erosion during the Last Glacial Maximum, when the island was covered by the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The actual formation of the island itself dates back to the breakup of Laurentia, when stretching of the continental crust led to a short-lived rift system that separated the modern Arcadian landmass from Laurentia but failed to fully separate into a new tectonic plate. The mountains of Arcadia are thus considered a disrupted but associated northern extension of the ancient Appalachian Mountains.

Native Laurentians have lived on the island since not long after its deglaciation, forming a number of local cultures which were primarily semi-nomadic societies of hunter-gatherers practicing some agriculture. Most natives of this area are considered to be within a singular "Arcadian" culture group, and while there is no recorded history of any larger societies the Haudenosaunee of the adjacent mainland speak of the Atenátiaka, who were supposedly a large tribe that warred with their nations until they were defeated some time before European arrival. Overall historiographical and archaeological evidence provides little justification for the existence of any large Native Laurentian nation-state.

The European arrival came in 1616 with the English explorer John Smith, and not long afterwards the island became the focus for three nations: Sweden, England, and France (a brief Scottish venture was attempted in 1622 but failed). With all three nations seeking to colonize the island for themselves three separate colonies were established within eight weeks of each other: Sweden established New Gothenburg at the southern end, France established New Marais at the northern end, and England established Plymouth in the southwest. Over time the colonies became more established and although they would constantly skirmish and fight amongst each other for the most part the island was generally peaceful up until the outbreak of the Seven Years War in Europe. France and Sweden allied against Britain and Russia, and in the end British victory ensured that the entire island would be annexed by the United Kingdom.

After its victory in 1763, the island was reorganized under British rule into a series of eleven colonies governed under a British viceroy as the "Dominion of New Cambria", but with increasing oversight by the British government. At this point the unhappiness of the French and Swedish subjects combined with opposition to the increasingly mercantilist practices of the growing British Empire engendered a great deal of opposition to continuing British rule. Ultimately the Arcadia Convention of 1772 formed an ultimatum: they called on the British to overturn a series of deeply unpopular laws and tariffs or they would declare themselves in rebellion. The British responded by revoking the colonial charter and granting the Viceroy full power to enforce British authority.

Even while the Arcadian Revolution was taking place, the new government was divided between Federalists and Populists, the former wanting stronger centralized authority and the latter wanting stronger authority from the newly-established "States" of the Commonwealth. Ultimately the Federalists would win out of necessity to coordinate a unified response to the British invasion, and the government organized under a bicameral Parliament with a directly-elected Chancellor to run it. The eleven states were federated under this central government, and the capital was placed in the largest city of Truro. Under the leadership of Chancellor Adam Partridge, victory would ultimately be achieved in 1782.

The new nation faced a number of challenges, not least of which was languages. While the large majority of the new Commonwealth was English-speaking and Anglican, the south was dominated by Swedish Lutherans and the north was dominated by French Catholics. What's more the social trends of the new state were being driven by the onset of industrialization, fueled by the use of water mills to drive machinery. However as coal became a more dominant power the coal-poor nature of the island became a major economic handicap. It was at least partially out of economic concern that Arcadia supported the rebellions in the British Dominion of Appalachia, which had much greater coal reserves and when it had managed to secure independence as the United Republic of Libertatia it began to import coal by the boatload.

Fueled by this Arcadia became a major center of industrial development in Laurentia, further driven by immigration from Europe that led to astronomical population growth. This only further resulted in internal friction as the Swedish and French communities of the country agitated for greater recognition. Eventually in 1843 this would be achieved with the passage of the Arcadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, recognizing the unique trilingual status of the country and ensuring respect for the nation's religious pluralism. This was underscored by the election of the nation's first non-English Chancellor, Gustav Blomqvist, the next year in 1844. This was only the opening salvo in a number of efforts at civil rights nationwide, which would last for much of the next century.

Over time the increasingly industrialized Arcadia became increasingly affluent in global economics and diplomacy, along with taking a much more aggressive foreign stance. When British Laurentia rebelled to form the Republic of Stadacona in 1856 it used its navy to attack British ships, and landed forces in Stadaconan territory to support their militias, securing Stadacona's full sovereignty in 1859. It similarly became a center of abolitionist sentiments, as the British Empire had been dragging its feet on abolition with the importance of chattel slavery in the Dominion of Virginia, which unlike Stadacona and Libertatia was firmly loyalist to the British. The Virginian Servile Insurrection of 1861-1871, a massive slave uprising against both Virginia and Britain, was not-so-subtly funded and supported by the Arcadian government, and when the Federation of Freedonia was formed out of the revolt Arcadia allied itself to it.

As European imperial rivalries spiraled into the European Great Wars starting in 1896, Arcadia and the "Coalition of Democracy" which it led with nations such as Louisiana, Stadacona, Freedonia, California, and Libertatia formed an important counterbalance to Europe especially as the three successive Great Wars of 1896-1901, 1907-1912, and 1913-1919 wrought havoc on European nations both demographically, economically, and militarily. As European colonies began to fall away in the mid-20th Century the "Arcadian System" spread like wildfire in the world, being adopted by many new nations that sought their own freedom from European control as well as seeking to build their own identities. It is telling that when the World Assembly was formed in 1942, the chosen headquarters city would be Truro itself.

Modern Arcadia has moved away from industrialization towards a more commercial economy based on finance, international trade, and service industries. It continues to boast a strong economy and is one of the most populous nations in Laurentia, along with boasting a culturally diverse population formed of immigrant communities from all over the world. Rating high on measures of citizen happiness, democratic freedoms, and civil liberties, Arcadia's "Grand Experiment" in the development of former colonial states into developed nations has been a model which nations from Vespuccia to Africa to Antipodia have followed, and as the 21st century continues into this age of increasing progress and idealistic ambitions, Arcadia continues to have a leading role in it all.