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@King50000: Arizona already has CSA cores. As well Florida. So I should be seeing them rise in a few years. Ah well, more land for California!
@ncm: It is Giddings plan to now expand into the Pacific. Whether or not that is possible in the next 5 years - we will see.
@patiofurniture: Many thanks. I will continue to push out updates as long as people keep reading them!
I should also note, I plan on pushing an update out for Giddings next term sometime today. Stay tuned.
@ncm: It is Giddings plan to now expand into the Pacific. Whether or not that is possible in the next 5 years - we will see.
@patiofurniture: Many thanks. I will continue to push out updates as long as people keep reading them!
I should also note, I plan on pushing an update out for Giddings next term sometime today. Stay tuned.
I've had a few games where the CSA had cores on states that stayed with the Union all the same. All I'm saying, is that you shouldn't bet all your money on grabbing from the CSA. Taking from the US could help just as well.
Giddings: 1856 - 1861
President Giddings inauguration could be more closely described as a coronation, given the huge amount of decorations, supporters, and the massive amount of money spent on making the occasion remarkable and unseen anywhere in the world. A former citizen of London who had seen the coronation of Queen Victoria remarked it resembled a small "Afternoon gathering" when compared to the scale and grander of Giddings' second inauguration.
1. The only known photograph of Giddings' Inauguration.
The first weeks of his second term, President Giddings' ordered the military to march down main street in San Diego. He claimed this was a moral-bolstering event for both the soldiers and civilians. As commander in chief, he made February 6th "Victory Day", to celebrate the triumph over Mexico, and a military parade was mandated to accompany Victory Day. It was met with great jubilation amongst the population. Thousands flocked to the streets from around the country and celebrated California's ability to wage war, and overall a nationalistic feeling arose from the celebration.
2. Victory Day Parade on Main Street, San Diego 1856.
With the Gold Rush still in full force, President Giddings was able to witness the grand expansion of the City of San Francisco. Only a few years prior, it was a small town with a military fort and naval base, mostly populated by soldiers, sailors, and government agents. However, now in the summer of 1856, San Francisco is a bustling port city, with ships arriving from all over the world, although the vast majority sail under a European flag, there is the occasional Japanese and Chinese vessel that docks and offloads both immigrants and supplies to the Californian Republic.
3. Picture taken of downtown San Francisco in the summer of 1856.
By the time the new year of 1857 settled upon California, President Giddings did not slow down his vast ideals of a plan which he dubbed the "Grand Republic". His first proposal, that quickly passed the Californian Congress, was the allocation of money to double the size of the Californian Navy by the end of his term. His next idea was to focus Government spending on creating colleges around the country that would teach and research various ideals that have been floating around. Most importantly, Giddings was informed of the possibility of a faster firing military rifle, one that was loaded from the rear, and he overwhelmingly threw Government support behind it, claiming that, "A Breech-Loaded rifle in the hands of every Californian Soldier by 1860!"
4. Standard Californian Breech-loaded rifle, named the "Pacific Rifle".
The Spring of 1857 would forever be entombed in history by the name of "The Bloody Spring". This was because of a major, prolonged fight that took place in the town of Eureka, formerly an immigrant town of foreign cultures and languages, by 1857 it was becoming more and more Californian dominated. This upset many of the immigrants, who felt this was the last city they could go to to escape the onslaught of the Californians and their culture.
The fighting started on March 6th, 1857, when a group of poor immigrant farmers banded together and began to roam the streets of the city. Only bound together by their poverty, this rag-tag militia boasted a total of seven different languages spoken between them. On that fateful morning, the militia protested outside the City Hall, demanding that the San Diego-imposed mayor be deported and an immigrant be put in charge, for they would sympathize with their situation better. It took a turn for the worse when the local Californian militia was called to suppress the rebellion. It is still unclear who fired the first shot, but the first man who got hit was a United States citizen by the name of Robert Ewell. He was struck in the chest, and killed almost instantly. Fighting continued in the street until the immigrant militia[1] retreated to the outskirts of the city.
This fighting would continue for another two months, when the Californian Army finally stepped into the town to regulate and control things. Almost all of the 500-strong immigrant militia were captured, put on trial, and hanged.
5. A typical street fight during the "Bloody Spring".
This brought public attention back to the immigrants in the country. Many had thought they no longer posed and issue to the Californians, but the "Bloody Spring" did nothing but incite a fear of immigrants and those who decided to protect them.
During a debate in the Californian Congress, Free Soil Congressmen Albert Johnson proposed a bill that would protect the rights of all immigrants, and essentially give some groups local autonomy within the Californian Republic. This was met with such harsh criticism and disgust amongst the other Congressmen that Congressmen Sydney Walsh, of the Ursine Imperialists, crossed the aisle and assaulted Congressmen Johnson with his cane. Congressmen Johnson was so badly wounded he had to resign from the Congress and his bill was killed by a unanimous vote. This essentially gave the Ursine Imperialists a super-majority of the votes in Congress.
6. Congressmen Walsh's assault of Congressmen Johnson.
President Giddings was quick to turn a blind eye to Congressman Walsh's assault on his fellow Congressman. In a move that was widely considered controversial, President Giddings took Walsh along with him to see the 10-ship strong Californian Navy preform maneuvers off the coast of San Francisco.
However, the Congressman's actions completely vanished from the public's mind when news broke in the middle of October, 1857 that a Mexican police force had crossed into the California Republic and arrested a citizen they claimed was spying on the defenses on the Mexican side of the border.
7. The infamous Border Incident of 1857.
The outcry was immediate and harsh. Many people called for a war. Rallies were held in support of a war and enlistment shot up. The Californian Congress began to debate the idea of forcing Mexico to release the man who they had arrested by military force. A few Ursine Imperialists then proclaimed that if they should go to war again, they would settle at nothing less than gaining large swaths of Mexican land to be added to the budding Californian Empire.
Mediation arose quickly within the Congress. A junior Congressman by the name of Frank Gallo, a member of the Farmer-Laborer party, quickly began to counter the Pro-War faction with information gathered from Mexico. The United Kingdom was seeking to strengthen ties with Mexico, and an alliance seemed not far off. He reasoned to the Congress, if war was to break out between the Californian Republic and Mexico, he was all but sure the United Kingdom would intervene on the side of the Mexicans.
His assertions were strengthened when a large detachment of ships from the Royal Navy was seen departing a harbor in Mexico. The final nail in the coffin of the Pro-War faction was the news that the United Kingdom hosted the Mexican president, Antonio López de Santa Anna, in London, and that a treaty of cooperation and friendship was signed between the two powers.
Due to his keen insight, Congressman Gallo was hailed as a national hero. Were it not for him, many Farmer-Laborer politicians boasted, the Californian Republic could have been split up between the United Kingdom and Mexico.
8. Congressman Frank Gallo, the man who stopped the war.
With peace prevailing, attention was shifted back at home and the job President Giddings was doing with the economy. The government was able to claim the largest surplus ever recorded. Naturally, this announcement of large monetary reserves arose the attention of the people. A popular movement arose in the streets, of a large gathering of people who all decided to band together and call upon their representatives to create a policy change. By the summer of 1858 enough support had grown in this movement that a tax cut was finally passed. This would be a momentous occasion in the Californian Republic. Many saw this as democracy coming back to the people. Although not part of the Constitution, many politicians support this movement and it became known as a form of Direct Democracy practiced within the Republic.
9. The plaza in Los Angeles built specifically for citizen gatherings.
The previous nationalistic mood of the country began to settle down and subdue after Direct Democracy was unofficially instituted in California. Many began to see President Giddings as over-stepping his boundaries and bring the country towards the brink, always keeping them on edge. As a result, the Ursine Imperialists began to have some of their support erode away to Farmer-Laborers, who championed the ideals of the people and supported Direct Democracy for the nation.
President Giddings was still able to stir up huge crowds though, during the first run of the train Jupiter over two thousand people showed up at the station in Eureka alongside President Giddings to see him off as hey took the first journey cross-country from Eureka to Loreto by the Jupiter. The President took this journey to show his support for the Californian Rail system, which was in dire need of investment by both the Government and the citizens.
10. The Jupiter traveling along the Californian countryside.
The Census of 1860 brought more of the same as the past few years. Fueled by the Gold Rush, immigration had brought more and more people to California. However, in recent years it began to taper off. The Mexican minority in Baja California was still strong, but it was being slowly replaced by immigrants and Californians from the north.
Another major point of interest about the Census report was the complete collapse of the support of the Ursine Imperialists and the embracing of the Farmer-Laborer party once again. Many say that the heavy-handed policy of the Ursine Imperialists brought their own downfall from popularity.
11. Population Statistics of the Californian Republic, 1860.
The election of 1860 was focused on the past few years, and the management of the country. While the country was guided well under President Giddings, who ran for a third term, many of the people began to reject his ideas. At first, he was seen as a continuation of President Stephens, but not many people have seen him as taking his own path, one that would ultimately hurt the country. Another factor in the election was the emergence of the Worker's Union, a political party composed of mostly poor workers who advocated for a new style of governing, a strong governmental control with a small foreign policy.
Ultimately, the voters choose to cast aside President Giddings and his extreme party, and go back to supporting the Farmer-Laborers. Senator Johnathon Hensdale was elected President of the Californian Republic, marking the end of the nationalistic imperialism practiced by President Giddings. Senator Hensdale proposed that he would stick within the borders of California. He would not seek to expand beyond what they had, yet instead focus on internal improvements and allowing the citizens to control the destiny of the country, not the ideology of one man.
Previous Update: Giddings: 1851 - 1856
Next Update: Hensdale: 1861 - 1866
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Author's Note(s)
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[1] – Due to their cultural and language differences, the militia never adopted an official name.
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You really need to get industrializing and replace those Artisans by the look of it.
Damnit. President Hensdale is going to screw up the Californian Manifest Destiny and their reclamation of Arizona.
@Riccardo93: I saw this and was determined to push out an update that day.
@King50000: It all depends on when the Civil War breaks out.
@Le Pix: Ah, thank you for the kind words, my neighbor to the east.
@Midge: California only has two factories. The Capis don't want to build any for some reason.
@Sakura_F: Don't be so sure. The "safe choice" might end up being the weak one...
@King50000: It all depends on when the Civil War breaks out.
@Le Pix: Ah, thank you for the kind words, my neighbor to the east.
@Midge: California only has two factories. The Capis don't want to build any for some reason.
@Sakura_F: Don't be so sure. The "safe choice" might end up being the weak one...
There's some crazy assimilation going on. I can never get results like that.
You would think Gallo would be elected, but alas.
You would think Gallo would be elected, but alas.
Hey, I'm glad the Imperialists are out of office. Time to focus on the people of California!
Wow, Native Americans are now outnumbered by the British in the Republic. I didn't expect that.
The Ursine Imperialists only seem to be able to keep power when at war. Maybe they should have tried to annex Hawaii or gone further afield. The border incident, though tempting, was at entirely the wrong time (aren't they always), but refusing to give his supporters the war they wanted put an end to Giddings's career.
The Ursine Imperialists only seem to be able to keep power when at war. Maybe they should have tried to annex Hawaii or gone further afield. The border incident, though tempting, was at entirely the wrong time (aren't they always), but refusing to give his supporters the war they wanted put an end to Giddings's career.
Very nice... Hensdale? Sounds familiar... Have you been skulking around the Presidents?
I was thinking that... but I wasn't entirely sure. He hadn't been around in soooo long, I forgot he was one of the players/actors/etc. I just remembered the character...
But back to point, you did skulk around!
But back to point, you did skulk around!
@King50000: Assimilation is odd in this game. I didn't touch it at all... I am planning on running a test game as an OPM Indian minor to see if this trend continues.
@TKFS: Correct! The national economy will (hopefully) expand and away with the militaristic nature of Government!
@Dewirix: I was amazed when I saw the Brits outnumbered the Naive Americans. As for the Imperialists, their downfall was their own ideology - they ran out of threats to give to the population.
@Riccardo93: Guilty as charged. I used to be in the Presidents, but after old Hensdale (Surprised people still remember him) was shot down (and the CSA) I haven't had much of a place in US politics.
@TKFS: Correct! The national economy will (hopefully) expand and away with the militaristic nature of Government!
@Dewirix: I was amazed when I saw the Brits outnumbered the Naive Americans. As for the Imperialists, their downfall was their own ideology - they ran out of threats to give to the population.
@Riccardo93: Guilty as charged. I used to be in the Presidents, but after old Hensdale (Surprised people still remember him) was shot down (and the CSA) I haven't had much of a place in US politics.
Everyone has a place, we really need more people. But that is not for this thread.
Annexing Hawaii would have been a good idea though, before the US gets to them.
Annexing Hawaii would have been a good idea though, before the US gets to them.
Only problem with Hawai'i is that we are both in the USA's sphere. Otherwise I would have annexed them.
I come back from vacation and there is an update! I'm looking forward to seeing the path California takes under her new President.