19th Century (A House Divided)

Aftermath of the American Civil War (1864 - 1880)
The humiliating defeat of the USA at the hands of its rebellious southern states had far reaching consequences for the young nation. First, of course, its infrastructure had been decimated in several areas due to the nature of the war (one of the earliest examples of total war). Furthermore, half of its economic power was ripped from its grasp immediately, forcing its economy to undergo a massive adjustment. In addition, the USA was forced to pay war reparations to the CSA, which caused the government to raise taxes considerably, leading to even more public unrest. All of this led to the ousting of not only Lincoln in favor of George H. Pendleton, but most Republicans in the 1864 election in favor of the Democrats.

However, the effect of this defeat was not only felt at home. Allies abroad, such as France, largely turned their backs on the new nation, seeing as these nations now perceived it to be weak and incapable of even stopping a minor rebellion. Of course, the Americans reached out to the French to assist in paying these debts, although Napoleon III, the French emperor at the time, declined, having his own problems to deal with such as consolidating his power and dealing with enemies in Europe. To augment these hardships, France and Britain both signed cooperative agreements with the CSA, hoping to gain an ally on the North American continent and weaken the United States. The United States was now surrounded on all sides by British colonies to the north, its evil twin to the south, and the pro-French Mexico to the southwest, leaving it entirely on its own.

The Confederacy, of course, enjoyed a great degree of relief after the war. It retained its rights to own slaves, and even began to buy slaves from French and British colonies. The people remained generally happy, and the nation's economy soared as U.S. reparation money came pouring in from the north. Trade agreements were signed between the CSA, Britain, France, and Mexico, all excluding the United States. The capital was moved south to Atlanta, the "greatest city of the south" and several new states were admitted quickly, including the state of Davis (modern day Oklahoma), and people flocked west, eager to claim the lands their country had won from their "oppressors" to the north. However, this expansionism was not limited to territories actually owned by the Confederacy -- many Confederates called for the invasion and annexation of the Carribbean Islands, many of which were owned by Spain.