The Mirror That Never Broke

The Mirror That Never Broke is an Alternate history in which imperialism is passed onto the independent American countries. It will cover the time period between the late eighteenth century and today. This page is the history of the TL.

PODs
This timeline contains multiple PODs, some of them linked, some independent. The series of PODs shape the mold for an America covered with Empire.

First POD
The first chronological POD is that Joseph Brant is killed in the Battle of Fort Niagra.

Effects

 * Brant never translates the Bible into Mohican.


 * The Iroquois do not ally with the British. Thus the French have a slight advantage ally-wise.


 * The British have to send more troops and resources toward the war. The colonial administration was more or less wrecked by the war.


 * British campaigns in India are affected by the more severe version of the North American war. French interests in India are kept.


 * The British still end up winning the war, but they don't claim the French colonies in Louisiana due to temporary economic and military stress. Quebec and what is now Canada do end up in British hands, however.


 * Spain claims almost all of Louisiana. Indian and French settlers are forced to move into the already crowded British colonies over the Appalachians.


 * Britain begins taxing the settlers in the Thirteen Colonies. The British are planning to use the money from the outrageous taxes to finance an invasion of Spanish held Louisiana, Florida, and Cuba.


 * The taxes, along with thousands of French Acadians and Louisianans being forced to live in the American colonies caused widespread discontent. Soon after the French-Indian War ended in 1764, American Revolutionaries begin to rebel by early 1765. The rebbelion is initially small, but swells by 1766.

Second POD
The second main POD of this timeline is the death of Antonia Lopez de Santa Anna during his very early childhood. Farming tool accident, Indian raid, drowning, it doesn't really matter how. The main thing is that he never survives to become a soldier.

Effects
Santa Anna was a key factor in the overthrow in the first Mexican Empire. Here are the effects of his death:


 * Iturbide remains king of Mexico. Thus, Mexico remains an Empire.


 * Santa Anna never becomes dictator, and Mexico does not collapse into revolution and rebellion.


 * Internal wars do not spend up Mexico's economy. Therefore, Mexico's economy can sustain itself.


 * Mexico never loses all of its territory in OTL modern US. Those territories are also eventually settled by Mexican frontiermen.


 * The Central American countries stay as part of Mexico. They eventually become integrated into the empire instead of drifting off into independence.

French-Indian War (1754-1764)
The French-Indian War was a war between the French and the British in North America.

Causes of the War
The French-Indian war was fought for several reasons. These included the wish to control the Ohio Territory between the Appalachinas and the Mississippi. Control over the region was vital to both countries because of pelt hunting economy. The Grand Banks on Newfoundland were very fertile resource-wise and coveted by France and Britain. It was hard for both countries to own the area. The third great cause for the war was religious conflict. The British were mainly Protestant, against the Papal French. The hugely populated British colonies were more organized than the thinly populated French lands. The fighting began on 1754 when a British expedition fought with a French expedition.

The War
In 1759, Joseph Brant is killed. Therefore, the Iroquois never ends up joining the British. Without the Iroquois assistance, the British had to resort to using much more resources and troops to the war than in OTL. The war in Europe went slightly better in Russian favor than OTL. The Theater in Asia was nonexistant due to the large size of the North American campaign. Almost all able-bodied men in the British colonies are trained for the war. Only a small fraction of the large colonial army see action because the war eventually ended in 1764. The economy of the American colonies was wrecked by inflation and the British taxes towards the war.

Aftermath
In 1764, the French surrendered after more than ten years fighting. Small parts of the Ohio Territory came under British control, as well as most of what is now OTL Canada. Louisiana was annexed by the Spanish colonies. The fact that Spain had been allied with France and at war with Britain fueled anti-Spanish feelings in England. In 1764 and 1765, massive taxes were placed to finance an invasion of New Spain. Revolution ideas were spread by the discontent American colonists. By 1765, the revolution had begun.

Causes
Most of the causes of the American Revolution stemmed from the aftermath of the French-Indian war. The strain put on America's economy by Britain by the war itself was an important factor in uniting the colonies together. For the next year or two after the end of the war, British governors placed ridiculous taxes to finance an invasion of New Spain. One tax was the Export Act, which placed a tax on exports that got bigger proportionally if the size of the export was increased. To ship anything bigger than half a shipload, you would need to pay a tax almost half as much as the export's cost. Many more similar taxes were placed in that time period. Another large factor was the many thousands of misplaced French settlers that ended up in the American colonies. Many viewed the Frenchmen stereotypically and with hatred. A third reson for the Revolution was the fact that civilians and unimportant people did not get a vote or opinion in the choice of governor or choice of laws. A medium sized army had been left over in America from the war. As thoughts of rebellion spread, the army was about to be put to good use.

The Revolution
In early 1765, Benjamin Franklin wrote a pamphlet titles Freedom. The pamphlet expressed the views of many Americans about the unfair treatment the British gave them. Many people sold and read these books, and even in very royalist colonies citizens began to not trust the British soldiers and governors. In 1766, a large group of settlers moved over the Appalachians, against countless British laws and declarations. The settlers declared that they wanted some elbow room. By the end of that year, hundreds of citizens were crossing the mountains. Samuel Adams wrote his own pamplet named Over the Mountain about the need of Americans to expand. He emphasized that Indians in the Ohio territory should be treated as equals if those lands were to be kept. If the British were to take notice of the rebellious behavior, Adams said, then Americans should support Pontiac's rebellion. Just as Franklin's pamphlet had huge effect, so had Adams'. About twelve hundred armed Americans volunteered to assist the Indians. The stalemate turned, and the British held an armistice in late 1766. Thousands of captured settlers were set free.

The War
After the revolution began in 1765, many groups of rebels throughout the seaboard started to fight for freedom. These bands of rebels were not very organized and did little to defeat the British. The largest were only three or four hundred soldiers. In 1765, several of these bands join together to assist Indians in Pontiac's Rebellion. When the British were defeated in 1766, rebels throughout the Thirteen Conlonies realized that they needed to work together. The state militia leaders met together in late 1766 to agree to a common army. The Iroquois confederacy contributed about five thousand soldiers to the newly formed Continental Army. The state leaders voted for the Continental Army General. George Washington ended up as the supreme commander. The first major move of the Continental Army was the siege of Boston in 1767. The British fleet there was grounded by the siege. With a centralized military command, the Continental Army could act quickly and unexpectedly. This proved an advantage over the British in the New England campaign, 1767-8. Other major operations were the smaller Southern Theater (1768-70), the Ohio Campaign (1765-9), and the Canadian Campaign (1767-71). In 1767, after the Battle of Boston, Spain, France, and the Netherlands joined the war on the American side. The war went in American favor after the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1768. The Continental Army headed north into New Brunswick, the Gaspe Peninsula, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland. Most Canadians in these areas welcomed the Americans rather than their previous British oppressors. The British fleet in America was captured during an ingenious French/American manuever. The newly formed American Fleet helped to repel

Aftermath and Reforms
After the American Revolution, the Imperial Government underwent many, many, reforms. George Washington became Emperor. The government was divided into three branches. The Imperial Executive branch is in command of the military and economic interests, as well as being able to veto the other two branches' commands. The Legislative branch writes and designs laws and amendments to the Constitution. The Judicial branch writes and corrects laws made by the Legislative branch to better represent the opinions of voters. In 1773, the Independence Act was ratified. It severed all ties with Britain and renamed many town and city names. New York became Irakwa, and the same named city became Irakwa City. Many small towns underwent similar transformations.