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Not to be confused with the state of Lincoln, a subdivision of the United States.

The Republic of Lincoln
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Eastern Nebraska, Western Iowa
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Motto
"The Good Life"
Capital Lincoln
Largest city Lincoln
Other cities Lexington, Kearney, Hastings, Bellevue, Le Mars, Storm Lake
Language English
Demonym Lincolnite
President Dave Heineman
Vice President Rick Sheehy
Area 77,421 mi²
Population 890,000 (2010 est.)
Independence 1984
Currency Lincolnite Dollar

The Republic of Lincoln (normally referred to as Lincoln) is an American survivor nation located in the former American states of (eastern) Nebraska and (western) Iowa. It is named for the former American city of Lincoln, Nebraska, which in turn was named for the United States' 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln's portrait is featured on the flag of the nation.

History[]

Pre-Doomsday[]

Before Doomsday, the state of Nebraska was the leading farming and ranching state in the United States.

Post-Doomsday[]

-Donald-Francis-McGinley,-representative-from-Nebraska, -painting-artwork-print

Donald F. McGinley, the first President of the Republic of Lincoln

Though the city of Lincoln was spared, Omaha and the nearby Offutt Air Force Base (headquarters of the Strategic Air Command) were both destroyed by nuclear strikes. The resulting radiation from the blasts and radiation from strikers farther west caused the quality of agriculture in the region to drop significantly.

Attempts to maintain some control as all contact with the US government proved too much for Nebraskan Governor Kerrey and he was found in his office dead from suicide. Lieutenant Governor McGinley quickly assumed “emergency powers” to bring order to his city before it collapsed into anarchy.

It was not until April 8th, 1984, that a new government was organized. Calling itself the Provisional Republic of Lincoln, the new nation intended to act as a “placeholder” for the US government until contact could be re-established. McGinley, now the President of the new Republic, chose former Lieutenant Governor Roland Luedtke as his new Vice President.

Lakotah War[]

For more information please see the Lakotah War

As raids from the nascent Republic of Lakotah militias assailed the Dakotas, Black Hills, Wyoming and Montana, Nebraska braced itself. It was now 4 years into the apocalypse, with the last gasoline reserves spent, only through highly-inefficient ethanol mixtures could the Lincolnites and Nebraskans at large sustain what vehicles would run on this. Soon enough, towns along the northwest buckled under the pressure, surrendering or even outright defecting willingly to the new Republic. Due to the roughly one week on foot it took for travel from Lincoln to the core confederations of towns along the heart of the Great Plains states, Lincoln opined that other that to augment Hunkins' assailed forces, which it could hardly spare to begin with, would leave its northern flank along the Platte River open to the Raiders plaguing the region, so thus there was nothing that can be sent in the way of direct support. In light of this, the militia continued westward, the now "Scottsbluff Association" became the de facto hegemon in the western half of the state, taking up residence in the old town of Scottsbluff. The Scottsbluff Association would end up sending thousands of poorly-armed militiamen to rebuff not only the Lakotan front but also the bands of highwaymen, rogue military and other nefarious actors attending to take advantage of the power vacuum.

After the cessation of the conflict, the two halves were found themselves estranged. With the destruction of fifth founding state in the Provisional United States. It was the Scottsbluff Association, and not the Provisional Republic of Lincoln, that had proved to the aged state bureaucrats in Lincoln that the American spirit had survived.

Contact[]

Despite its isolationist policies, the Republic has kept tabs on the outside world. This is done via the network of ham radio operators that still dot the nation. However, in 1996, the President received horrible news. The American Provisional Administration had officially dissolved itself. Earl Nelson, the President of Lincoln at the time, used the local radio transmitter to broadcast the official Declaration of Independence. This announcement eventually made it to the capital of the ANZC.

Government[]

Dave Heineman official photo

Current President, and admitted Lincolnist, David Heineman

The government of Lincoln strictly follows an almost word-for-word copy of the US Constitution, and the inalienable rights are taken very seriously. This is due to Lincoln desperately hoping that the Federal Government would be restored, and as the "place holder" they need to preserve the institutions the US held dear. One major difference is the lack of an electoral college, as it is unnecessary in a small nation. Also with the APA's disbanding in 1996, the major political parties in Lincoln voted to rename themselves the Conservative Party (Republican Party), and the Liberal Party (Democratic Party). Also a number of new amendments have been added to the Constitution over the years.

1. Abortion is legal in cases of disfigured infants or infants with fatal conditions.

2. Marriage is deemed a religious institution only, making gay marriage legal.

Military[]

The Republic of Lincoln hosts a reasonably armed militia for self-defense purposes only. This is because, despite the negative effects of Doomsday, the agriculture of the area is still decentnd - to prevent one of the many armed nomadic tribes from raiding them for food, the Lincolnites need a way of defending themselves. It currently monitors the fortified borders, and operates border checkpoints on all major roadways. It currently follows the policy of letting a small amount of refugees in per year. The smaller borders, fortunately, make it much easier for Lincoln to enforce immigration laws.

Economy[]

The economy of the state was primarily based on agriculture and ranching. The effects of Doomsday's radiation made it much harder to recover than it would have otherwise. They still got it up and running, but in twice the time. The Republic has minted its own currency since 1996. They are otherwise virtually identical to the old US designs, except In God We Trust is replaced with The Good Life.

Religion[]

HBCPhotoProfPlainBG

Lincolnist leader Robert Baron

As before Doomsday, three of the four major faiths in Lincoln are Roman Catholicism (28%), Lutheranism (16%) and Methodism (11%). However, there is a new faith that is rapidly on the rise: Lincolnism, a religion centered on the philosophy of the former US President Abraham Lincoln. This has been on the rise since the Republic's culture was centered on Lincoln in the years following the APA's disbandment in 1996. The reasoning behind it is that people are desperate for any piece of old America, no matter how small. This newly founded religion is the fastest growing, as the citizens of Lincoln are bombarded with images of their namesake. The fifth category is fairly self-explanatory. The sixth category are simply people who refused to fill out "religion" on a census, and thus does not fully qualify as a category. The local religious leaders are mostly the pre-Doomsday figures, except for the Lincolnists, led by Robert Baron.

1. Roman Catholicism (28%)

2. Lutheranism (16%)

3. Methodist (11%)

4. Non-religious/Atheism (15%)

5. Lincolnism (5%)

6. Unknown (25%)

Law & Order[]

The new Supreme Court of Lincoln has attempted to stick to the old US legal system, though punishment tends to be harsher to certain individuals. These are the repeat offenders with no chance of rehabilitation. There is a three-strikes policy in place. Three major crimes, and a very large chance of committing more simply gets the criminal in question executed.

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The Lincoln Supreme Court

Capital Reconstruction[]

In honor of the namesake of the Republic, a replica of the the Lincoln Memorial has been built in the City of Lincoln. The streets have also been renamed in honor of former Presidents of the USA, from George Washington to Ronald Reagan.

Lincoln-memorial-picture

Lincoln's new Lincoln Memorial

Memorial[]

Cemetery

Some of Omaha's "citizens"

In more recent times, as the radioactivity of the ruins of Omaha has gone down, the plans for the construction of a Doomsday memorial were put forward. Using materials salvaged from "Old" Omaha, including copper from plumbing, iron from (usable) rebar, and concrete from various sources. It is of a Phoenix rising from the ashes of the world. On its plinth is a complete list of the cities destroyed by Doomsday. It was built in front of the former Nebraska State Legislature in Lincoln. It was unveiled to the public on September 26th 2009, the 26th anniversary of Doomsday. However, Omaha's ruins cannot and will not be rebuilt. The ruins were salvaged and demolished, while part of the site had been, and still is, used as a cemetery for Doomsday's dead. The burial site has been declared the Omaha Memorial Cemetery. A true necropolis has been built. So far, about a million mausoleums (built from salvaged materials) have been built, and a system of catacombs was dug. The construction of the catacombs was aided by the old sewer system of Omaha.

International Relations[]

The Republic has, by virtue of diplomacy, been recognized by every country it has been in contact with. The Republic is an observer in the LoN, and is a very popular candidate for full membership. The Republic has cordial relations with every nation they meet. With the North American Union's portion of Nebraska right next door, and the American Alliance to their east, Lincoln finds itself as the crossroads of the interior North American landscape, both geographically and geopolitically.


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