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This is about the second, Torrington-based United States formed after Doomsday. For the pre-1983 United States, see United States of America.

United States of America
Timeline: 1983: Doomsday

OTL equivalent: Idaho, Cascadia, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado Rockies, Western Minnesota, Oregon, Nebraska, Oklahoma Panhandle, Northern Missouri, Northwest Iowa (USAR: US & Spanish Virgin Islands & Key West)
Flag Coat of Arms
Flag Coat of Arms
Location of the United States
The continental United States in Red & the Atlantic Remnant in Blue c. 2023
Motto
In God We Trust
Anthem "Star Spangled Banner

"

Capital Torrington
Largest city Fort Collins-Greeley
Other cities Salem, OR; Sioux Falls, DK; Billings, MT; Casper, WY; Missoula, KT; Scottsbluff, NE; Coeur d'Alene, LN; Fargo, DK; Newport, OR; Friday Harbor, SJ; Hannibal, MO; Moorehead, MN, Eureka, JF
Language
  official
 
English
  others Apsáalooke, Kutenai, Spanish
Religion
  main
 
Christianity
  others Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and others
Ethnic Groups
  main
 
European Americans, Native Americans, African Americans
  others Multiracial, Asian Americans, Pacific Islander
Demonym American
Government Federal presidential constitutional republic
  Legislature United States Congress
President Heidi Heitkamp
Vice President Steve Bullock
Area 796,742 mi²
Population 6,290,000 (2023 estimate)
Independence July 4, 1776, November 3rd, 1992
Currency Buffalo Dollar
Organizations North American Union, League of Nations

The Torrington-based United States of America is a federal constitutional republic in western North America and the most populous member-state of the North American Union. The restored United States currently consists of sixteen states, a capital district, and a number of other smaller, unorganized settlements and territories.

The original United States of America consisted of 50 states, the District of Columbia, and various outlying territories. After Doomsday, surviving government officials relocated to sites around the country in the hope of re-establishing law and order. President President George Herbert Walker Bush formed an emergency government in Hawaii called the American Provisional Administration, which disbanded in 1995.

Other American fragments persisted after the disbandment of the APA. Previously in the mid-1980s, US forces in the Caribbean Sea and northern Atlantic Ocean had outright refused President Bush's order for US troops to relocate to the Pacific and submit themselves to ANZUS command and had instead remained in the Caribbean to form a provisional US survivor community called the United States Atlantic Remnant.

Gradually the civil and military leaders left behind by the APA accepted the leadership of Wyoming, the most intact state in the region. Wyoming's influence spread in the region during the Lakotah War of 1987-9, in which the five "Hunkins States" would narrowly defend the nucleus of what would form the Provisional United States. Following the war, communities in the nearby states held a new constitutional convention; the new government declared itself only a "provisional" government because they did not yet know whether other federal authorities existed to assume control once again.

With the disbandment of the APA, many on the US mainland argued that it was time to take matters into their own hands. Increased contact with other parts of the country made it clear that no other entity existed with a stronger claim to represent the continuation of the United States. New states were admitted to the Union in the mid-90s, and the formation of the North American Union with long-time partner Provisional Canada would unite the region even further. On July 4, 2010, the PUSA declared itself to be the successor to the old United States and henceforth no longer a provisional government.

40 years on from Doomsday - a steadily growing economy, borderless trade and travel across the NAU further enriched by economic diversification, new access to the sea, and the US Virgin Islands, and a net positive stream of immigration from across the American diaspora has strengthened the reformed United States' position on the continent.

History

See also: Timeline (1983: Doomsday), North American Union History, History of the USA since Doomsday

A brief history of the Grand Experiment

Steve Penley Founding Fathers of the United States of America

A painting depicting the American Founding Fathers amid pre-Doomsday emblems of the nation. The painting currently hangs in the nascent National Portrait Gallery in Torrington.

Almost a century after the first Europeans landed in what would eventually be the state of Florida, a second attempt at a colony by the British succeeded in what would become Virginia. This colony would prove to be the heart of the new nation that would rise from its small beginnings in 1607. Throughout that century settlers looking for a better life in a new land would take what could be a dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean to settle in the primary colonies of Virginia and Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay.

By the middle of the 1700's the British had established thirteen colonies from Massachusetts to Georgia. The government in England had exploited the land east of the Appalachian Mountains to the benefit of its upper class, but had begun to tax its subjects in the colonies for goods they received from around the world. This gave rise to a rebellion among the colonists that at times amounted to a civil war with much of the upper class being loyalists.

In 1776, after already enduring war for over a year, a congress of the colonies gathered in Philadelphia declared their independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. A bloody war continued until 1781, with the concession of defeat by the British. General George Washington of the Continental army became the first president in 1789, serving two terms for a total of just short of eight years. In those first years, two "parties" arose - one wanting a strong central government over the individual states, and the other wishing for stronger governments in the states themselves. The Constitution of 1787 had laid out the powers of the central government, the seat of which moved to a federal district named "District of Columbia" in 1800. A town in that district, named Washington, became the home of the government. The town grew to include the whole district.

In less than a century, the nation was at war with itself. With the surrender of the Confederacy at Appomattox Court House in 1865, the question was settled on where the power lay, and give rise to a central federal republic. The states became a union at last. It would take a few decades, but the English language would change the "correct" usage of "the United States are" into a collective "the United States is." (See Visual Thesaurus).

During the latter years of the 1890s, the United States would become a world power of unprecedented success beginning with intervention in Japan, China and triumph in war against the Spanish Empire and its holdings in East Asia and the Americas. Two world wars in the 20th century would further solidify its prominence even as another "superpower" would emerge from the former Russian Empire, growing its influence until it found itself at the backyard of the allied Western world.

By the bicentennial celebrations of the Declaration of Independence, the United States would be a member of political alliances in Europe (NATO) and Oceania (ANZUS), among others. It would see near destruction before the bicentennial of the Constitution, however, on a day that would forever be come to be known as Doomsday.

Three Americas

See also: Continuity of the US Government

For the first 12 years following Doomsday, there were three successor governments to the federal government of the United States of America. President Ronald Reagan decided to divide his administration into four parts. The President would lead the war and recovery efforts from the Pacific while other officials - Acting Presidents constitutionally able to take on the President's powers - would lead other parts of the country. This plan was never successful and there were never more than three of these emergency administrations operating at any one time, which is why this is often called the Three Americas Period.

In the Pacific Ocean there was the American Provisional Administration. Reagan was lost while flying to Hilo, Hawaii, designated the temporary capital, but George Bush flew out to replace him almost immediately. The APA was supported by some surviving Cabinet members from the Reagan era, funding from Australia and New Zealand, and a large massing of American naval power from around the world thanks to the famous Gathering Order of 1984.

In the Rocky Mountains, another administration was established to work closely with NORAD, whose underground facility had survived and whose state-of-the-art communications equipment would be indispensable. Vice President Bush was originally designated the chief for this region; when Bush went to Hawaii, the title passed to former House Speaker Tip O'Neill. O'Neill's 1986 assassination damaged the coherence of the administration and forced it to rely more on Wyoming and a fledgling coalition of neighboring states. This would evolve into the Provisional United States of America, with the cooperation of the handful of survivors from the Reagan administration and the military.

A third administration was to remain in the Appalachian Mountains in Charleston, West Virginia, close to the original relocation sites for Reagan, Bush, and other federal officials. The top-ranked official there was Strom Thurmond, the former President Pro Tem of the Senate, supported by members of the Cabinet. This administration quickly succumbed to infighting and military rule and divided into hostile factions by 1986. Next to nothing remained of it by the end of the decade.

Finally, the Caribbean Sea was a redoubt for remnants the US Navy's Atlantic Fleet. Reagan's original plan had been for a few Cabinet leaders to travel from Charleston to the Caribbean to maintain constitutional rule there, but this never came to be. Instead, the Navy itself took over U.S. territories in the region, supported by the Coast Guard, Air Force, and civil government of the United States Virgin Islands. This force detected the Gathering Order but refused to go to the Pacific. In conjunction with the Virgin Islands government and survivors from the mainland, this motley group founded the United States Atlantic Remnant in 1989, becoming the true "Third America" of this era. The USAR went on to acquire a handful of smaller island territories, oil platforms and military outposts across the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. The USAR worked to protect those it could within its sphere of reach, as well as the myriad stranded tourists across the Caribbean and civilian evacuees from across the Southeastern United States.

Each of these three considered itself to be a continuation of the USA. Americans in the Pacific and their Australian/New Zealander allies considered the APA the government that had fled Washington DC, led as it was by Bush and the remnants of Reagan's Cabinet. The USAR's supporters rejected Bush's Gathering Order as illegitimate and considered it unthinkable to abandon what they believed to be the only intact territory still functioning in American waters and lands. While the inland coalition of surviving state governments led by Governor Herschler could also claim legitimacy, it remained all but unknown to the APA and USAR for the time being.

With the shuttering of the APA in 1995, the Three Americas Period came to an end. After that point, the PUSA rose to greater prominence in the American story and in time became the undisputed successor of the original government.

1991 Constitutional Convention

See main article: US Constitution

Fresh from their victory against Lakotah, leaders in the Rockies and Great Plains began serious talks about re-forming the United States of America. With imperfect knowledge of the outside world and without any contact from the federal government in years, it was assumed by all that the old United States had ceased to exist. Proposals were thus introduced by people in the various survivor communities to form a new nation.

In June of 1991 a convention of delegates from the various communities met in Torrington, Wyoming, and on July 4th presented a new Constitution for the "Provisional Government of the United States of America." Though similar to the old US Constitution, it specifically stated that this government was only provisional and it would disband upon the re-establishment of the true federal government. Other changes also included the removal of the Electoral College and a revised second amendment. Following the approval of the represented communities, the new US had its first election for the President and the Congress.

Since the new constitution was thought to be a temporary document, changes from the US Constitution of 1787 (as amended) were only to be in effect until such time as the original document could be re-instated by federal authorities from Washington, DC, or wherever the government had moved after the assumed destruction of the federal district. Most changes were just cosmetic, in order to make the document separate from the original. The "new" document differed only significantly on the manner of election of the President and Vice President, and a less ambiguous right to bear arms.

The Election of 1992

See also: The Lakota War
Ray Hunkins

Ray Hunkins, the 42nd President of the United States, and the first serving in the government of the reorganized United States.

The success of General Ray Hunkins in the Lakota War produced a situation reminiscent of 1787. No other leader among the survivor states stood a chance against him, so like George Washington after the first war for Independence, Hunkins ran unopposed and was elected the first president of the Provisional US in May of 1992. By November the communities managed to reconstitute five of the old states: Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. Citizens in these states confirmed the delegates to the Convention to constitute the first Congress on November 3, 1992.

New states

With hopes for a more efficient provision of services to outlaying populations, President Hunkins in 1993 was able to push through Congress the creation of two new states: Kootenai (western Montana) and Absaroka (made up of parts of Montana, Wyoming and Nebraska). At first, Congress appointed governors to oversee these states, but by 1994 elections were held to establish these governments to be self-governed members of the PUS.

Soon the Provisional United States began expanding into Idaho. Several communities located in the former Idaho counties of Lemhi, Clark and Fremont, petitioned for admission into the PUS as a state and eventually formed the state of Idaho in 1995. The panhandle of Idaho was organized as the state of Lincoln after a PUS expedition has defeated the Neo-Nazi warlord who had taken control of the area. In the 1996 election President Hunkins won a second term as president of the PUS.

In 2011, Dakota (the eastern parts of the former North and South Dakota) was on track to become the next state. The state voted in 2010 to rejoin the United States and awaited congressional approval for almost a year. The acquisition of a portion of the old state of Nebraska from the Republic of Lincoln made southern Dakota contiguous to the other states.

However, the issue of distance remained an obstacle to discussions on the admission of the Virgin Islands as a state. With air travel still a problem on the continent, the longtime US Atlantic Remnant was seen as a technologically advanced posting, with a travel problem between the 'parent nation' and its hopeful returning territory that remained persistent. However, with an affirmative vote there in November, leaders in Congress indicated that they were open to the Virgin Islands' potentially becoming the eleventh state.

The Constitution of 2010

On February 12, 2010, representatives from across the PUSA met in Torrington, Wyoming for another constitutional convention. The growing ease of communication with the outside world had made it clear that there was no other surviving federal authority within the former United States. The people of the PUSA had debated the provisional status of their government, and this new convention was to decide its official status. With a vote of a majority of delegates the PUSA would the present nine states to be the successor of the United States. Supporters of the proposal cited not only the size and success of the growing federation, but also its links with the old administrations of Reagan and Bush. The emergency administration in Colorado had included federal officials who could constitutionally assume the presidency. First Reagan and then Bush had maintained contact for a time. Two former members of Reagan's cabinet had helped to create the PUSA, as had leading U.S. military officers in the region. The provisional Congress summarized these links in a Report on the Continuity of the US Government. A number of state governors, notably Sarah Heath (R-Lincoln), vocally supported the idea.

On March 6, 2010, talks with a group of survivor communities in southern Idaho led to the annexation the southwestern part of the state. This increased the size of the new state of Idaho significantly.

On July 4, 2010, the leaders of the Torrington Constitutional Convention announced that it had been decided that the Provisional United States is the successor of the United States of America. The delegates of the new constitutional convention announced that they had ratified the constitution without changes except for dropping the Provisional Clause and a postscript that included the signatures of the delegates in attendance. The four new states, upon coming into the union, had all voted to ratify the document. The date on the bottom of the document, therefore, is July 4, 2010.

Convention leaders expressed a willingness to offer membership in the restored United States to all American survivor states, but they stressed that they will respect any American nations who desire to retain their independence. They promised to treat their neighbors with the "respect and dignity that all civilized nations deserve" and that the declaration would not change their relationship with the North American Union.

While there were no plans to change the current government, the midterm elections on November 2 did include ballot initiatives to approve the name change of the country and a new flag for the restored United States to reflect the current number of states.

News of the restored USA was greeted with celebrations among certain communities of the American diaspora, especially where the Committee to Restore the United States of America has a strong following.

The American Spring

Within days of demonstrations in the Municipal States of the Pacific, the CRUSA chairman met with President Allard in two days of meetings Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, 2011. In these meetings the chairman repeated much of what he had told the president in their visits in Canberra. Allard made it clear that it was not within the Constitutional powers of the US government to reclaim lost land, but rather to legally pursue those states that are held in good faith by successor governments willing to rejoin the nation.

In part, Allard said:

Though the Constitution does not require that we reclaim lost land to the last acre, nor even to grow beyond our present borders, it does give us the mandate to provide a just and equitable existence to Americans everywhere. I look forward to working with the Committee in what promises to be an exciting campaign to reconnect with our brothers and sisters from 'sea to shining sea.'

-- US Pres. Wayne Allard, March 26, 2011.

Reports of unrest in the MSP had spread throughout the nation by the time this announcement was made, and many local politicians began to be pressured to take a stand on where they stood. Several chapters of the CRUSA were being hounded by local press as to their intentions. Many feared what they saw as "outside agitators" bringing dissension among Americans everywhere. Others wrote letters to politicians and newspapers stating doubts that such a grand scheme would be worth the effort. Businessmen began to wonder if the trade agreements within the North American Union would be scrapped or endangered.

Continued expansion

Negotiations with the Provisional Government of the Dakotas during the Spring would pay off, as many Dakotans still felt as if they were a part of the nation. The two governments eventually agreed to statehood, and the State of Dakota was admitted into the Union on July 4th, 2012.

Following the Dakota Annexation, Oregon began negotiations regarding statehood. President Cole Grant of Oregon declared that statehood would be of mutual advantage, as much of Oregon still lay in ruins following the Civil War five years back. Oregon became a US State on August 14th of that same year, the anniversary of the creation of the Oregon Territory.

While the United States has access to the sea, it currently has no direct access to the Atlantic Ocean, which remains a major roadblock in regards to the Atlantic Remnant rejoining the United States. However, the Atlantic Remnant voted in favor of reunification in 2011. It was decided that until faster transportation became available, the USAR would be politically unified with the mainland US (with harmonized political and military goals), though not yet a state.

In 2013, a referendum was held in Hannibal on the issue of statehood. Hannibal was developing as a major port on the Mississippi River, and locals felt that being part of a country stretching from the Pacific through the Rockies and Great Plains and into the Mississippi River region would be of great commercial advantage to the local economy. Many people involved in the shipping industry were excited about the potential to be part of a trade network across the new USA to the Pacific and back. Voters were also motivated by a sense of American patriotism and nostalgia.

In November of 2013, the referendum results came back with an overwhelming majority voting in favor of US statehood. Talks with Torrington soon began to plan the details of the merger.

American Spring Rebuilding America poster - combining Fallout 3 poster with WWII poster

A poster advertising the New American Pioneers program, sponsored by the US State Department to attract American survivor families from other survivor states to rejoin the USA as part of the American Spring movement. The poster also alludes to the construction of the new West Coast version of the Statue of Liberty in Newport, Oregon.

Outreach to the American diaspora

During the 2010's, as the USA achieved increasing prosperity, as well as greater transportation capabilities, the US State Department founded a set of programs to reach out to Americans scattered across the world. The programs include education on American culture and history, as well as messaging in support of American democratic ideals. The programs also encourage American families who were stranded in other parts of the world after Doomsday to return to the American mainland and resettle in the reborn United States. Congress has ruled that anyone who can either prove pre-Doomsday American citizenship, descent from someone who had pre-Doomsday US citizenship, or current citizenship in an American survivor community, will be automatically entitled to citizenship in the new USA.

A key element of this effort, starting in the 2010's, has been the New American Pioneers program, which has partnered with American diaspora organizations in the ANZC and other countries to fund young Americans from expat families to visit the new USA over the summer, with the hopes of convincing them to stay. The Oregon coast of the new USA has become a major shipping center for the US on the Pacific, and that now includes bringing in American youth on Pioneers trips from the ANZC. New American Pioneers participants are typically greeted with a welcome party in their port of arrival, an orientation session, and other cultural programming (with an emphasis on American cuisine, music, and sports), nature tours and historical sightseeing. The New American Pioneers trips typically culminate with a trip to Torrington, to visit the growing capital city. Many of these tour groups have even been personally greeted by the US President during their stay in Torrington. Anyone who participates in the program who chooses to stay is invited to encourage their family members to join them. With the growing prosperity of the US economy, the State Department and various wealthy merchants typically partner to pay for these efforts. New American Pioneer participants who decide to stay are also given assistance in finding jobs. Immigrants from elsewhere are also welcome to join the regular application process for citizenship.

Statue of Liberty restoration project

Construction efforts have begun on a new West Coast version of the old Statue of Liberty at the harbor in Newport, Oregon. Newport has grown as the primary oceanic port of the USA. As foreign merchants, repatriated Americans, and participants in the Pioneers program arrive in the harbor, they are greeted by the site of the new western Statue of Liberty. The copper sheeting came from copper mines in the states of Lincoln and Montana. Construction began in 2018 and is ongoing.

By 2020, the program had become increasingly successful. Many American families have begun moving back, attracted by a combination of patriotism and the opportunity of the clean slate afforded by moving to the steadily developing US. A high percentage of these repatriated Americans, or "repats" as they're often affectionately called, also often cite facing prejudice in other parts of the world because of the old US government's role in Doomsday as a motivating factor in their return to the old homeland. One repat from the ANZC commented to an Oregon newspaper "I grew up in the diaspora. My parents had been tourists on Doomsday. But even where I was born and raised, so many people, when they realized my heritage...well I always noticed it seemed a little harder to find jobs, or conversations abruptly ending. So now I'm here in America. The NAP program helped me land a job at a construction company in Salem. I've only been here a while, but I already feel like I'm finally home."

In August 2022, American troops and settlers set out eastward, claiming Northwest Iowa. Via mineral deposits and isolation, Iowa was seen as a good potential site for new communities. American federal government identified western Iowa as a potential candidate for annexation into the United States due to its vast mineral deposits, such as sand and gravel that would be useful for building supplies, and its relatively sparse population that allowed for the avoidance of the devastation brought on by Doomsday. The Iowa Territory was officially established on 9 September 2022 after authorization from Torrington. Stateless survivors in the region were also consequently invited to Sioux City to acquire necessary citizenship documents to their consent, with thousands making up to 100-mile journeys.

It is estimated that the New American Pioneers program has seen roughly 400,000 repats from the American diaspora naturalize between 2020 to 2023 -- the majority of these arrivals hailing from the Caribbean Federation, Argentina and Australia-New Zealand, and Mexico, with the latter comprising nearly one half of the arrivals alone. Other perhaps arrivals have hailed in smaller numbers from more unexpected countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Sicily, Singapore and even the half-American son of an intelligence operative who was undercover in Crimea on Doomsday. The majority of the new settlers have been attracted to the burgeoning population centers in Oregon, Colorado and Billings, capital of the North American Union.

Military Rearmament

U

US troops arrest bandits on the Eastern Frontier (2023)

At the beginning of the 2020s, the Earth continued rebuilding itself in one of the most prosperous eras since the nuclear exchange. Likewise, the amount of money the United States had in its defense Budget was massive, with a few officials in the United States Defense Force wanting to increase military spending and United States Armed Forces. They began signing contracts with American companies to build armaments for the USDF, with weapons ranging from small arms to Air Defense Systems, with the United States now having more equipment within their armory.

Soon, officials in the USDF would start pushing for out of all things, a renaming to United States Armed Forces,its name at the time before Doomsday. After pressure, the Secretary of Defense renamed the defense forces to the United States Armed Forces, like it was right before the exchange.

The size in terms of military technology was recorded by defense officials, with an estimated 900 Armored Cars, 300 Armored Personnel Carriers, 200 Tanks, 10 Theater Defense systems, 150 Towed and Mobile Artillery, 2 Naval Patrol Craft, 3 AWACS aircraft, 1 Naval AWACS jet, 12 strategic heavy bombers, 30 Strike Fighters, 15 Air Superiority Fighters, indeterminate reconnaissance craft, and 1 Hamilton Class Corvette.

US Army soldiers new combat army military uniforms multicam pattern United States American 27

US Army Training Exercise in Casper, Wyoming

As this order was fulfilled, the military felt aptly armed for the first time since its new formation, with the contractors' windfalls entrenching their new role in Torrington. Military research was funded slightly more than usual, much to the chagrin of many, with the equipment being researched in various laboratories being essential for wars to come.

Political divisions

The USA is divided into 17 states, one territories, the the federal District of Kennedy, which contains the capital city of Torrington, and the Associated States of the United States Atlantic Remnant, which is a member of the Caribbean Federation.

State Flag Capital Statehood Jurisdiction Notes
Wyoming Flag of Wyoming Casper 1992 Most of the state One of the five founding states.
Montana Flag of Montana Billings 1992 Most of the former state One of the five founding states.
Nebraska Flag of Nebraska Scottsbluff 1992 Originally the 'panhandle' region of the former state, extended to include much of the western of the former state One of the five founding states.
Kansas Flag of Kansas Dodge City 1992 Western end of the former state One of the five founding states.
Colorado Flag of Colorado Fort Collins 1992 Northern and Eastern Colorado One of the five founding states.
Kootenai Kootenai State Flag (DD1983) Missoula 1993 Northwestern corner of the former Montana One of the two "Hunkins' states," predominately American Indian tribes and former national forests
Absaroka Flag of Absaroka (DD1983) Sydney 1993 Eastern Montana, eastern Wyoming and northeastern Nebraska One of the two "Hunkins' states." Dominated politically by the influential Crow Tribe.
Lincoln DD1983 Lincoln USA Civil Coeur d'Alene 1995 The 'panhandle' area of the former state of Idaho along with easternmost areas of the former state of Washington Founded after the area was liberated from the neo-Nazi Aryan Nations and the Order who had terrorized the area. The state is named after President Abraham Lincoln.
Idaho Flag of Idaho Salmon 1995 Central area of the former state Created after several Idaho city-states petitioned for membership. Originally the counties of Lemhi, Clark and Fremont, but now including six more counties, from the Snake River to Lincoln.
Dakota DD1983 Dakota Civil Aberdeen 2012 Eastern areas of former North and South Dakota Previously the Provisional Government of the Dakotas, was annexed to the United States following diplomatic negotiations
Oregon DD1983 Oregon Flag Civil Salem 2012 Middle stretch of the former state of Oregon Previously an independent state, was annexed to the United States following diplomatic negotiations.
San Juan Islands DD1983 San Juan Civil Friday Harbor 2015 Islands in the Gulf of Georgia between mainland Washington and Vancouver Island Surrounded by Victorian territory, joined the USA to avoid annexation.
Cascadia DD1983 Cascadia Flag 2000 Civil Baker City 2020 Southwest Idaho and southeast Oregon Alliance of city-states, became an NAU member in 2011 and then a state.
Cimarron DD1983 Cimarron State Civil Guymon 2020 Oklahoma Panhandle Previously an independent city-state; from the time of the American Spring, Cimarron gravitated to the USA before becoming a state.
Missouri Flag of Missouri Hannibal 2020 Northeast Missouri Post-war redoubt of Missouri's governor. Voted overwhelmingly in favor of rejoining the United States in 2013, although efforts to make it contiguous took some time.
Minnesota Flag of Minnesota Moorehead 2022 Western part of the former state Admitted as a territory of the United States before it became the newest state
Jefferson Jefferson state flag Yreka 2023 formerly the Municipal States of the Pacific Admitted as a state of the United States in 2023 after several years of military occupation.
Territories & Associated States Flag Capital Territorial Status Jurisdiction Notes
Iowa Territory Flag of Iowa (1921-Present) Sioux City 2022 Northwest portion of the former state
United States Atlantic Remnant Flag of the United States Virgin Islands Charlotte Amalie 2014 Fellow successor government brought into union in 2014. All of the former USVI territory, plus the Spanish Virgin Islands, Navassa Island, and Dry Tortugas in the Florida Keys

Flag

Since its inception, the Provisional United States of America had continued to fly the 50-star flag. However, a proposal passed in the Constitutional Convention to update the flag to reflect the current number of states while preserving the history of the original USA. The flag was voted on in the 2010 elections with a vote between several designs submitted in a public contest. The historical flag had been retained while the nation held out hopes that the whole nation would one day be restored. Now, of course, it is known that the previous government dissolved, leaving the new version of the USA to start from a smaller number of states. The flag to the right was the favorite in a straw poll at the convention and in informal conversations throughout the states as well, and as was expected the new flag became official as of November 8, 2010 (first day of the work week after the votes were tallied and authenticated).

With the addition of Dakota and Oregon, two more stars would be added on January 2, 2013, by a resolution in Congress as they begin the new term. After being designed and approved, the flag would be unveiled at the signing of the bill by outgoing President Allard. It was flown on public buildings for the first time during the inauguration of incoming President Simpson.

It is expected that as the nation grows, the government might bring historic versions of the flag out of retirement if their number of stars reflects the current number of states; for instance, when the Union reached 13 states, it reintroduced the 13 star "Betsy Ross" flag from the American Revolution.

Government

'See: List of Presidents of the United States (1983: Doomsday)

Like its original incarnation, the Torrington-led United States's governmental structure consists of a federal government with executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while each state has its own state version of these branches, along with local governments.

Executive branch

Each President's administration includes a Cabinet consisting of the various federal department secretaries, just as in the pre-Doomsday executive branch.

Legislative branch

Congress is bicameral, consisting of a House of Representatives and a Senate. The House allots representatives to each state based on the population calculated in the decennial US Census, while each state has two Senators. Congress also includes a non-voting delegate from the United States Atlantic Remnant, who is allowed to participate in debates and caucuses and serve as a link between the mainland and the islands.

Judicial branch

The composition of the new Supreme Court in the 1990's was initially composed of respected local judges from the original five states of the nation's refounding. By 2020, several of the original Justices had retired or died, and the composition of the Court as of 2020 includes Justices from several of the states that have more recently rejoined the USA. Since 2005, former lawyer Gerry Spence of Wyoming has served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Politics

Political parties

The United States continues to have two major parties and several minor parties, most of which have evolved from either pre-Doomsday organisations or local parties after the war.

Republican Party

The Republican Party is the largest party in the United States and socially and fiscally conservative. It is the largest party in Cimmaron, Dakota, Idaho, Kansas, Lincoln, Montana, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Both the Territory of Minnesota and the USAR have Republican majorities.

Democratic Party

The Democratic Party is a socially liberal, fiscally conservative party and the second largest in the United States. It is the largest party in Abrosoka, Colorado, and Kootani, with large minorities in Oregon.

Oregon Democracy Coalition

The Oregon Democracy Coalition is the largest third party in the United States, controlling most of Oregon’s politics. The party is centrist and frequently members caucus with either the Democrats or Republicans in Congress.

Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party is a minor party that frequently runs candidates but does not currently have representation in Congress or any state legislatures. Since 2010 it has seen two members elected to state legislatures, one to the Nebraska State Legislature in 2012 and one to the Wyoming House of Representatives in 2016 although both candidates lost their seats in 2018. Two dozen Libertarians serve in local seats such as county commissioners, city or borough council, or school boards across the country.

The Union Party

The Union Party is made up of mostly pro-American survivors and descendants who want to reunite the United States via any means necessary. Though they don't have representation in Congress and the State Legislators as of yet, they are starting to gain traction to pro-Unionist citizens, with them getting represented in local city and county governments. They are the most funded, with the some members of the party being rich businessmen who are looking to the rest of North America for a profit.

Union of Socialist Workers Party

One of the growing parties, with the workers of the factories in this new United States, with them advocating for equal pay. This is the poorest of the parties, only able to afford a couple of rallies each year. They haven't taken off in government yet, with them having full control of the city of Clifton within Idaho.

2010 Election

On November 2, 2010, mid-term elections were held all over the US. On the ballot were the ratification of the status of the position of the nine states as the successor of the 50 former United States of America along with choosing a new flag. Both resolutions passed overwhelmingly. Six of the nine states had gubernatorial elections and all of them voted on representatives. Six of the states also elected senators belonging to the third class.

Results

Governors:

Lincoln: Sarah Heath (R), re-elected.
Idaho: Richard H. Stallings (D)
Wyoming: Colin M. Simpson (R)
Colorado: Scott McInnis (R)
Kansas: Sam Brownback (R), re-elected
Nebraska: Adrian Smith (R), re-elected

Senators:

Lincoln: Michael Baumgartner (R)
Idaho: Larry LaRocco (D)
Colorado: Cory Gardner (R)
Kansas: Tim Huelskamp (R), re-elected.
Nebraska: John Harms (R), re-elected.
Absaroka: Jason Ward (D)

Representatives:

The apportionment of the House of Representatives remained the same as the previous election, using the census of 2002.

Wyoming: Five seats total. Four Republicans and one Democrat.
Montana: Seven seats total. Four Republicans and three Democrats.
Nebraska: One seat. One Republican.
Kansas: Three seats total. Three Republicans.
Colorado: Six seats total. Three Republicans and three Democrats.
Kootenai: Three seats total. Two Democrats and one Republican.
Absaroka: One seat. One Democrat.
Lincoln: Three seats total. Two Democrats and one Republican.
Idaho: One seat. One Republican.

Overall, this meant that the Republican party under Speaker Denny Rehberg maintained its majority in the House, and although they gained a seat in Lincoln, they also lost one each in Wyoming and Kootenai, for a net loss of one seat.

2012 Presidential Race

Candidates began to announce their intentions for the office of President in the 2012 elections in late 2010. The Supreme Court ruled that any candidate that was born in a state of the former United States and presently a resident in a state recognized as under the jurisdiction of the US government at the time of the election (November 2, 2012) would be eligible as a candidate for the office of president (and vice president).

Republican governor Sarah Heath of Lincoln declared her candidacy early on, as did Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, also a Republican.

For the Democrats, sources from Charlotte Amalie, VI, claimed that the charismatic chairman of the Committee to Restore the USA, might announce sometime after the November 8, 2011, general election in that area that, should the independent state vote to join the US, they were running. Despite the vote being overall in favor, the Chairman ended up not running for the position, announcing that it would not be possible for the 2012 elections, and expressing hope for the future. Soon after this announcement in December of 2011, several other Democrats who had not declared themselves in the race declared their candidacies, joining early entrants to the race.

By the start of the primaries, Vice President Mike Simpson of Idaho, Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas, Governor Sarah Heath of Lincoln, Representative Jim Geringer of Wyoming, Senator John Harms of Nebraska, and Representative Kevin Lundberg of Colorado had declared their candidacies for the Republican nomination and filed the appropriate paperwork. By the end of the primary season in May of 2012, Vice President Simpson had managed to win the nomination, and fairly easily at that, with Governor Brownback coming in second. Simpson asked Brownback to fill out the lower half of the ticket, and he accepted.

For the Democrats, Senator Jon Tester of Montana, Mayor and 2010 Gubernatorial candidate John Doll of Garden City, Kansas, Senator Jason Ward of Absaroka, Representative Shirley Ringo of Lincoln, and Senator Bob Bacon of Colorado all eventually ran for the nomination. Of these, Mayor Doll and Senator Tester had been in the race prior to the CRUSA Chairman deciding not to run. Between this, his role as Senate Minority Leader, and the standing of the Democratic Party in Montana, Senator Tester secured the nomination after the first couple of primaries. He chose Representative Ringo for the lower half of the ticket.

2016 Elections

2020 Elections

The 2020 elections reinvigorated the Democrats with hopes that they could recapture the presidency after almost three decades of Republican control. With increasing trade to the Pacific Ocean, the overall outlook of most Americans remains positive.


International Relations

The restored USA is a member state of the North American Union. As a founding member of this alliance, the United States held a dominant role until the neighboring nation centered in the former US state of Utah joined. For a time, influence across the Union was evenly spread by its two largest members, but the growth of the restored United States has caused it to gradually eclipse Deseret in influence.

There have been lingering territorial disputes with some the USA's neighbors. The borders of Utah and the state of Idaho had been issue until Utah's joining the NAU. The Republic of Lincoln also claimed the entire state of Nebraska, a claim which was not recognized by the larger state of Nebraska. Negotiations for the consolidation of Lincoln's lands to its former borders died quickly as the vehement government in Lincoln (the city) claimed legal secession. Constitutional scholars are divided on the legitimacy of that claim. Negotiations, though, have succeeded in the annexation of portions of the northeast of the former state to the US state now recognized as Nebraska by the international community as a whole. An embassy has been also established in Victoria, with whom many Americans travel via the land border with fellow NAU member Pasco Free State. Relations with the governments within the former US state of Texas (presently in the process of consolidation) are cordial, but officials of West Texas did not seem to be interested in rejoining the United States as of 2010. Talks will continue, however, towards that vital extension towards the "outside world".

Upon ratification of the Constitution of 2010, President Allard traveled to Australia to talk with representatives of the CRUSA and former members of the APA in order to formalize the legitimacy of the restored United States. Recordings of discussions with Ronald Reagan and George Bush, along with copies of the sealed emergency government documents, were put in the hands of former APA President George Bush himself. Once these legal details are worked out, it is hoped that membership in the League of Nations will be forthcoming.

Contact with the survivor community known as the United States Atlantic Remnant, once the only other known piece of the old United States in the world, resulted in fostering a key ally in legitimizing its stance as the undisputed successor to the former United States. President Allard had flown back to US via the Caribbean islands, visiting Puerto Rico, the USAR, and Jamaica, before flying into Midland, West Texas, for one last presidential conference in December of 2010. Although the Remnant citizens do not presently vote in Mainland elections, they do elect their own Governor and Commissioner, who wield defined powers within the American military and Federal apparatuses as of 2022. The Remnant and the mainland United States share a single common passport. The North American Union at large secured visa free travel with the Caribbean Federation, and vice versa, during the 2022 negotiations.

In recent years, the closest international ally and supporter of the US has been the ANZC. Although the ANZUS security treaty is no longer valid, and with little call to have a new mutual defense clause, the 2019 Treaty of Newport solidifies close relations.

On the global scene, the US continues to reach out diplomatically. While a genuine gesture of goodwill, another stated reason for this has been to reconnect with other elements of the American diaspora as well as establish trading relations with the wider world. Although there have been setbacks with certain countries such as Japan due to the lingering legacy of Doomsday, this has not stopped American delegates and diplomats from undertaking tours to Europe and the Pacific. Firm reservations remain however with socialist states such as Cuba and Socialist Siberia.

As the USA gradually gains greater posture in North America, its increased access to the continent's resources, river networks, and coastline have allowed the US to progress technologically (and thus, military) and return to the seas once more. Though the US government (fully cognizant of foreign resentments from Doomsday) has been very careful about orienting this power towards defensive purposes, attacks on rogue militias in the wastelands, and humanitarian missions. One example was President Heitkamp's dispatch of a US Navy task force to Samoa and Tonga after the 2022 volcanic eruption and tsunami in the region, in conjunction with Victorian forces providing humanitarian aid and relief. This was the largest overseas US relief effort since Doomsday, and signaled to many that the US had returned as a player on the world stage once more.

Military

United States Defense Force

The United States Defense Forces is the military forces of the United States. They currently consist of the Army, Air Force, and Coast Guard. It was officially renamed from the United States Armed Forces to the United States Defense Forces in 2020, after a movement seeking a change in the name to reflect the situation of the present day United States passed a binding resolution that was approved of in Congress. The Defense Forces have 150,000 active duty personnel as of 2020, with a further 300,000 well trained soldiers in reserve. Furthermore, various militia and paramilitary forces in each of the states number well over 200,000, but official numbers on these forces is hard to compile.

The Army is divided as follows:

-1st Infantry Division, "Big Red One" This is the oldest and largest subdivision within the US Army. The division is primarily responsible for infantry and combined arms warfare, and has 30,000 soldiers as of 2020. They are armed primarily with the M16 as the standard service rifle, as well as the LAW anti-tank weapon, the M1911 pistol as the standard side-arm, and the Dragon ATGM.

-1st Cavalry Division This is responsible for armored warfare, as well as transporting infantry in armored vehicles. They primarily operate Humvees, the Bradley series of infantry fighting vehicle, and the M113 APC. As of 2020 they have 200 M60 Patton tanks in service, of varying quality. They also operate the M1 Abrams, a highly advanced tank which is used in serious situations, of which they have 25 in service.

-Frontier Force

The United States Frontier Force is a primarily reserve component of the Defense Forces. They are responsible for defending frontier communities, as well as local policing in rural areas. They also perform special forces duties, including paratrooper operations. They are lightly armed and act as a light infantry force. They follow a similar structure and policy that the former National Guard did. They number 250,000, of which most are in reserve to be called upon in emergencies in a similar manner to the colonial "Minuteman".

The US Air Force is the most advanced and capable Air Force in the former US. They size roughly 25,000 personnel. They operate all military aircraft, including helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. As of 2020 they have the following equipment in service:

Combat Aircraft:

30 F4 Phantom II, upgraded to H variant Standard by 2020 with advanced avionics and gunpods. This is the primary fighter and strike aircraft of the US military

15 F16 Fighting Falcon, these serve as highly advanced multirole combat aircraft. However, due to the lack of spare parts and expenses of flying, these are primarily kept in a ready reserve state.

8 F15 Eagle, these are the most advanced aircraft in the US military, and are used to patrol the airspace over contested regions.

4 F 111 Aardvark, these are the primary bomber aircraft of the US military, carrying dumb bombs, usually of the 1000 pound variant.

75 Bell UH-1 Iroquois, these serve as the primary transport and utility helicopters of the US military, and are highly used by the army.

5 Boeing Chinook, these serve as the primary heavy transport helicopter

12 C-130 Herclues these serve as the primary long range and heavy transport aircraft. They are also used for paratrooper drops by the Frontier Force.

Revolution NBC Navy

A US Navy shipyard on the Oregon coast. Oregon has become a major center for shipbuilding/repairing, and shipping since rejoining the Union.

The new US Coast Guard has refurbished several 20th century Navy vessels that had survived along the West Coast. It has also built several old-style steamships and even wooden sailing ships. As more metal ores become available from mines in the Rockies, the Navy is once again focusing on building metal ships, albeit often with coal as the power source.

Since joining the Union, the Oregon coast has become the United States' first center for shipbuilding, refurbishing of pre-Doomsday vessels and maritime commerce in general.

Economy and Transportation

The economy of the restored United States is primarily an agricultural economy. With few industries located in the members' states other than some manufacturing in Colorado, the new nation was faced with an industrial crisis nearly as crippling as the agricultural one faced by many survivors on the east coast. Obtaining fuel for existing farming equipment was probably the single largest difficulty facing the communities that would one day re-establish the United States. In the present day, the primary means of transportation is still by horse, with large herds dominating the Great Plains. Most trade in the animals is through the nomadic clans associated with the NAU. Bicycles are also in heavy use for local travel.

Horse-carriage-01 Central Park

A photo taken of autumn in Torrington, showing a typical scene of the streets in modern America. Some people travel by horse-drawn carriage, some by bicycle, as seen in the photo. Certain government officials (especially in Torrington) will occasionally use refurbished classic cars for special occasions. As more petroleum sources become available again, and biofuels emerge, cars are very gradually starting to become more common, esp. among the wealthy.

Shale deposits in the states bordering Canada and Lakotah, have been significantly exploited in recent years. There is limited "liquid" oil that comes from Nebraska, but it is exclusively used for government purposes. In recent years, less potent blends with corn-based ethanol have become commonplace, an imperfect fuel by affordable for many. Complex manufactured goods have mostly been obtained from neighboring Utah and other members of the NAU. With the promise of a rail-line to connect the NAU with the Municipal States of the Pacific, many Americans now look forward to an economic windfall as the restored USA establishes a reliable connection to the Pacific coast with the wealthy Pacific market of the "first world." The USA has also begun trade with northwestern Canadian survivor communities to obtain fuel from tar sands in former Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In recent years, the USA has increasingly been authorizing companies to reopen mines in the Rockies that had been abandoned after Doomsday, especially in Colorado, to obtain the vast mineral resources within. By 2010, mining and metal refinement was a rapidly growing industry, with both the government and private businesses especially keen on using various metals.

Culture

Sports

See United States Baseball League (1983: Doomsday)

The traditional American sports - American football, Baseball, Basketball and, in the northern states, Ice hockey, along with tennis and golf - retained their interest and popularity among the public. Today, various semi-professional leagues have been established across the restored USA.

The most prominent sports organization in the post-Doomsday USA thus far is the United States Baseball League. The USBL played its first full season in 2013.

Holidays

The USA continues to celebrate the same popular American holidays that existed before Doomsday, such as Independence Day and Thanksgiving. There is, however, one notable addition: Doomsday itself is marked a solemn day of remembrance both here and in many other countries and known here as Remembrance Day. Families usually celebrate by leaving a single lit candle for every person they lost on that day.

Revolution NBC Memorial Day banner Remember the Fallen

A man in Dakota raises a banner on the 30-year anniversary of Doomsday in 2013 to commemorate those who were lost.

As part of the annual Remembrance Day traditions, the US government hosts a ceremony at the Doomsday Memorial in Torrington. This memorial is inscribed with the names of each city in the United States known to have been hit by Soviet missiles on Doomsday. The annual memorial ceremony is usually led by the President, the Mayor of Torrington, and an interfaith collection of religious leaders (usually gathered from the Torrington region). A US Military band is generally on hand to solemnly play "Taps" during the ceremony. Also on Remembrance Day, all American flags are lowered to fly at half mast by the order of the President, a tradition which is also seen in many other countries on this day, in honor of all those who lost their lives on Doomsday and in the years of struggle afterwards. Additionally, no sporting events are held on Remembrance Day and all businesses or schools remained closed.

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