| national motto: Sic semper tyrannis | |
| Official language | English |
| Capital | Chicago |
| Consul | Barack H. Obama |
| Independence | 1776 (declared) 1783 (recognized) |
| Currency | Virginian Dollar |
The Commonwealth of Virginia is the largest nation in North America by population, and second largest by area after the Kingdom of Canada.
History of the Commonwealth[]
Virginia's rise to prominence began during the Colonial era, and accelerated after the Treaty of Paris awarded the Northwest Territory to the nascent United States. Virginia laid claim to the entire territory, and, after the so-called Northwest Wars, gained control of all but a small portion (which went to Pennsylvania) of it. Virginia's size grew even more after the Missouri Purchase of 1807, in which Virginia purchased the land north of the Missouri River from Spain. The next major phase of expansion was the Louisiana War, in which Spain sold all of Louisiana north of the 42nd parallel in return for Virginian assistance against Mexican claims to Louisiana.
In 1843, Virginia, which had co-administered the Oregon Country with Britain, began demanding full sovereignty of the territory, leading to the Oregon War of 1845-1847, which resulted in Virginia possessing the entire territory. Virginia now stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
In 1849, gold was discovered in the Kingdom of California. This lead to a rush of settlers from all over the world, especially nearby Virginia. California had formerly been sparsely populated and largely agrarian. The sudden influx of people strained California's infrastructure, and created strife between the old residents and the new, and between different groups of new residents.
Virginia began demanding that California act to safeguard the rights of new immigrants, and, in 1850, declared that the Kingdom of California was deliberately biased against Virginian immigrants, and declared war upon the Kingdom. This was was brief and ended with the entire kingdom annexed by Virginia, with an ill-defined border with the Federation of New Mexico, which was later settled at the Colorado River.
In 1853, Consul Williamson sent Commodore Vandelay to Japan to negotiate a trade treaty. Along with opening Japan up to Western contact, he also convinced the Consul to annex the island of Formosa.
A major turning point in the history of Virginia was the election, in 1862 of Abraham Lincoln from the District of Illinois (originally born in the District of Kentucky), as consul. Abraham Lincoln was a noted abolitionist and, though he repeatedly stated a belief in gradual emancipation, aroused the fears of those in the older parts of Virginia. Shortly after his election, an attempted coup d'etat broke out. Lincoln was supported in Oregon, California, Deseret, Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio, but was opposed in the more conservative East Virginia and Kentucky districts, as well as Trans-Missouri and Trans-Mississippi.
The Coup leaders in East Virginia seized the capital and chose Jefferson Davis as consul (after a period of an Emergency Executive Council). Abraham Lincoln established a temporary capital in Chicago, capital of the industrialized Illinois District. The Virginian Civil War broke out. South Carolina and Georgia supported the coup leaders, while New York and Pennsylvania gave support to Lincoln. The Union of New England also gave some support to Lincoln. This war lead to the dissolution of the United States.
The war ended in victory for Lincoln, and long-term animosity between Virginia and her southern neighbours. The wartime capital of Chicago became the permanent capital. In the aftermath of the war, slavery was abolished.
Lincoln was assassinated shortly after the war's end.
The purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1871 marked the end of Virginia's expansionist phase.
Districts of Virginia[]
- East Virginia
- Kentucky
- Ohio
- Illinois
- Michigan
- Trans-Mississippi (Generally shortened to Mississippi)
- Trans-Missouri (Generally shortened to Missouri)
- Oregon
- California
- Deseret
- Alaska
Lost Districts
- Formosa
Incomplete List of Leaders of Virginia since independence[]
Governors[]
- 1776-1779 Patrick Henry
- 1779-1781 Thomas Jefferson
- 1781-1781 William Fleming
- 1781-1784 Benjamin Harrison V
- 1784-1786 Patrick Henry
- 1786-1788 Edmund Randolph
- 1788-1791 Beverley Randolph
- 1791-1794 Henry Lee III
- 1794-1796 Robert Brooke
- 1796-1798 Thomas Jefferson
In 1798, the title of Governor was changed to that of Consul.
Consuls[]
- 1798-1799 Thomas Jefferson
- 1799-1802 James Monroe
...
- 12. 1842-1842 William Henry Harrison
...
- 15. 1850-1857 Jacob Williamson
- 16. 1858-1861
- 17. 1862-1866 Abraham Lincoln
- 18. 1866-1869 Friedrich Müller
- 19. 1870-1873 Robert E. Lee
...
- 40. 1981-1989 Ronald Reagan
- 41.