Random Regional Notes

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Colonial Period Notes (1500's-1763)==
===New England Colonies===
-Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine
-You could argue Maine is the oldest. Then Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and the youngest is New Hampshire.
-New England colonies tend to rally behind Massachusetts. They're known for being especially rebellious and hard to handle.
-England spends a lot of his time trying to get them to behave and respect their mother country.
===Middle Colonies===
-New York, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
-The Middle Colonies were the most ethnically diverse colonies. New York, Delaware and New Jersey were all decended from different colonizers while Pennsylvania simply attracted many emmigrants from various parts of the world with his lax attitude.
-They were all seen as kind of odd although many of the colonies trusted Pennsyvlania even if his lack of manners was annoying at times.
-When the Revolution was breaking out, New York, Delaware and New Jersey were among those most loyal to England despite being conquered territories. While none of them were England's #1 fan they thought he was a good "parent" and took excellent care of his colonies in comparison to their former owners. New York chastized the New Englanders for being spoiled children. Eventually all of them would earnestly join in the war effort, but it would be incorrect to say they truly wanted independence so much as when forced to chose a side, they preferred America (who had demonstrated he was truly devoted to them) over England.
===Southern Colonies===
-Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia (Note that Virginia and Maryland are sometimes called the Chesapeake colonies) (also, West Virginia will be present during colonial times and quite a few stories will focus on him.)
-Southern Colonies are known for their loyalty and so it's a huge shock when one of them rebels. (North Carolina is probably the most rebellious.) They were also highly valued for their plantations and cash crops.
-Virginia at first wasn't happy about Maryland or the Carolinas being born. She saw them as intruding on her land and copying the survival techniques she worked so hard on. Virginia wasn't terribly friendly to them at first, but would at times rise to defend or scold them when she felt it was necessary.
-I just realized I made all the southern colonies female... but there's still a good balance of male/female for the original colonies and the south becomes balanced later when the others join up... So not too worried about it.
===New France Colonies===
-Acadia (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI), Quebec, Louisiana (Louisiana, Illinois, Arkansas, Michigan, Missouri), maybe Newfoundland... He's around but doesn't do that much from what I've found.
-Michigan has at least two stories before Revolutionary period, but Missouri will probably only get an honorable mention until he plays his role in Revolutionary period. Arkansas will get more honorable mentions and cameos but story won't focus on him except for a few minor blips until much, much, much later in the story... He only plays a minor role as Louisiana's underling until western expansion times.
-One of Louisiana's most important roles is to demonstrate how the French weren't "better at Indian diplomacy" or nicer in Canada; they just lacked the ability to push the natives around like the English. Several examples involved in how France raised Louisiana where this happened. Being nice was more of a survival technique in the beginning. They couldn't directly compete against the English colonies in terms of quality goods or raw strength, but they could offer more hospitality and gained many allies for war that way.
-Quebec is hardcore! Lots of Quebec kicking ass and taking names stories then getting away with it because the New Englanders usually wound up beating the tar out of Acadia as punishment for her crimes.
===New Spain Colonies===
-Mexico (Coahuila, New Leon, etc), Florida, New Mexico, Texas, California, Arizona
-All of them are around in colonial times, but the story will really only talk about Florida until western expansion era. The others will have little cameos just to show they're around, but even those who have stories will probably be put to the side and only talked about later on as backstory.
-Going to try to avoid showing Mexico in any way. (I'm still convinced that there will be a Hetalia Mexico. Mexico has already gotten mentions. I might put Mexico in dangerously stereotypical/potentially racist sombrero and poncho clothes just until Mexico has a legit design so I can hide Mexico's appearance/gender until Hetalia gives me reason to reveal him/her. The joke about Mexico for the time being will be that NO ONE else in Mexico dresses like that.)
===Story Note Stuff===
-From the very beginning there were huge divisions between the North and South! The Southern colonies were founded purely for economic gains and raised to be great plantation societies while the New England colonies were primarily settled by families seeking "religious freedom" in America and based most of their growth around religious persuits and stuff. (You'll notice a lot of what drives the events in the south are economic while the events in the North are driven by religious divisions.)
-Religion is HUGE for all the colonies. It's one of the main things that divides and creates their friendships. Maryland is going to be used as the butt of a lot of jokes about how much the protestants hated Catholics. Going to be poking a lot of fun at how many colonists came for "religious freedom" but the former pursecuted usually became the persecutor once they held the majority.
-There are a LOT of rivalries and tensions between the colonies. Make special notes of how, even though the English colonies were all under one country, they weren't united at all. They bicker and fued with each other almost as if they're completely different nations.
-British colonies are very much English until just before the Revolutionary period. They do not think of themselves as Americans at all and consider themselves English. In their minds, they live on soil claimed by England, so that makes it English soil and they are, therefore, English regardless of when the ratio shifts from immigrant to natural born citizens. The first time that the colonies will be faced with the idea of being "American" is when the Dominion of New England is created, but the New Englanders assume this is just the current, oppressive governments' view of them and not England's real feelings. It's actually England who starts to first refer to them as foreigners within his empire which will spark the hurt feelings that eventually lead to Revolution. (The British colonies deeply resent being called Americans until they finally decide they can either be British or American and the two cannot mix.)
-Stronly implied that the colonies gain their rebellious traits from England's influence. They historically immitate almost everything he does. (When England goes to war, they go to war with his enemies' colonial counter parts. When England has a civil war, the colonies bicker amongst themselves. When England overthrows his government, the colonies overthrow their governments, etc.) So... it's kind of England's fault that they even get the idea to lash out at authority.
-Many traits of England's show up in the colonies. (Virginia can be as calculating and manipulative as England, Massachusetts has a lot of England's tsundere tendencies, North Carolina picks up on pirating from watching him, they all share his arrogance and selfishness, etc...) He's kind of a bad influence going on this note and the above one... But he is a much better parent to them and spoils his colonies in comparison to how others are treated.
==Revolutionary Period Notes (1763-1783)==
-BIG, BIG, BIG overarching theme: "America, do you really hate England that much? Is this what you honestly want? Or are you being manipulated by some elite minority?" Honest Answer: America statistically just wanted to be left alone. The rebels and loyalists were both minorities, actually.
-There has been foreshadowing about the issues the colonies are having with England treating them like foreigners within his empire in the past, but this is when it really gets focus.
-Each of the colonies have their own reasons for joining the fight. It's not all about "American honor, taxes, expansion or whatever." For many of them it's a very personal and difficult choice.
==Jacksonian Era Notes (1783-1818ish)==
-First part of the story focuses on getting the constitution ratified. America trying to create his constitution and assemble the Union. Essentially, this whole period is about America trying to establish himself as a true nation. Independence doesn't mean anything if he can't control his people!
-New States start trying to get recognition. Very complicated and delicate process of America trying to figure out how to manage so many various and hard headed people.
-Soveriegnty challenged. War of 1812 happens. We're going into a lot of detalied history in this one. Yay! (but not so detalied it needs to have its own separate story)
-Florida gets conquered and we'll end pretty much at the end of the first Seminole War just before people start raising debates about Texas/Louisiana border. (That's going into the next era)