Legion of America

The **Legion of America,** previously known as the **Commonwealth of America,** is a North American country situated in the Northwest of the former United States. Born out of the Second American Civil War and ruled by an iron fist by the National Dignity Party, the American Legion has remained a political pariah, recognized only by a few countries, notably that of Britain and White Russia.

Legionist history is relatively unknown to the outside world as the Legion is quite hidden, but as rumors swirl over a growing resistance movement across Colorado and as previously unresolved tensions with political opponents now have started to spiral, some believe the Legion's days are numbered.

# History

## Initial Growth of the National Dignity Party

(Main article: History of the United States)

While the most resistance to Cuban immigrants came in Gulf states, such as Alabama and Louisiana, the National Dignity Party was not founded in the Deep South, but rather in Virginia by a little known man who just entered politics, known as Carter Glass. Glass, originally a Democratic politician who was elected in the Virginian Senate in 1899, broke from the party 3 years later, and formed the National Dignity Party in September of 1903.

Enamored with pro-segregationist movements, the events of Cuban migrants fueled his white supremacist beliefs, and while many notable politicians against the migration of Cubans were a part of the Democratic Party, Carter feared the party wouldn’t do enough to stop them from crossing into the States. Riding on the fierce xenophobia and racist backlash ignited in the South, the party from its inception grew, experiencing an exponential amount of growth, alarming both the democratic and Republican parties, as the NDP just within a few years was headed towards being a viable third political group to contest both ruling parties.

Formed out of collective pushback in the Gulf Coast against Cuban immigrants fleeing violence back home, the National Dignity Party would grow in the early 1900s, a combination of white supremacist and separatist ideas, reminiscent of unsealed scars from the first civil war. As Black Americans began to organize and retaliate against the NDP and Ku Klux Klan, the party radicalized and grew as a result, but it ultimately fractured.

By 1908, over 1 decade after the party’s formation, they were becoming influential in the government, challenging Democratic house representatives and even senators up until then, but after various talks deteriorated, the growing factionalism between the party, that of pro-separatist elements and those more aligned with white supremacy, ultimately came to a boil. In Richmond, once the political capital of the NDP, fractured. Those who broke with the party formed the People’s Rights Party, moving away from staunch white supremacy towards adopting neo-Confederacy, but as a result the NDP was decimated, and fears that the party would collapse frightened party leadership.

### Growth on the Northwest

Carter over the years grew increasingly far-right, and was instrumental in the NDP’s breakdown. As the People’s Rights Party was formed, and the NDP lost a good portion of its followers, Carter realized that drastic measures would need to be taken in order for the party to survive. Still party leader, Carter Glass took careful notice over the slow growth in popularity of the NDP, not in the South but in the rural Northwest. While the region wasn’t anyone’s first choice, especially as it yielded little benefits/opportunities for the party, Carter was desperate for more support. While still being run from Virginia, Carter sought out campaigns of the party in places like Wisconsin, Montana, Oregon and Washington State. Carter during this time moved his party towards agrarian populism to appease the rural communities and farmers that mostly dominated the areas he wished to influence. While the party was scarce on money, his campaigns eventually paid off. During the 1910 midterm elections, the NDP, while it expectedly lost a large a,ours of voters in the South, gained a significant voting base in the Northwest.

Much like before, the NDP gained a significant following as the United States experienced never-before-seen political radicalism. The growth of the far-left Socialist Party of America, to the point where SPA-aligned governors were elected in the urban east also fueled the far-right in the Western United States. Carter appeased these sentiments, stoking the flames of anti-left fears that a socialist takeover of America could come in at any moment, steering the Northwest ever more into the hands of the National Dignity Party. In the 1912 elections, ad the Republican and Democratic Parties were losing vast influences in the Northwest, Carter eventually moved to Washington State that same year. Without enough popular support in the South, Carter realized his best option was politically securing the Western United States, and as the NDP moved its headquarters, the voter base followed.

### Political dominance

With Carter Glass’ official move to Washington State, the party cemented itself in the region. Following a 1913 riot in Seattle by socialist and National Dignity party members, Carter encouraged the creation of a paramilitary force in order to protect the party’s own interests. With Seattle being one of the largest presences of the NDP, it wasn’t long until the Silver Force was created, a decentralized string of militia men tasked with protecting the party.

Across Washington, Montana, the Dakotas and even parts of Nevada, the Silver Force grew in size, slowly but surely expelling what remained of any political resistance, using intimidation and working with other forces like the KKK to ensure their power, even as many politicians back in D.C. raised legitimate concerns over the party and their use of force. Try as they may however, president Wilson would be unable to force the NDP or the Silver Force to back down, fearing the tenuous political situation. By the time of the Second American Civil War, the northwest was entirely under the control of the Silver Legion.

## Formation of the American Commonwealth

Unlike in other regions with the start of civil war, the states that the NDP politically controlled remained eerily calm. As Washington was too focused on the ongoing war in New York and the South, little could be done to secure the favor and loyalty of the NDP. Most of the states were now loyal to the NDP and its ideology, who long viewed the Unites States government as incompetent and in need of replacement. Even with martial law declared, most soldiers and their leaders had sympathetic views of the NDP. But it became complicated in California, where the NDP had influence, yet it couldn't stop the Democrats and Republicans from securing a political majority. In the last few years, confrontations in the streets between Federalists and Silver Force militias became quite common, and it was exacerbated with the start of the war.

As the First National Party Congress was called to discuss the situation in the East, Carter Glass already had his mind set on secession. He viewed the United States as a degenerate country, one that needed a political and social cleanse. Only through revolution could that be achieved. With little opposition, Carter had drafted the Seattle Declaration of Independence, and various states merged to form the Commonwealth of America. The initial takeover of Washington, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming was quite peaceful, sparing the country from war. The Silver Force moved to quickly secure the large cities and infrastructure, crushing any open dissidents in the process. Most remained unopposed to the takeover of the Commonwealth for one reason or another, some viewed it as necessary for ideological reasons, others for economic purposes. It didn't quite matter though, as the takeover was permanent. The Commonwealth immediately began making preparations for war, especially in luring other states in joining their country through promises of agricultural security and economic prosperity. As famine prospects gripped various states, popular pressure forced the Dakotas and Nebraska into joining the Commonwealth.

Fighting was quick to break out all over the new state, however, as Mormons actively resisted the Commonwealth, while fighting in Oregon and Nevada went nowhere as the newly independent Republic of California outmatched and defeated the Commonwealth numerous times during the war. In September of 1921, a failed Mormon uprising resulted in brutal reprisals by the Commonwealth who razed Salt Lake City and Ogden. The Commonwealth, as other countries, were feeling the effects of the prolonged war. Other states like Kansas became a battleground between Silver Forces and the Federalists. In the case of Kansas, the Silver Forces eventually beat back what remained of the United States Armed Forces.

With the end of the Battle of Washington D.C., and with the signed Treaty of Ottawa, a surprising peace settled in North America. The Commonwealth retained its independence, but it would be a continual hard-fought battle with little signs of progress.

## Post-war society

### Isolation

A major reason the Commonwealth failed in its policies of economic prosperity and abundance was due to its rocky foundation. Even before peace was finally settled, international outrage isolated the Commonwealth due to the various massacres and brutality soldiers in California saw during battle. The Mormon Uprising and the takeover of Kansas were especially brutal. In the aftermath of the war in Utah, Mormonism was put under indefinite martial law. Churches and schools were closed, people were unable to outwardly practice their religion, and many freedoms were restricted, Thousands fled to Arizona, where the state since then has become a sanctuary for Mormons fleeing Commonwealth persecution.

The takeover of Oklahoma did little to help Seattle's political position. Kansas was home to a small but sizeable black population. Due to the ideology of the NDP, Black people in general were viewed with scorn and degeneracy, and so Kansas was effectively cleansed of most of its African-American population. The most notable example was the Tulsa Race Massacre, which was the pretext of the Black exodus, who mostly fled westward as the bordering Southern Union was still persecuting those in the Black Belt due to the failed uprisings in Jackson and Montgomery.

### International pressure & outrage

Alongside the massacres perpetuated in Utah and parts of Oklahoma, the refugees fleeing towards California, Canada and the Peoples’ Union generated a brief period of international outrage towards the new country. Various groups, including that of Jews, Black Americans and even Catholics brought horror stories that were widely distributed in both California and Canada, but especially in the Peoples' Union, consistently using the plight of Commonwealth refugees as political propaganda.

This period however did not last long, as many other countries, like France and Russia, while shocked by the actions of Seattle, were still reeling from the economic difficulties caused by the war, and so the international pressure eventually was pushed aside and largely forgotten by the rest of the world. Still though, the actions perpetuated by the government left a permanent stain on their efforts to establish diplomatic relations, which were considerably difficult. Some countries such as Mexico refused to do business with the state due to their intense anti-Catholicism, but those feelings were few and far between. In 1923, Russia established diplomatic relations with the Commonwealth, being the first nation to do so.

### Assassination & succession

While Carter Glass' revolution partially succeeded, and privately was quite enthusiastic for him taking on the role as leader of the Commonwealth, he wouldn't live long to see the aftermath of the war. Several months after the Treaty of Ottawa was signed, Glass was assassinated in Colorado by a nameless assassin, associated with the recently created Rocky Mountain Resistance Movement. While those in Hawaii and New York hoped that his assassination would trigger a political meltdown, it merely triggered a short-lived succession crisis in which Louis F. Hart, then governor of Washington State, would come out as victorious in early 1923. Louis F. Hart was a little known man even as the governor of Washington. Moving to the state in the 1880s, he became enamored with the rhetoric of the NDP, becoming an official member in 1910 and being a personal friend of Glass.

Under Hart before he died in 1929, the Commonwealth would go through a series of reforms aimed at economic autarky and political consolidation/control. During the war, Carter suspended the constitution, public elections and various civil liberties. While promised to be lifted once the war ended, Hart left the issue up in the air for a mere 3 weeks before a new constitution was ratified and signed, drafted and prepared by the late Glass. It established the Commonwealth as a unitary, one-party state heavily following the beliefs of the NDP that would eventually grow and fracture into two main factions: the Silver and Black Legions.

### Campaign of Coordination

Launched as the Campaign of Coordination shortly after the signing of the constitution, the campaign aimed at eliminating and "purifying" Commonwealth society, away from the "decadence and degeneracy" that plagued the United States into collapse. This period has never ended, but has only minorly changed over the years, notably with the ascension of William Dudley Pelley.

During this campaign, the Silver Force became the backbone of the Commonwealth, being tasked with enforcing most laws in towns and cities. In some ways, the Silver Force became a breeding ground of intense nationalism, even more so than the NDP itself, partially adding to the creation of the Black Legion.

#### Politics

The first aspect brought firmly under the Commonwealth was the political sphere of the country. Before and after the death of Carter Glass, political purges stoked violence in most major cities as any major politicians who were not with the NDP either were killed or fled persecution. As both men (Carter and his successor) were relatively uncompromising, the purging of the old US political system mainly ended by 1924. Still, governmental aspects of the United States were kept, such as how regional, local and national governments are organized. Any person entering politics must be a member of the Party, while in the aftermath of the purges new politicians emerged as the United States became a distant memory. These men filled the role of various organizations, such as the Department of Agriculture, Education, Urban Development and more.

While these purges were ongoing, several more laws cemented the Commonwealth's ideological fist on the American people. The Law of the Cross (1922) outright banned Catholicism, Mormonism and Judaism. The Declaration of the New Woman (1923) stripped away women's suffrage and the right to receive a higher education (while it wasn't outright banned, it was a big taboo, eventually leading to most women leaving universities altogether by 1925). The Purity Laws (1921) prohibited the mingling of Jews & Black Americans with the rest of the white population, including that of mixed race children. Those laws mattered little though, as most Jews, Catholics and Black Americans fled during the civil war, or hid in Denver where Federal resistance continued.

#### Economy

Under provisional laws established shortly after the Commonwealth was created, the right to strike and unionize was banned due to alleged affiliations with socialist organizations and the Socialist Party, a measure that was never lifted. Because unions were disbanded, the Department of Work & Labor was created, tasked with managing all aspects of the economy and labor under the Commonwealth. Independent trade unions, if they weren't outright banned, were either forced to merge with the DWL or be disbanded.

With the ascension of Louis F. Hart, part of his Coordination Campaign aimed at reorganizing the economy, to create an entirely autarkic state. Most companies, if they still existed, were put under direct control of the government. Many assets, left behind by people who fled, were nationalized. Private businesses, while allowed, were discouraged. Various business owners and CEOS, fleeing the Eastern United States, found refuge in California and the Commonwealth. While most moved to California, a notable few, including Ford Motors, were welcomed into the Commonwealth, were business and economic stimulation could flourish. Because the territory the Commonwealth acquired was majority agriculture, Hart hoped to move the Commonwealth towards industrialization to outmatch the eastern Peoples’ Union and California.

In 1923, the 5 year plan was enacted, aimed that creating an entirely self-sufficient state off of private and state owned farms, businesses and production. Basic necessities during this time were hard to come by, and after 1922 extreme rationing was enacted in order to control the little amount of resources they had available. This plan, however, was largely successful. The Commonwealth was able to partially open its border with Canada, while incentives helped boost agrarian production.

#### Social life

Like politics and the economic situation before it, the social life of the Western United States was dramatically changed within the Commonwealth. Individual freedoms once granted in the US constitution were now stripped away, all in favor of maintaining the state and its power. Like beforehand, women were now entirely barred from being involved in politics, and women in general were only permitted to be housewives. Once prominent roles women did or could’ve filled in academics as well were taken away. Education, while not segregated by gender, evolves different for men and women. For women in the Commonwealth, they’re taught at a young age about the duties of motherhood and “motherly” tasks. Women were commonly awarded by the state based on the amount of children they had within their family.

While the NDP’s ideological stance was inclusive to various Christian denominations, various events in the 1900s eventually prompted the NDP’s famous doctrine of anti-Catholicism. During the civil war, most Catholics fled persecution to neighboring states, while the attempted uprising in Utah broke any its Mormons could’ve had with the NDP. Religion was a tricky subject within the government, but the ascension of William Dudley Pelley solidified the Commonwealth as a Protestant state. Before then, any Catholics that remained practiced in secret before crackdowns in the 1930s. As for Utah, various campaigns have forcibly encouraged the assimilation of Mormons in the nation. Protestants have moved to Utah since the late 20s, and to avoid persecution many people convert to Protestantism to avoid being seen as suspicious. A small majority of Utah’s population remains Mormon, and most Mormons, like Catholics, practice underground, and in secret.

# Military

## Army

The Legion's army is the most improved aspect of the state's military. Conscription is mandatory for every man 18 or above providing a surplus of manpower if ever needed. Despite this the army suffers from outdated equipment and poor training, using mostly leftover weapon stocks from the civil war and shipments from Russia, Brazil and England. The army mostly consists of infantry and cavalry divisions, with not enough time nor supplies to form more proper, mechanized divisions.

## Navy

The Legionist navy is severely lacking and underfunded. It only consists of old ships that were taken during the civil war or ones that mutinied. In spite of the fact that it is now ready in any capability for a new war, politicians claim there won't be any need for a large miliary, as any future conflict will mostly be fought over land, such as with the Peoples' Union of America, the Confederacy and California.

## Air Force

Likewise with the navy, the air force, known as the National Air Force is quite weakened. Further production for the air wing of the military has been halted by William until, as he said "Our industrial capability is able to sustain all aspects of our military", as he has pointed out how effective aerial warfare is in modern conflict.