United Commonwealth

The United Commonwealth of Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Carolina, commonly known as the United Commonwealth is a in the Conference of American States and is a   with a strong  located east of the, bordering the , with several claims of territories across the world, including  and the. It borders New England to the northeast, Hudson Republic to the north, Federal Republic of Missouri to the west and the Confederate States of Dixie to the south.

Its primary function is through a system which prohibits the formation of large subdivisions, but does designate regions as Commonwealths, which includes; Kentuckiana, Commonwealth, Pennsylvania and Carolina. The most important government polity is the, which generally controls local taxes, prohibiting the sale of alcohol, and funding for public amenities. It abolished the previous by the  in the aftermath of the. Established by the Declaration of Unification, the former states of, , , , , , , and , were subjected to forceful unification by the  in response to the War of 1868, the  and the.

With the the government fled to, where the government continues to operate to this day. Its operates as a  body, which is subject to the constitution. Its is headed by the Executive Secretariat, who's  controls the various functions of the government and the Supreme Court is given  over various areas and is the final interpreter of Commonwealth law. Because of the various divisions of power within the government, the state is among the most stable among the American republics. Its naturally been a cold respondent to the various on the continent due to its strong belief in.

It has the largest in North America, with 5.4 trillion, but it has one of the lower, placing third on the continent and 13th in the world. Relative to the other members of the Conference of American States, the United Commonwealth does not process an influential economy and is not home to many large. Its the center of in North America, and has a strong. It is the largest producer of and  in the world, a title which typically changes every year in relation to Missouri's powerful agricultural output. Currently is the largest company in the United Commonwealth, a leader in  and healthcare. It has a relatively balanced with the public sector accounting for a large portion of employment. Since the, the economy has bounced back significantly, it was one of the hardest hit economies in North America due to its reliance on manufacturing.

Etymology
Both the constituent states of Kentucky and Virginia are regarded as commonwealths, thus the continued unification within the United Dominion as the United Commonwealth. Virginia's name derived from a colonists who honored and her status as the 'Virgin Queen', she was the last Queen of the. In 1776, the land past the were known as 'Kentucky' which drew from the  words of "meadow" and "prairie".

Geography
The United Commonwealth boasts 107,413 square miles of land, located entirely on the North American continent. Several geographic features have dominated its political, economic and cultural development. The United Commonwealth is the 106th largest nation in the world making larger than yet smaller than. Virginia controls the southern portion of the, e which contributes three small islands. Among the strangest borders in North America, the is an  created by the. Created by the, the largest reservoir in the country was created, the which holds the title as the largest  in North America. Along with, the two rivers created the , the private government recreational estate for the royal family. Along the, the largest conglomerate of the Commonwealth's population rest, it also creates the border with the Barony of Baltimore. The creates the nations longest continuous border with the United States and along its banks, the city of  (the largest city of the commonwealth) sits.

Generally, the nation is divided among Eastern Virginia, Western Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, the Bluegrass region and Western Kentucky. Eastern Virginia is dominated by the, part of the which is spotted by lowland  and. Most of the rivers in the Tidewater empty into the  and the. One of the only two natural lakes in Eastern Virginia is located in the, known as. Separating the Tidewater and the, is a series of highlands known as the , this transitional region is known for its heavy clay elements.

Located centrally within the nation that divides Kentucky and Virginia is the cultural and region of the, which also includes the and the. Western Virginia and Eastern Kentucky comprise of this region, home to the nations influential, and the socially conservative backbone. The Appalachian's experience typically moist seasons, which have resulted in heavy snowfall and dangerous flooding conditions. In the predominately Virginian section of the Appalachians is the feature, while in Kentucky the Appalachians turn into the hilly.

Colonial Virginia
See Also: 

Virginia was designated as the oldest claim of the in North America when  sent two explorers to explore the. Philip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe explored the coastal shores and discovered a local native tribal leader who went by the name of Wingina, which would later inspire the name of Virginia. Sir Raleigh's sanctioned exploration was the for the longest time was considered by scholars to be the first European exploration of the, but recent documents have pointed to that a suspected venture by  priest , who was the vice church custodian of , was the first  to explore Virginian shores. The exact location has been undetermined, but some clues have pointed to as being the settlement. , who was a captured and was educated by the Jesuits and accompanied Segura and ventured with the religious group as a translator was the ultimate downfall of the group. Within days of landing, Don Luis located his native village of and returned to the eight priests and massacred them, confiscating their clothes and food supplies. While disputed by many scholars, this story has carried itself as a folk story among who have portrayed  as traitorous, vicious and were not the likeness portrayed during.

Promoting colonization and development of the North American coast, the was incorporated under the  and was given land rights to the Virginian mainland. Financing the first permanent settlement of the, the city of  was founded on May 4th, 1607 as "Fort James" along the  on  a 1,561 acre island connected by a. It was almost entirely a, including several and. Because of the climate and setting, it was breeding ground for. Continuously members of the colony continued to die of, and  and the population peaked at several hundred and fell sharply to around 60 members by 1610. became an influential leader of the colony and was instructing the practical establish of the colony. The colony began to fall even further into disarray when plagued the encampment and caused Smith to force compliance from the Indian chieftain  to provide food to the starving settlers thus begging tensions between the white settlers and local natives. John Smith's tale was further romanticized by his relationship with who was the daughter of Powhatan, and the leader of the. When John Smith was captured by the Powhatan due to decayed relations, he was sentenced to death. Before being clubbed to death, Pocahontas's intervened and saved Smith's life. This tale was recounted in a letter to 1616, but its accuracy is still questioned by historians.

In 1624, the Virginia Company was officially revoked of its charter by the British crown with authority being transferred to royal authorities as a. This transfer of power from private to royal authorities eventually speed the growth of the colony, and the creation of local governments was created. Eight were established, which held responsibilities in comparison to that of present day. Among the oldest surviving local government positions was the, which still to this present day conducts in rural counties. With the transfer of power from local private authorities and to the crown, the political nature of the colonies became intertwined with that of Britain. During the, those of Virginia were mostly loyal to , the current ruling monarch of England at the time; but this loyalty would not prevent the replacement of Governor Berkeley by. Cromwell, who ensured the creation of the installed, a moderate  who decentralized the colonial government and finalized the creation of. Virginia's underlying support of the British monarch allowed for a heavy stream of staunch supporters of the monarchy to arrive within the colony. Because of Virginia's defiant support for the monarchy, who was reinstated during the, bestowed Virginia with the nickname of "Old Dominion", a name which it still bears today.

Virginian attitudes towards the crown first began to sour when Berkeley was reinstated as the governor after previously serving a popular first term. His second administration was polluted with issues ranging from hurricanes, hostile Indians and economic strife. Attempting to implant his power against the odds of unpopularity, he suspended elections and established a autocratic authority over the colony. began his own militia of locals to defend themselves against the Indians, and became increasingly popular in Berkeley's Virginia. Bacon became the popular champion against Berkeley, which eventually lead to his election to the House of Burgesses. With lack of reform and gridlock within the legislature, Bacon took it upon himself to dispose of Berkeley's authoritarian regime.

Nathaniel Bacon successfully took control of parts of Virginia, and rejected the authority of the colonial government and pleaded with the Crown to investigate the situation. Refusal to intervene against the influential landowners of the Piedmont, the crown called up the English Militia to assist Berkeley to put down Bacon and his accomplices. The ensuring conflict, now known as, was historically the first rebellion in the American colonies. Stemming from the differences between the frontier and the plantations, and the wealthy ruling class the rebellion has become a novelty among those of Kentucky, who have been sympathetic of the lower working class. Joining the rebellion were those of slaves who rebelled alongside that of the white indentured servants. This united cause, fueled by forced servitude, was seen as a future means of destruction of the social caste of Virginia. Attempting to divide the lower white working class and the African slaves, the Burgesses passed the. Bacon, along with his brigade in Jamestown declared the "Declaration of the People of Virginia" which outlined the dissent with the corruption, } and unfair taxation on the lower class. Before leaving the capital, the men burned down the capital in anger, Bacon along with his forces left Jamestown to secure other towns; but his campaign was cut short with his death in 1676 by. Leadership inside the rebellion was given to John Ingram, but without Bacon; followers soon became uninterested. Those who remained most faithful to the cause were executed by hanging. Frontiersmen who fought in the effort fled to the and Kentucky and eventually created the powerful support for  within the western state.

became increasingly ever popular within English markets, and pushed for the development of the Virginian societal system. Mass was incorporated to maintain production, which would later fuel the flames for the. One of the first colonial government inspections standards occurred with the viewing of harvested tobacco. In 1730, the House of Burgesses passed the, which required inspectors to grade tobacco at 40 specific state locations. Government oversight in the economy has continued, and has been a founding principle in the cooperation between state and business.

Colonial Kentucky
In 1541, nearly two years after Spanish explorer, started his expedition in ; accommodated with 950  and twenty four. Several studies have claimed that Soto entered Kentucky through the area around, and traveled 90 miles (140 km) to the banks of the. Along his journey through Kentucky, he entered the town of where he captured an assortment of native women and children while the Indian men were out laboring in fields. In fear of igniting a war between the two forces, Soto released the captives soon after. In 1669, explorer, navigated the  and claimed the majority of its banks for the French colonial empire; which included Kentucky. During his exploration of the Ohio River, he encountered and ; explorers who were exploring the territories now known as, ,  and.

Among the first attempts by English settlers to explore into the Trans-Allegheny region began in the 1640's under the royal governor of. Exploration was hampered in 1644 when natives continuously killed colonists, with a total of 500 colonists killed within that year. In 1673, sent Gabriel Arthur and James Needham from Fort Henry, equipped with four horses and several native American slaves, to make contacted with the. These men eventually reached an unrecognized Tomahittan town in Kentucky where John Arthur assimilated to the the tribes customs, assisting the tribes chieftain in revengeful raids on Spanish settlements. James Needham, returning home from the expedition without his confidante was killed in a brawl between him and his Occaneedchi guide. In 1678, the natives returned Arthur back to his English settlement who supplied detailed information about Kentucky.

In the late 1700's, several expeditions were taken to explore and to settle the fertile lands of Kentucky. Among the first was who passed through the  while on a hunting trip with his brother,. He would eventually return to Virginia, inquiring the aid of 50 settlers and his own family. Boone was hired by to map out and clear the  which would allow for the flood of colonists. Henderson chartered the as an extra-legal colony that had little backing by the Virginia government. In 1776, his charter for the colony was invalidated by the Virginia General Assembly, declaring that the area would be known as. Being embroiled in the of the Revolution, the settlers were not only challenged by the wilderness but also by hostile Indians and British forces.

American Revolution
Along with the, and the , the four royal colonies were under the rule of the  and the rule of. In this period, the solidified its position within the society of Virginia, creating the foundations for the conservative religious principles that still exist within the country. Vriginia, along with and Staaten Colony, the fought the  against  and French Acadia, which would be latter settled by a.

In 1764, dissident among the population became to flare with the and in 1765 with the. Within the General Assembly, they protested on the grounds of, and in turn passed the to defer such taxes. was the primary member within the Assembly to reject such taxes and delivered a fiery speech that many claimed was. Coastal Virginians were against Henry's Resolves, claiming it would be disastrous for plantations, but those of the interior claimed that the weight of the taxes were being placed upon those of the middle class. With widespread protest against the Stamp Act, it was repelled in 1768 but additional taxes were created through the.

Instead of spending the revenue on infrastructure or investments in the colonies, the British government sought funding for the transportation of Bostonian rioters to for trial. When the General Assembly protested the transportation of the accused, Governor dissolved the legislature. Several members of the Burgesses convened in and imposed a ban on all British imports. While these initial demands were dropped by the British government, tensions in 1771-1773 began to draw down. In 1773, renewed attempts to extradite Americans to Britain caused the creation of the that would eventually join in solidarity with Massachusetts in the effort to remove colonial rule over America.

American Civil War
lead the to victory in the. The Republicans were advent and supported the banning of slavery in all newly established. Before Lincoln was inaugurated, seven states seceded to form the. Former President  rejected the calls for  secession, but members of his party, including, ignored his pleas. Lincoln and the Republicans explicitly called for peace and that the administration would not use force to interfere with the institution of in the southern United States. Confederate troops seized several federal forts without any resistance.

On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces fired upon in the bay of, demanding the  relinquish the facility in the harbor. Brigadier General, was the commanding officer of the Confederate forces, who focused the strengthening of the siege batteries around Charleston, and berated the Fort until, after 34 hours surrendered. Lincoln immediately called for to quell the rebellion; resulting in an additional four southern states declaring their secession. The war progressed relatively quickly, in the the Union forces made significant gains, although in the Eastern Theater the battles remained inconclusive.

Confederate campaigns into Maryland and Kentucky failed, waning popular support in the North. By the summer of 1862, the Union had wiped out the Confederate naval forces and much of their western forces; allowing for Northern forces to seize. At the, General Buell successfully repelled Confederate troops during their aggressive campaign in central Kentucky, the tactical victory was essential in controlling the heartland. Lincoln issued the on January 1, 1863, changing the federal status of more than 3 million enslaved African-Americans; designated from "slave" to "free". This proclamation solidified support from the abolitionist bloc of the Republican Party and gave a moral importance to the war.

's offensive into was ended at the, with the loss of nearly 46,000 cumulative souls, the largest loss of human life during the war. It was the turning point of the war, with Southerners losing hope in the cause of a free Confederate States. With the strengthening of its, Confederate ports became depleted of military and industrial goods, and were unable to export its highly valuable cotton to oversees consumers; crumbling the economy. In 1864, the Union mustered its resources and manpower to push for the final attack on the Confederacy, a campaign to finish the war. lead his march to the Georgia coast after the. On April 9th, at the, Robert E. Lee surrendered, signaling the end of the war.

Government and politics
The United Commonwealth is a, and a with an , a strong  working in the goals and aims of the sustainability of the government, effective enforcement of laws, and the protection of its citizens from domestic and foreign forces. Through the constitution the powers of the, the and executive branches are established in relative vagueness, with some degree of. Because of tradition, this separation of powers, government responsibility is amplified. Focus on the Executive Secretariat, regarding his position as, and ability to important legislation, along with shaping the foreign and domestic policy of the government makes him the symbolic face of the United Commonwealth.

With the being the defining moment in the creation of the government, the constitution gave extensive powers to the Executive Secretariat to allow them to do as  did, preserve the integrity of the union. Some powers include, the, the raising of funds for the military through taxation and the enforcing. Some controversial powers have been enacted by the Executive Secretariat, including the suspension of during times of war and rebellion, and the signing of executive orders. The Executive Secretariat also retains and the power to  individuals. Other important duties also include the appointment of individuals for the Supreme Court, as, to local  and the several military commands.

Law
The United Commonwealth utilizes a mixture of and, where the laws are supported by , where statues and legislation are regarded highly, although interpretation with a high degree of consistency may be applied to the legal framework of the judicial system.

Political parties and elections
The United Commonwealth has operated under a which has typically required one of the parties to join with another party to form a  in order to hold a majority in the legislature. Avoiding the spoils of the voting system, the nation adopted  with the ratification of the Declaration of Unification. Coupled with, the selection of candidates and victors is a lengthy process. had been a problem in the early United States, and in the 1870's, the United Commonwealth created a special that would provide for effective redistricting practices that would provide appropriate representation to regions.

Three political parties hold a majority of the seats within the Assembly, the Federalist Party, founded in 1870, the Moderate Party, founded in 1901 and the Liberal Party, founded in 1983, and the remaining 35% of the Assembly being represented by. Governing coalitions are typically composed of various ideologies and political parties, and since 1988, no political party has been able to effectively hold majority power without the aid of other parties or independents. The most common coalition in the country's history has been between the Moderate and Federalist Party, known as the Administrative Coalition, which typically supports center-left policies.

Varying dominant several regions, with areas along the  and the  are typically, with support for. In the interior, regions are typically and support a more localized government. In the 1980's, unadulterated  became feverishly popular, causing a faction of both the Moderate and Federalist parties to form the Liberal Party, leading to a. became a driving policy within the United Commonwealth through the 80's and 90's, until the Federalist Party regained control of the government in 2008.

Economy
See also: Economy of the United Dominion

The United Commonwealth has undergone several cycles between favoring  or a. Within the Conference of American States it consistently ranks as the largest economy, with a around $5.4 trillion dollars. Ranking in the world, the United Commonwealth falls behind the  and the  as the third largest economy in the world, and the largest in. With a, the United Commonwealth is designated by the as a , with an strong. The United Commonwealth ranks 6th in total imports and 4th in total exports, with and  claiming 23.3% of the countries total exports, and other manufactured industrial goods at 21%. , is the most imported commodity, with more than 75% originating from Brazoria and being refined at the in Kentucky. Virginia's powerful technology sector is coupled with Sierra's, where a majority of software is developed. In the regions of, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the has recovered significantly since the 2008 financial market crash. and, cities initially supported by the United Commonwealth Steel Corporation have diversified, creating a relatively more stable employment in those cities.

is controlled by the Central Bank of the United Commonwealth, which controls the national, attempting to controlling and  by raising or lowering rates. Along with the responsibilities of the, the Central bank mints the. Government institutions used to dominate the, where the Housing Authority provided generous tenant rates to families; but such powers were revoked from the monarch in 1980's. In 2008, large private banking institutions failed in the Virginian and Illinoisan markets, causing thousands to  and without government support caused many to go.

Among the United Commonwealth's most important industries, is the most versatile sector. , which has seen a recent decline in consumption has made up lost markets with raising prices. , which is used to distill and  is a traditional sector that has gained world recognition. Although the United Commonwealth generates nearly 95% of the worlds bourbon, national prohibition still remains enforced with severe punishments for those found with an open container. has been the primary source of electricity since the 1920's and has been protected numerous times by both major political parties; even in the face of raising concerns from the. has been a core industry in the, with the employing nearly 24,000 people. Along with military ships, the shipyard also builds private and.

In 1892, the along with  consolidated into the United Commonwealth Railroad with further purchases of  in 1984, in a 25 billion dollar deal. Railroads are maintained and ran by the National Railroad Authority, and must guarantee competitive pricing against regional divisions. In 2015, UCRailroad carried nearly 80 million tons of freight, and had an annual revenue around 30 billion dollars. Railroads in the United Commonwealth employ nearly 50,000 people and has produced one of the most productive shipping systems in the world. The, one of the world largest international shipping services maintains its air fleet, at the  located within the. Employing nearly 20,000 people, Worldport is one of the city's largest employers.

Taxation
In 1914, the United Commonwealth Department of Revenue was founded to collect taxes from various sources to finance schools, canals and the national defense. According to the Department of Revenue, the national mandatory tax on remains at 5% of the national GDP, which is legally set aside to pay for the national defense and infrastructure. According to the Department of Defense, nearly 200 billion dollars are being funneled to national defense; and a remaining $70 billion from the tax going to infrastructure. In Kentucky, Virginia and Carolina, counties levy a 6% sales tax, which accumulates nearly 10 billion, which are allocated to key interstate sections. Corporate tax is tied in with shareholders income, and where business is primarily conducted. Within the United Commonwealth, the state allows for municipalities to levy to generate revenue for local works.

are 10% nationwide, with 4% being able to be deducted if the companies meets several standards, which include; employing locally, using materials created within the commonwealth and providing pensions. It is against the law within the United Commonwealth to match a employees salary in retirement, but instead a stable system is ran nationwide called the National Pension Appropriations Program, which guarantees a livable fixed income for those over the age of 64; this is supported by a 8% payroll tax. Governments of individual counties and cities may substitute the tax in any shape, be it through special taxes, corporate taxes or payroll taxes. Because counties in Maryland, Delaware do not support national prohibition, the counties have chosen to enact a 13% which would be allocated to funding the National Educational Subsidiary. Along with the alcohol tax, several smaller taxes are incorporated to fund Dominion wide programs, including a, and a  placed on countries outside of the Conference of American States.