History of Sequoyah

Sequoyah is a nation located on the Southern part of Sur, with human history dating back over 5,000 years. Sequoyan History is dominated largely by inter-tribal warfare as the various tribes attempted to exert their influence over the others. Over time, the Sequoyan tribe came to dominate the other 12 tribes and has become the most populous tribe in Sequoyah

Periods of History

Sequoyan History is divided into 7 periods

• Prehistory - (2,000+ BC-1500 BC)
• Agricultural Period - (1500 BC-1000 BCE)
• Tribal States Period - (1000 BC-1367 AD)
• Imperial Period - (1367 AD-1833 AD)
• Isolationist Period - (1833 AD-1999 AD)
• Modern Period - (1999 AD-Present)

Isolationist Period

Beginning of the Isolationist Period

In 1833, the Union Railroad Company dominated Sequoyan Affairs, with a 12-man council known as the Board of Overseers coordinating business and political efforts. The Board had no authority to levy taxes or overrule Provincial Law, and New Board Members were chosen by existing Board Members. Almost all seats on the board were occupied by wealthy businessmen who had significant stakes either in the Union Railroad Company, the Central Railroad Company, or large plantations around Freemont and San Juan Diego. In 1833, the Board voted to end foreign trade and place Sequoyah in complete isolation. This decision was to protect their business interests from foreign competition, and to prevent foriegn influence from tainting Sequoyan culture. The Sequoyan Church endorsed the decision, stating that it was necessary to protect Sequoyah from threats growing abroad like Marxism and Atheism. Anyone born outside of Sequoyah, except for Creeperans, were deported and no foreigner could enter Sequoyah without express position from the Government. This policy of isolation continued through the rule of the Republic of Sequoyah due to the Sequoyan political culture placing a high emphasis on respecting precedent and tradition. Sequoyah's technological advancement would stall due to this isolation, as Sequoyah developed new technologies independently. The lack of foreign materials caused new technologies to develop far slower in Sequoyah than in any other country. Some schematics and blueprints would be smuggled into the country, but these instances were rare. Historians now view the decision to isolate Sequoyah as one of the worst decisions in Sequoyan History, as Sequoyah was on track to develop into a potential regional power. However, without foreign products or technology, Sequoyah's development stalled, and many of the socioeconomic problems that Sequoyans faced in 1833 are still present today.

The First Republic of Sequoyah

See also: President of Sequoyah

In 1876, the Union Railroad Company and Central Railroad Company began their work on the Sequoyan Transcontinental Railroad to make trade between Angeles and Freemont cheaper, faster, and safer. When construction started in January of 1876, almost 400 men were killed by Cheyall raiding parties. However, the oligarchal government lacked the power to levy taxes to fund military operations to protect railroad construction. Thier mercenary forces were stretched thin and taking heavy casualties. In Febuary of 1876, the Council voted to write a Republican Constitution to be approved by a 2/3 vote. The Council also agreed that any constitution would limit the franchise only to Sequoyan land-owners, thus disqualifying the vast majority of Sequoyans from voting. The First Sequoyan Constitutional Convention met in Freemont in March of 1876. On March 31st, the convention ratified the First Sequoyan Constitution and created the Republic of Sequoyah, a federal government with territorial governments overseen by a national bicameral legislature and a President of Sequoyah that would act as Chief Executive and Commander-in-Chief of Sequoyah. A snap election was held on April 5 1876, and Leland Johannson was elected and sworn in as President of Sequoyah on April 20 1876.

The first 50 miles of track of the Sequoyan Transcontinental Railroad are laid in Western Sequoyah, July 1877

Presidency of Leland Johannson

See also: Sequoyan Frontier Wars

Johannson's presidency is known for the creation of the Sequoyan Armed Forces and the beginning of the Sequoyan Frontier Wars. Johannson campaigned on the creation of a tax-funded federal Army to protect the Sequoyan Transcontinental Railroad. On July 9 1876, the Sequoyan Congress approved the Sequoyan Armed Forces Act, which authorized the creation of the Sequoyan Armed Forces, to be funded by a 20% tax on tobacco sales. The Johannson adminastration quickly promoted members of the Western Sequoyah Territorial Militia to officer's ranks of the newly created Sequoyan Armed Forces and authorized the use of military funds to construct Angeles Military College for the training of new officers. By the end of 1876, 10,000 men had enlisted in the Sequoyan Armed Forces and began engaging the Cheyall and Navaja to protect the railroad builders. In 1877, fighting between the Armed Forces and the Cheyall intensified, with 327 Sequoyan soldiers killed in action by the end of 1877. Johannson responded by offering large subsidies to firearm manufacturers and raising barley taxes by 5% to cover additional recruitment costs. Johannson was becoming increasingly unpopular among the railroad barons due to his inability to prevent Cheyall attacks from stalling railroad development. At the end of 1877, Johannson announced that he would not be running for another term and stated he would support his Vice-President, Andrew Erickson in the 1881 elections. Johannson's political power declined and he was unable to enact any major policy changes from that point onward. However, he regained some lost popularity after he caught and executed several prominent Cheyall War Chiefs in 1879. Beginning in 1881, Johannson devoted his time to promoting Erickson's candidacy by giving speeches in his favor in Freemont and San Juan Diego. Thanks to Johannson's campaigning, Erickson won with 73% of the vote, defeating Whig leader and plantation owner Phillip DeClare.

Presidency of Andrew Erickson

As President of Sequoyah, Erickson strongly aligned the Federalist Party (Sequoyah) with the manufacturing sector, promising subsidies for firearm, steel, and railroad companies to be paid for by taxes on corn, rice, and barley. The Sequoyan Congress passed the 1882 Manufacturing Bill, which levied a 7% tax on income generated from corn, rice, and barley sales and used the money generated to subsidize manufacturers in Angeles and San Juan Diego. However, by 1884, the bill had led to economic collapse as rising agricultural prices prevented many working-class Sequoyans from being able to afford food. Although provided government subsidies, manufacturers did not raise the pay of their workers or cut prices, instead using the subsidies to maximize profits. This led to the Angeles Insurrection in 1885, when nearly 2,000 factory workers gathered weapons and took over several key steel plants in the central part of Angeles. Erickson responded by ordering 2,500 Western Sequoyah Territorial Militiamen to surround the factories and starve the men out. The Insurrection continued for nearly 7 months before a fire swept through the manufacturing sector of the city. The Militiamen were ordered to shoot any Insurrectionists that attempted to escape the fire, leading to the deaths of every single insurrectionist. The event was called the "Angeles Massacre" by the Freemont Expositor and Erickson was blamed for it. In the 1887 elections, Erickson lost by a narrow margin to Whig Phillip Redoubt, a former Brigadier General and plantation owner. Redoubt campaigned on repealing the 1882 Manufacturing Bill and promised to lower the prices on foodstuffs by eliminating agricultural regulation.

The Western Sequoyah Territorial Militia arrives in Angeles to counter the Angeles Insurrection.