2 Chapter 18

Chapter 18 - 1747 to 1756: The New York Massacre

Verigan Cadwal is a quiet man. When not working, he spends much time writing, reading, or hunting. Much of his free time is spent out in the wild forests of eastern America with his bow and arrows, looking for prey. Of course, a bow is considered in these civilized days to be a crude and primitive weapon. It was the technological differences, bows versus firearms, that contributed to the fall of the indigenous peoples of the New World. Yet he still uses the weapon on his hunting trip, calling it an elegant and effective tool.

He does not participate in the rampant anti-crown sentiment and chatter going on in the Colonies.

In 1748, the Governor gives the order to build 5 new Threedeckers and 6 new Great Frigates. In addition, the existing fleet of 19 ships is upgraded to the latest innovations.

Governor ZZZ passes away in October, and a new governor is chosen in a man named Dunaden Hereweard. He is a militarist, former general of the Indian Wars.

To the north, James Bay is in the process of being colonized by the Teutonic Order. In fact, it seems the colony is already fairly advanced, having developed without much global notice. Now, Britain has begun watching their new adversary in North America.

In June of 1750, tensions between the colonists and Royal Guards increase, and the Empire sends in 5 thousand more troops to New York to protect their assets there. This does little to help the situation.

A few months later, on the 30th of August, several dozen American colonists surround a group of British guards standing outside a New York warehouse holding British tea. They harass the guards, throwing both insults and dirt. The crowd grows and soon a mob scene begins. Then, a shot, and another. Several more shots are fired and the crowd takes cover. In 10 seconds, the protest had gone from just that to a blood bath. 5 colonists are killed and about the same amount are injured.

The next crisis does not occur for 2 years. In July of 1752, the Empire passes the Tea Act. Now, the British EIC can directly ship their tea to the Thirteen Colonies. This is a desperate attempt to keep afloat the quickly sinking EIC. This, combined with the Townshend Acts, will mean much more expensive tea (which is, of course, a necessity) and fewer American producers.

War is declared on the Choctaw tribe in 1753, and they are fully annexed months later. By now, the Thirteen Colonies is a behemoth.

In 1755, tensions finally spilled over (but only a few drops). On April 4th, American colonists dressed as Indians rush aboard British cargo ships full of tea and dump the crates into the New York Harbor. Thousands of pounds worth of tea is lost in the waters. All over the Colonies, other colonists copy the feather-clad Americans; in the end, Britain lost half a dozen cargo ships worth of tea. They are not happy.

Tensions finally break entirely on August 1st, 1756. The people of Massachusetts declare themselves in open rebellion. upon receiving the news, the Empress Blitz orders the troops to capture Boston and return it to the Empire. Instead, the revolutionary rebel forces push the Crown officials out of the city and begin drafting their own constitution, encouraging the other colonies to follow suit. Before long, the rest of the colonies also force the royalists out and declare themselves in joint rebellion.

Thus starts the American Revolution.