What If America Was Never Colonized? | Alternate History

the American continents as we all know prior to the colonial settlement by the European powers have been home to numerous distinct indigenous tribes a variety of peoples and cultures shape at the diverse landscapes and climates from the Iroquois of the Northeast to the Dakota and Lakota Sioux of the Great Plains from the Inuit of the frozen north to the mines of the tropical south but while many of us have an idea of who these people were rarely do we see the bigger picture of the American continent early history and great part because historic record had often been passed down through spoken fables for the majority of these cultures while of the few who had developed and kept written records most have been lost or destroyed by nature tribal warfare or the Spanish Inquisition additionally there was a great disconnect between this vast myriad of tribes most especially between those among the most advanced leaving the image of pre-columbian America a fragmental and obscure one the arrival of the Europeans despite the aggressive assimilation conducted by Spain did allow from war thorough documenting and cross-examining of native lore however most especially in the north where conclusions were able to be drawn as to where these tribes had originated from what their historic interactions with one another had been and what the basis of their beliefs had been built upon yet despite this as the native population was ravaged by disease and overwhelmed in competition with superior European weaponry technology and tactics so did these cultures shrink into ever more politically irrelevant groups in essence being denied any opportunity at greater self driven development and expansion that might have been achieved otherwise but what if that changed what if in an alternate timeline the Americas were never colonized further yet simply never discovered or just minimally interacted with preventing any exchange of disease technology or the like the American tribes are just left to develop on their own this may perhaps be a stretch to suggest as even if discovery doesn't occur just as ahead in our world it'd be incredibly unlikely for the Americas to have remained untouched for long let alone for several more centuries but we'll be making this exception for the sake of exploring how these indigenous tribes might have advanced all on their own of the several American tribes across both continents only a handful had actually achieved a level of prominent advancement by the end of the 1400s which we might consider indicative of long-term development what we'd often instead find our stone age level hunter-gatherers nomads and primitive farmers the notable exceptions being Inca and several Central American civilizations the most famous of which being the mines and Aztecs prior advanced civilizations perhaps on par with those previously mentioned also existed but by this point had fallen into disrepair on their own such as the Mississippian culture which had demonstrated impressive organizational trade and constructive capabilities it's unclear what caused the Mississippian culture and its neighbouring contemporaries to collapse when they did however the coinciding of these events with a recorded change in climate might suggest a sharp decline and resources contributed to social instability depopulation and restlessness additionally the presence of then recently constructed fortifications would imply that warfare also played a role the aztecs may also serve as an example of an advanced but unstable society one which narrowly escaped collapse in our own world to instead seek conquest by Spain despite common belief that the Aztecs helped potential to serve as a lot of North America's major players by the late 1400s the Empire which was in fact more a loose Association of subjected city-states were showing heavy signs of decline its subjects were never more resistance to Aztec rule which came to be recognized as cruel and unpredictable this had in fact been something the Spanish used to their advantage turning the Empire's own client states against it an outcome which would have certainly reman infested even without Spanish intervention only to a less coordinated degree the reign of the last Aztec ruler was one marked by corruption and disunity throughout the noble class so much so that greater exclusions were placed upon it to prevent ambitious warriors from achieving noble rank in essence abandoning the merit-based system previously in place and although this era did seem noteworthy territorial expansion such was insignificant when compared to the sheer quantity of regions than in rebellion the Aztecs saw a little to no solution for ending these rebellions safe for continued warfare and instilling a fear in it subjected States warfare after all had been the chief field in which the Aztec excelled falling short in most all other matters what this means is that anything less of successfully subduing these rebellious city-states by force will likely result in the collapse of the Aztec empire within a similar timeframe more optimistically there exists a rival of near equal capability to the aztecs which is often overlooked by history this being the Tarasque and state which laid just to the west this Empire had not only been one of the most advanced societies on the continent at the time being at the forefront of metallurgy and being the only Bronze Age civilization mesoamerica during that period but also having fought and defeated the Aztecs on numerous occasions cementing them as a noteworthy power and a viable contender for dominance in the region while it was also a tributary empire like the Aztecs the Trojans were notably more centralized and oriented toward mutual cooperation between each of their lands creating a well-organized society with a well-fortified border which attracted the support of Aztec rivals and refugees fleeing recent Aztec conquests assimilation tactics which did not rely upon brute force alone also created any more harmonious union between the people of the Tarasque and Empire making them not merely an Aztec equal but a much preferred alternative to several people within the region on a long enough timeline were the Aztec and raskins are left to hash things out on their own it's very probable that the growing disunity within the Aztec empire would create repeated opportunities for Trask and expansion rebellious communities perhaps breaking free to a line or unite with the Western Empire eventually forming a tight coalition which would leave the majority of Mesoamerica under Trask and rule moving further south we find the Mayan civilization not even an empire in the same sense of the Aztecs but a loosely connected community of city-states both cooperative and competitive who shared strong cultural ties and various points throughout history number of these states were united in one form or another but didn't have an encouraging track record for sustaining unity regardless a relative level of self-sufficiency rich trade opportunities remarkable innovations and a decentralized city-state structure have led many to compare to ancient Greece however like it we also find a relatively small level of expansion which we may expect to continue until a greater level of unity is forged that being said it only be a matter of time as the Mayans fared well and repelling invasions and didn't have any neighbouring threats which could prove overwhelming in the near future resource scarcity and perhaps changing environmental factors may actually prove to be their worst adversary though at the same time may also motivate an expansion to the Caribbean which they knew to be rich in much-needed resources as we move further down the map to South America we encountered the largest of the early American civilizations that being the vast Inca Empire which reigned over much of the mountainous west coast of the continent the Incan Empire was organized into four administrative zones whose borders met at the capital city of Cuzco from where the Sapa Inca would rule governance within the Incan Empire demonstrate an exceptionally high level of organization and communication even across so sprawling a domain and without use of horses or wheels for transportation through the use of extensive highways a system of quick supply storehouses rest stops and relay stations deployment of soldiers distribution of workers and transmission of messages could be achieved with tremendous speeds preventing what might otherwise be a crippling disconnect and disunity throughout the empire while the Inca system of assimilation wasn't as refined as those of the northern tarrasque ins they did have means of achieving cooperation from newly annexed lands often had been the case that the Inca were facing opponents with similar or less advanced weaponry primarily being wood or stone based however it was with their overwhelming numbers that they were able to overpower or simply intimidate many of their rivals into submission further given the level of advancement security and production offered by the Inca it was more often than not profitable for proposition lands that simply joined them tend to resist Incan incursion those who did and lost would calmly see the children of the nobility taken and raised by the Incan government before being returned to rule over their tribe or City as a puppet of the Empire that being said the loyalty of these annexed lands were often questioned and it's clear to see that it would take at least a few decades before generations brought up under Incan rule would be fully integrated into the United Society if even they could be returning north we find a society not often considered among the advanced American cultures but one which was certainly laying the groundwork for a truly expansive Empire the Iroquois this Confederation of five tribes and what we know today as the state of New York had put an end to what was seen as squabbling between brother nations to instead direct their strength against neighboring rivals who would not stand a chance against their united might additionally the practice of mourning wars also sought to the bolstering of their coin number through the aggressive assimilation of other tribes warning Wars or raids having been missions carried out with the prime intention of taking captives to replace members of the population lost in Prior conflicts either integrating these captives into the Iroquois community or savagely executing them as part of a retribution ceremony either way the practice sought to the strengthening of Iroquois morale or numbers while diminishing that of their neighbors participation in these mourning wars had even become something of a rite of passage for young men those who brought back large numbers of captives earning great deal respect while those who refuse to participate were marked as cowards by the clan mothers signifying to the tribe that they were not to be married and forbidden from reproducing it's believed that air core growth was in large part achievable thanks to successful developments in agriculture however their shortcomings may have also played an equal role in making them an aggressively expansionist force as while crops could now be grown in large quantity to support the rising population it's been found that at least early on these projects have proved to be overwhelming and exhausting to the local environment creating great demand for new hunting and farming grounds around the Great Lakes region thus bringing them into conflict with the tribes of these desired lands these civilizations we've named held the greatest potential in the pre-contact period to become the foundational empires around which future American societies would form there did arise later down the line other noteworthy tribes in the regions of the Great Plains the Southwest and Great Basin however these tribes owed their advancement in great part to the introduction of European technology and domesticated animals to the new world having made extensive use of firearms horses and more however absent these factors set tribes are more likely than not retain the primitive semi-nomadic lifestyles for quite a time the early 1500s would see the further expansion of the Aztec empire aggressively suppressing rebellions or potential threats to bring greater resource strength to the capital and attempt to reassert control of its lands this in turn would leave several of their cities resentful even more so as commoners who had served in the Army in hopes of elevating their social rank would now be denied access to the noble class inspiring mutiny desertion and fragmentation within the army some going as far as to begin claiming settlements for themselves in essence becoming independent Chiefs or warlords in the north just as in our world the Iroquois would conquer the lands of the Iran and neutral nations fully encircling Lake Ontario for their exclusive use leaving them with no significant northern rivals to preoccupy them allowing their attention to be shifted to the neighboring Mohicans Erie Delaware and Susquehanna tribes Iroquois invasions to the east would motivate a greater level of cohesion among the five northeast Algonquin tribes known as the Wabanaki Confederacy although this Confederations capabilities paled in comparison to those of the Iroquois the early level of agriculture allowed them to sustain a population capable of repelling serious incursions additionally finding great support from various other Algonquin tribes which I the area of New England in South America the Inca having never encountered smallpox back in the 1500s and thus not losing their king and his heirs had occurred in our world would be spared the succession crisis in civil war which had followed instead the Incan ruler of the time continues his policy of infrastructure development saying to the construction of several new roads storehouses and other structures across the Empire that said the ease with which the Empire did fall Civil War indicates that a great level of division and instability did exist and it would only be a matter of when this would be manifest in the form of a similar conflict as was the case in our world however it's quite possible this conflict would be short-lived and perhaps strengthening community by rooting out rebellious elements and leaving power in the hands of whomever commands the greatest number of soldiers with the most efficiency if the Empire does in fact survive which for this scenario will just suggest that it does northward expansion can be expected as well as consolidation of authority within its present lands alternatively should the Incan Empire collapse its administrative regions either as they exist or in some reorganized form would likely be the resulting successors of the old Empire and proceeded to spread their fragmented Incan culture to bordering communities returning to mesoamerica the aztecs would likely find themselves in collapse by the mid 1600s if not sooner the Tarasque ins in large part having supplanted them with the support of the Zapotecs and mystics who were also fairly developed for the time and may along with the Tarasque ins utilized the technology and resources housed within the Aztec domain to advance themselves into a new Triple Alliance of sorts the Tarasque ins with the capabilities acquired from former aztec lands paired with their improving metal crafts and newly earned experience in combat what range strong is a well fortified state with access to what may be the most advanced weaponry and armor on the continent opening up potential for northern campaigns to forcibly unified the tribes of those regions or perhaps push south were to annex the divided Mayan city states the result of which if successful could perhaps spawn a Mesoamerican equivalent to Rome or if it fails perhaps destroy them both following the fall of the Aztecs the mines would have reclaim their southern lands in search of more resources but ultimately make minimal use of them instead looking toward the Caribbean for the establishment of a permanent trade settlement eventually seeing this small settlement develop into a traditional Mayan city and a ten new hub for organization and union within the mine domain as the iroquois follow an expansion path similar tool was seen in our world the Wabanaki Confederacy and its allies through absolute necessity would form a stronger bloc of Algonquin tribes as a bulwark against the seemingly unstoppable Iroquois coordinating offensives with southern tribes along the coast and various other Algonquin people throughout the Canadian East in the West they Iroquois would have begun instigating conflicts with the Sioux tribes however it's difficult to say what response we could expect from them in this alternate world with the land of Illinois under Iroquois control access to the Mississippi would now be open to them allowing for new trade opportunities not only along the river itself but any which might be reached from the Gulf including perhaps even the Central American empires now assuming these civilizations are able to remain stable for a time we need to acknowledge that there is only so large they can get before they become unstable however we are also dealing with a series of special circumstances for basically all of these empires take the Iroquois for instance although their territory is vast they do heavy speedy means of moving from one point of the Empire to another that being the Great Lakes around which their empire has been formed these Lakes allowing for the creation of large coastal cities easily accessible to each other by boat much like what we'd find in Greece additionally the Iroquois also have an aggressive assimilation tactic which helps maintain unity within the Confederation through adherence to a shared culture and identity as we've previously mentioned for the Incas although their empire encompasses several ethnic groups and cultures the speedy means by which soldiers information and orders can be moved throughout the Empire does demonstrate a high capability for maintaining peace immunity even if force becomes necessary to preserve it we observe another special exception Tarasque ins who are able to rule with the same military might as the Aztecs but with greater political tact and strategy preventing the feeling of estrangement and abuse clients experienced under a stick rule to produce a more harmonious Union there are various methods at work here for creating a sustainable and powerful Empire though admittedly with pieces missing here and there however in defense of these gaps there is without question a contributing factor of isolation among these empires many of them having to reinvent the wheel as the expression goes when it comes to government in statecraft that may not be the case for long in this alternate line if we assume these civilizations carry on as long as they do and do so successfully predictions show that these distant worlds will soon become much closer as the Mayans seek out resources in the Caribbean as the Inca advanced further north as the Iroquois explore the Mississippi all eventually converging upon the gulf and caribbean in an exchange of culture certain to change the continent forever and that as well in this video for now the us of Z thanks for watching support your Legion black in the video or join our ranks by subscribing for more mister Z out

Channel: Monsieur Z

Views: 451,552

Keywords: Alternate History, Althist, Althistory, Alternative History, What If, History, Historian, What If America Was Never Colonized, What If The Europeans Never Colonized America, What If America Was Never Discovered, What If The Native Americans Survived, What If North America Was Never Colonized, What If Horses Never Existed, History Of, Maya, Inca, Aztec, Tarascan, Iroquois, Algonquian, Mayan, Empire, Rise Of, Fall Of, What If Colombus Never Discovered America

Id: 0sWwaN5qlTE

Length: 16min 14sec (974 seconds)

Published: Wed Mar 04 2020