Turning Point - Sekigahara: Toyotomi's Global Expansion and its Consequences

Phase 19 - Civil War

In 1845, the Great Famine occurred in Ireland, leading to a massive influx of immigrants to the New World. Furthermore, as a result of the turmoil related to the European revolutions of 1848-49, people who could no longer stay in Europe made their way to the New World. Many of them were of German ethnic descent seeking political asylum, and America was teeming with a large number of immigrants.

Moreover, the advent of innovative means of transportation, such as steamships, was making the movement of people and goods easier, leading to an unprecedented increase in the number of people flocking to the New World.

The number of immigrants from Europe, which was about 200.000 in the 1820s and approximately 500.000 in the 1830s, surged dramatically in the 1840s to around 1,8 million. In the 1850s, it further increased to approximately 2,6 million. Additionally, due to a high natural population growth rate within the United States, the American population was explosively expanding. The total white population had reached 24 million by 1860, representing an increase of nearly threefold in approximately 40 years. Furthermore, in addition to this, there were approximately 3 million black slaves and around 100.000 indigenous people.

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For the United States, a nation largely built by immigrants, an increase in population was generally welcomed. However, a specific concern began to rise rapidly. The available land for easy settlement and undeveloped land that could be promising for agriculture was rapidly diminishing.

While vast prairies stretched west of the Mississippi River, these lands were already inhabited by Japanese settler communities and had been mostly developed by the colored race.

In 1819, the United States purchased Florida from Spain, but Florida was too warm for European-style agriculture, had many wetlands and jungles, and was inhabited by a significant number of indigenous Native Americans. Furthermore, the purchase of Florida did not fully achieve the United States' aim of pressuring the Yamato Republic, as they had already acquired the mouth of the Mississippi River from Spain.

On the other hand, Native Americans posed a complex issue for America.

Following the North American War, development and settlement in the western bank of the Mississippi River and the southern regions progressed, but these areas were originally inhabited by Native American tribes. To proceed with settlement, it was necessary to either expel or assimilate the Native Americans, and more often than not, America's hasty choice was the expulsion of Native Americans. However, the destination for expulsion became a problem.

At this point, negotiations were held with the Yamato Republic, and Native Americans were accepted as immigrants. The passage of the Indian Forced Immigration Act in 1830 exacerbated the negative sentiments of the Yamato Republic towards America. Moreover, during this time in America, the achievement of nearly universal suffrage for white males was important for the Japanese settlers. The expulsion of Native Americans was seen as the will of the American people.

From then on, America's Native American policies were widely utilized in domestic policies within the Yamato Republic, demonstrating unparalleled effectiveness as propaganda against the remaining Native Americans in the plains, mountains, and forests.

The argument was: Think about what will happen to us if we allow American, white invasion. As a result, from the 1840s, rapid "nationalization" of Native Americans occurred within the Yamato Republic. The Yamato government also adopted a façade of respecting Native American culture while promoting the transformation into farmers or pastoralists (agricultural and pastoralistization) and encouraged marriages with Japanese people (assimilation policy).

The population of the Yamato Republic, which was approximately 12 million around the time of the North American War, was primarily growing through a natural increase of around 3%, while also accepting a large number of immigrants.