American colonies
The American colonies is a term used to refer to various colonies and communities made up of American citizens who fled the United States during and after both the American Civil War and War of Contingency. Initially made up of Confederate citizens who fled after losing their land and the Confederacy was on the verge of losing the civil war, the colonies greatly expanded during the War of Contingency as the dissolution of the United States and the war consuming nearly all corners of the former union convinced many Americans to flee to avoid being killed and/or forcibly conscripted into the various Anglo-American armies fighting in the war. By the 1870s, there was at least 100,000 American colonists who settled in Latin America and had developed whole communities in the region and fought in many different wars during the 19th and 20th centuries to prove themselves as citizens. By 1906, the population of the colonists had expanded to under 300,000 due to having children, but in 1908 there was an effort by Anglo-American nations to bring the citizens home and many returned, but many more stayed behind.
Historical background
American Civil War refugees
By 1864, the Confederate States was on the verge of defeat and many Southerns had lost their land and belongings as a result of the war. Due to these factors and the fear of retribution by Union soldiers and the government as well as attacks by freed slaves, many Confederate citizens from Alabama, Texas and others fled to Latin America, notably Brazil, becoming the first generation of American colonists. They settled in Brazil due to slavery still being legal as well as Mexico due to its close proximity to the United States while others fled to many other Latin American nations. By 1865, the war had ended, but the nation still needed time to rebuild, time that was deprived due to the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and his entire cabinet leading to further instability in the Union. In 1866, the Confederate Uprising was carried out and this kicked off the War of Contingency, also known as the Second American Civil War, and engulfed the entire United States.
Contingency War refugees
The number of refugees worsened once the War of Contingency had begun and spread across the country. During the Union's offensives in the Southern Theatre in late 1866, thousands of Southerners fled the country fleeing to Cuba, Mexico and Brazil among other Central and Latin American countries. By the end of 1866, at least 30,000 Americans had fled the country and traveled to many established communities in South America. By 1867, the refugee situation became a crisis after Sierra, Brazoria, Rainier, Canada and the United Kingdom intervened in the war and sent troops to fight in the Western Theatre. As the war progressed and turned against the United Commonwealth, desertion became a major problem and many Union troops deserted to flee to the neighboring British colonies of Canada and Rainier while others ventured down towards Brazoria and later South America fearing reprisals from the Commonwealth and being brought back to the nation by Anti-Union nations.