Early US Name Change?

[CthulhuFhtagn]

In the Adams-Onis Treaty, the USA is referred to as "The United States of North America", with suggests that the name might have been fluid or changeable early on. With a PoD no earlier than the Constitutional Convention, is it possible for the United States of America to have a different name entirely, like Columbia?

 

[The Uchronian]

In the Adams-Onis Treaty, the USA is referred to as "The United States of North America", with suggests that the name might have been fluid or changeable early on. With a PoD no earlier than the Constitutional Convention, is it possible for the United States of America to have a different name entirely, like Columbia?

You could, but it might require a substantial, even radical turn of events. I believe Jeckl came up with a scenario detailing such at one point, so I'll have to find it at some point and show it to you guys(unless he does it first, of course).

 

[iori]

The name was'nt overtly fluid, the term United States of North America was commonly used alongside United States of America prior to 1778, however it gradually fell out of use after that, with the use in the Adams–Onís Treaty being one of the last official times it was used; IIRC this was the result of the Articles of Confederation using the term originally, but the Constitution dropping the term.

 

[LSCatilina]

Somebody said, I don't know where exactly on the board, that "American" used to be reserved to name the continental indigenous peoples rather than the europeans. Would it be possible to play on this to allow the use of an alternative name, depsite the lack of obvious one?

 

[UncleDynamite]

I've got a citizenship certificate for my great-great-grandfather from 1898 listing the country as the "United States of North America".

EDIT: Here it is. Note that it appears to have been issued by the State of Michigan, not the federal government, and also that the header says "United States of North America", but the nation is referred to as the "United States of America" in the document itself. Maybe people back then just didn't care, they knew where they were.

Link to the full-size.

 

[Tallest Skil]

I've got a citizenship certificate for my great-great-grandfather from the mid-19th Century listing the country as the "United States of North America".

OOH, scan.

 

[NKVD]

Somebody said, I don't know where exactly on the board, that "American" used to be reserved to name the continental indigenous peoples rather than the europeans. Would it be possible to play on this to allow the use of an alternative name, depsite the lack of obvious one?

And continental was the name used to refer to whites/non-Indians, IIRC. United Continental States is the only name I could come up with that uses this and doesn't sound weird.

 

[Rousseau]

And continental was the name used to refer to whites/non-Indians, IIRC. United Continental States is the only name I could come up with that uses this and doesn't sound weird.

The American Continental Republic.

Boom, compromise and extremely cool sounding.

 

[Tripwire]

And continental was the name used to refer to whites/non-Indians, IIRC. United Continental States is the only name I could come up with that uses this and doesn't sound weird.

That's interesting, I've never heard that one before. In what sort of contexts was it used?

 

[Generaloberst]

The Republic of Columbia would be pretty cool.

American turns into Columbian.