The Confederated American States in the Neo-Anarchist’s Guide to North America for Shadowrun (1st Edition).
The history outlined in the core book doesn’t say a lot of details about why the CAS was formed:
In 2030, what was left of the United States merged with what was left of Canada, including her major industrial centers and important natural resource areas. The new government was called the United Canadian and American States, though there were protests on both sides of the border.
Almost four years later, a coalition of ten southern states seceded from the union to form the Confederated American States. The CAS was instantly recognized by Aztlan, itself recently separated from the NAN. Sentiment ran high, and fears of a second civil war were rampant. Nevertheless, the transition was relatively orderly. Military units, divided in loyalties, split up and moved to their preferred countries with few incidents of violence.
Does the CAS Chapter in NAGNA shed any more light?
2032: Led by senators from Alabama and Georgia, a major walkout of legislators from the southern bloc threatens to derail the merging of the United States and Canada. As the rest of the U.S. Senate argues over new tax structures and fund allocation, the delegates from ten southern states meet to discuss secession.
Uhhh… still not a reason.
It isn’t until four pages in that we get some detail about why it happened:
For hundreds of years, the states that today constitute the Confederated American States have been known for their fierce independence and respect for tradition. Much of this region's wealth came from cultivation of the land and exporting its natural resources. Thus, when the United States government tried to take control of all natural resources in 2002, the southerners felt that was going too far. Less than 30 years later, they became a separate nation.
While this isn’t saying much considering it’s an RPG product from the 1990s, but it’s clear this paragraph was written by a white person.
Let’s say this one more time really loud so everyone remembers:
The states of the Confederacy that seceded from the Union did so because of their advocation of the chattel enslavement of Africans and their descendants.
The actual labor of the “cultivation of the land” and export of its “natural resources” mentioned above were done by enslaved Africans who were legally property of their owners, who stole the profit of their work.
They didn’t secede because of their “fierce independence” and “respect for tradition” – four of the original Thirteen American colonies later joined the Confederacy (Virginia, North & South Carolina, and Georgia), so they couldn’t have been that independent, and their tradition was being part of the United States of America.
Fuck your arguments for independence and tradition.
The geography of CAS is a bit hosed. The core book only has one North American map, and it was in the Matrix section to illustrate the breakdown of RTG codes and System Ratings. As such, the borders are more rounded and cartoony.
NAGNA also has a map, which is blockier, but doesn’t show state boundaries:
The text mentions that portions of Oklahoma and New Mexico joined the CAS, as well as the loss of Texan territory to Aztlan, but has no mention of the wedge of southeast Missouri, roughly following I-44 up to St. Louis.
Contrast this with map from Shadows of North America from 3rd Edition.
Which has the CAS having no portions of New Mexico.
