View source for Merikan Pre-history

The events of this period are largely unknown to everyone except for [[Tanisha Reznova|Tanisha]].  The events that are known through mythology as revealed by Tanisha are ambiguous in their authenticity.

== 21st century Radical Republicans ==
A new Republican movement emerged consisting of multiple factions.  The main faction that came to dominate openly supported market socialism and the subordination of corporations to the government.  They denounced and often persecuted ''conservatives'' while supporting many traditional values, including the criminalization of teaching atheism to children.  They used government power to punish activities that they believed contributed to ''behavioral sink'', which dominated the time period.  Many "neurodivergent" people were forced into welfare programs and mental hospitals for "self harming behavior" and parents who rejected officially approved treatment for their children were convicted of felonies and lost custody of their children.

== 2060 Presidential Election ==
The Radical Republican president Joe Sullivan became the first socialist president of the United States.  He ran on a campaign of America first policies with a call to restore certain traditional values while calling for progressive changes.  He was overwhelmingly supported by most factions of the Republican Party and was strongly opposed by Democrat and Libertarian factions.

The inauguration of Joe Sullivan led to all of the west coast states succeeding in early 2060, followed by their sudden invasion of the Union in June.