The thing to keep in mind about the early years of the American Experiment is that people at that time considered it as something new. Their view of the nation was not the same enjoyed today, the whole thing could come crashing down at any moment, no one knew if the Republic would even work. Adding to this, many of the cultural and governmental systems that are now well established were either in their infancy, or completely unknown. It was a wild and crazy time. For those of you unfamiliar with the Early Republic years, they were roughly 1789 until sometime in the 1830's or 1840's, depending on who is doing the measuring. This time period is also known as the Early National Era, though that's a lot more cumbersome than Early Republic, and not nearly as evocative.

Let us set the scene a bit, shall we? The nation of the United States of America has just been formed, the War for Independence is over, the chaos of the Articles of Confederation has ended with the signing of the Constitution, and peace, freedom, and liberty reign throughout the land. Well, at least on paper, as the large population of slaves offers uncomfortable questions about freedom and liberty, the First Nations on the borders of the new U.S. are not terribly happy with westward expansion, and the ones inside the borders largely sided with the British during the war. Political parties are starting to form, and the hoi poi are pushing for an expansion of the franchise (at this time only certain people, white, landed, and male, could vote). How the great powers of Europe are going to deal with the new nation is yet to be seen.

Yet this is also the era that sees the greatest expansion of the country, as the Louisiana Purchase stretched the young nation from the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains. At the same time, this is also the era that sees massive deportations of First Nations, land speculators, wars (both the War of 1812 and the various wars against the First Nations), political scandal, and populist uprisings. This is also an era of freebooters (armed groups fomenting revolution in foreign lands), the last gasp of piracy for some time (both Caribbean and the Barbary Corsairs), and wild frontiersmen.

Massive changes in technology began, with the nascent beginnings of industrialization. Railroads came into being and expanded eastward, replacing the canals started at the beginning of the era. In fact, Indiana completed work on its part of the Wabash and Erie Canal the year the first railroad line was lain in the state. The first electrical telegraph came about near the end of the era, heralding a massive change in communication technologies. Weapons changed, and the old flintlock began to be replaced by the percussion cap, and towards the end of the era, the first modern revolvers were introduced. The events of the Early Republic can be used as fodder for campaigns and adventures, but the best use for the era is in pulling out the heroes and villains as PCs and NPCS. When using a historical figure as the basis for a character, you don’t have to use the name, or much of the history for that matter. If you are playing a historical game, then yes, it would be best for Little Turtle to be Little Turtle and leave it at that. There is still a lot of room to customize the personality for your game, depending on what use you are putting the character to. However, if playing in a game that is inspired by history, or in other type of role-playing game, it is best to change the names of all involved, especially if the historical figure is well known. Nothing ruins suspension of disbelief like meeting a famous figure in a fantasy world, complete with the same name and background. Instead, look for the essence of the historical figure's story and personality. What made them do what they did? How did they approach their friends and enemies?

What follows are some of the more interesting figures from the Early Republic. Most of these have had a body of legend and lore crop up around them, especially Davy Crocket and Andrew Jackson. When drawing on one of these figures for inspiration, use whatever sources you want, though reading a good biography would be best for a PC or important and reoccurring NPC.

Daniel Boone

If you want to play a wilderness themed character, especially the frontiersman or ranger archetypes, you can’t go wrong with Daniel Boone. Explorer, leader of settlers and squatters, adopted by the Shawnee nation, wilderness warrior, Daniel Boone is the figure of the western hero that inspired thousands of imitators both real and fictional. Buckskin clad, long rifle held loosely in the crook of his arm, many paintings have depicted him standing on a mountainside staring off into the untamed wilderness.

The myths and legends of Daniel Boone seem to engulf the truth, but that truth is strong enough to take it. He was an explorer, though not in the classic sense. As a woodsman, Boone traveled widely on Long Hunts, weeks or months long hunting trips into the lands west of Euro-American settled territory. This took him into and across lands claimed by the First Nations, and even into areas that had not seen human feet for generations. Even before the War for Independence, Boone was leading settlers over the Appalachian Mountains and into what would one day be the state of Kentucky. This provoked several First Nations bands to respond, some with words, others with violence. These conflicts were but the latest in a long line of wilderness wars that Boone fought, starting in the French and Indian War, and ending with the 1786 Ohio Military Expedition. In between fighting wars, exploring, hunting, and leading settlers to new homes, Boone found time to marry and raise a family (though how much raising he did with all his travel is debatable). Unfortunately, he proved to be a horrid businessman, and after a failed attempt as a tavern owner and land speculator which led to an arrest warrant for debt and failure to pay taxes (Boone was elsewhere when it was served). He died on the new frontier in Missouri in 1820, and legend says his last long hunt was ten years earlier, and ran from the Osage River all the way to the Yellowstone, he was 75 at the time.

Aaron Burr

Most popularly known as the third Vice-President and the man who killed Alexander Hamilton (a luminary of the Early Republic's intellectual and political scene) in a duel, what is not widely known is that Burr was tried for treason over a failed attempt to carve out his own kingdom, and that he was implicated, but never charged, in several secessionist plots. After his tenure as Vice President, Burr leased 40,000 acres just west of the US border in Spanish held territory. He had some political backing, and allegedly hoped to start a war with Spain or to aid in Mexico's liberation from Spain. In either case it appears his desire was to become the leader of a private army (which he already had on hand, just in case) and to make himself ruler, possibly king, of a new nation.

To achieve this, he enlisted a cabal of US generals, wealthy businessmen, and prominent politicians. The general plan was to settle the leased area with 'farmers' who for some reason were heavily armed and trained militia. Another part of the plan was to enlist the aid of the British, offering to trade land taken in the conquest for guns, money, and warships. Unfortunately for Burr, a large part of the scheme hinged on the cooperation of General Wilkinson, then governor of Louisiana Territory (which included most of the Louisiana Purchase) and Commanding General of the US Army. Oh, yes, he was also a paid agent of the Spanish Crown, which made Wilkinson's involvement in the plot a tragic choice.

Burr was turned in by Wilkinson, but was able to avoid conviction due to lack of evidence, though the jury wanted to render a not proven instead of not guilty verdict (the former not being a legal verdict in the United States), hinting that they were convinced of Burr's involvement. Burr fled to Europe, failed to convince anyone there of supporting his plans, and eventually returned home to New York under an assumed name, married a wealthy widow, failed at land speculation, was divorced, and died at the age of 80.

Davy Crockett

"King of the Wild Frontier", and also grand master of self-aggrandizement, Davy Crockett was a legend in his own time, and not entirely though his own words. Another example of the wild frontiersman, Crockett was also a US Congressman, and a soldier. His political career was marked by populist stances on such issues as squatter's rights and broadened franchise, as well as less popular views against the Indian Removal Act. He ran afoul of President Jackson, and in the end his political career was short lived. As a soldier he fought in the Creek War, but most memorably for Texas during the Texan War for Independence, dying at the Battle of the Alamo.

What makes Davy Crockett truly remarkable is that he is an early example of a meme. By his own words, including his autobiography, as well as the stories created and told by others, Davy Crockett was the "Chuck Norris" of his day. Reportedly, he could: wade the Mississippi River, stare down a mountain lion, wrestle a bear (when he was three years old), leap the Ohio River, ride a lightning bolt, and shoot the eyes out of a soaring buzzard. He was half alligator, half horse, and part snapping turtle. He played upon these tales in his political career, even going so far as to wear 'wilderness garb' for speeches. He once killed a snake by spiting its venom back into its mouth. I am sure if Davy Crockett punched your distant ancestor, you can still feel it. Under his coon-skin cap is another, smaller coon-skin cap, with another under that like a Russian nesting doll, stretching on into infinity.

Robert Owen

We have frontiersmen, politicians, would be kings, what don’t we have on this list? Utopian Socialists. You see, the wild frontier of the Early Republic was wide open (at least after the natives were removed), and not just to settlement, but to ideas. People living in a society radically different than the one their ancestors had known, with the freedom that frontiers give, and plenty of time to talk and read come up with the oddest things.

Owen was born in Wales, and was largely self-educated. His political and philosophical beliefs developed as a member of philosophical societies, and as a result of his tenure as the manager of several mills. Owen deplored the abuses of the workers he saw, and fought to correct them. Eventually his views evolved to the point where he was ready to test them, and he chose to do so in 1825, founding a socialist utopian colony at New Harmony, Indiana (which he purchased after the previous religious utopian colony decided to call it quits). Sadly, this grand experiment fell apart after only two years, amid a great deal of blame on certain members of the community.

Little Turtle

Mishikinwaka, or Little Turtle as he was known to the English-speaking world, was a Miami chieftain and one of the most influential First Nation leaders of his time. His early life is a bit of a mystery, but he first rises to prominence in European and American sources as a Miami war chief who fought against French forces during the American War for Independence. Following the war, the British abandoned their First Nation allies who had fought for them in both the French and Indian War and the American War for Independence. Left to their own devices, several Nations formed the Western Confederacy in the hopes of stopping American settlement north of the Ohio River.

This move led to war, and Little Turtle was one of the chief leaders of the Confederacy. After several defeats at the hands of the First Nations (General Harmar's expedition), the US Army sent General St. Clair with a large expedition to subdue the Western Confederacy. This resulted in the absolute defeat of the US Army at the battle aptly named St. Claire's Defeat. The retreating US troops abandoned their own weapons in flight, and were saved from complete annihilation by the army's camp followers, a large contingent of prostitutes amongst them, who took up the dropped muskets and fought a rear-guard action. During the battle, over 800 US soldiers were killed, and only 40 of the warriors under Little Turtle.

The third US military expedition under General 'Mad' Anthony Wayne succeeded where the previous two failed. Partially due to Wayne's reputation, but also due to using large numbers of trained troops, the US Army won the Battle of Fallen Timbers, crushing the Confederacy and driving them to the peace table. While first in war, Little Turtle proved to be first in peace as well, helping broker the Treaty of Greenville. While it created a new boundary line that settlers were not to cross, this was often ignored. It did grant annual payments of money and goods to the Nations of the Confederacy, and set the precedent for other Nations that later signed onto the treaty. Although it brought peace, the Treaty of Greenville was the death knell for the Miami, Wyandotte, Delaware, and others who signed it. Even the peace was short lived, for in a decade an uprising of First Nations would sweep through the region, and be brutally put down.

Next month will be time for the annual I Want Games for Christmas review column. We have quite the line up this year, with offerings from Arc Dream Publishing, Chaosium, Cubicle 7, and Privateer Press.