the alternative iii

Tristan Robert Lange



I,
 
George III,
 
as royal sovereign
of the rebellious
American colonies of
Great Britain,
 
hereby
decree
 
that
 
upon
first attempting
diplomacy,
 
then
attempting
belligerent hostility,
 
we must recognize
our own stupidity.
 
we have been
fighting it wrong—
and here’s our new song:
all slaves are hereby
 
free—
throughout the empire
 
for consistency—
 
and,
in the colonies, especially
imbued with their
enslavers’ long coveted
 
liberty,
as proclaimed in
their declaration of
 
independency;
 
and,
in the colonies,
are free to seek amnesty
through all means
 
necessary.
 
we will send troops
to support this cause
with zero hesitancy.
 
by order of my majesty,
 
King George III,
version: alternative history.
 
© 2026 Tristan Robert Lange. All rights reserved.
First published on tristanrobertlange.com, November 3, 2026.
 
Tittu
 
+++
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  • Author: Tristan Robert Lange (Offline Offline)
  • Published: November 3rd, 2026 09:23
  • Comment from author about the poem: My contribution to Freedom 250 (not to be confused with America 250) along with 🤮. Let’s play some John Lennon while we make like Quentin Tarantino and imagine this, shall we? Part of the Wait. What?!? collection.
  • Category: Unclassified
  • Views: 5
  • In collections: Wait. What?!?.
Comments +

Comments2

  • sorenbarrett

    Emancipation from before the emancipation declaration, freedom from before a civil war, equality before the eighteenth amendment. A beautiful gesture that made little difference from a power too far to have effect. Well done my friend

    • Tristan Robert Lange

      Thank you, Soren, my friend! 🌹🖤🙏 The fascinating possibility here is that George III wasn't merely issuing a symbolic proclamation from across the Atlantic. In this alternative history, he abolishes slavery throughout the British Empire, authorizes enslaved people in the colonies to pursue freedom by any means necessary, and sends British troops to support their liberation. Imagine what that could have done to the revolutionary cause, economically, militarily, and especially morally, when the revolutionaries themselves were proclaiming liberty while denying it to others. It never happened, of course, but the possibility wasn't entirely beyond the historical imagination, abolitionism being a serious thing at that time, and the possibility simply fascinates me. But as you rightly point out, historically, that's not what happened. Instead, we had a stubborn king, ruling from afar and doubling down in being the Empire. That's the tantalizing tragedy of it all. So close, yet so far away!

      • sorenbarrett

        Imagination blends into reality when the British did abolish slave trade in 1807 and contributed to the war of 1812 as British ships impressed American sailors. Britain itself abolished slavery some years latter in 1834. If it had come earlier this might have been as you suggest. It is a hypocritical act to fight for freedom while enslaving others. Well written my friend.

      • nephilim56 ( Norman Dickson)

        Most aptly put my friend



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