An Alternate History for USA250

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, this poem imagines a different path—not to deny the history that happened, but to reflect on another history that might have been: one in which rebellion never came, Indigenous nations endured, and a diverse Atlantic realm sought to grow together beneath a common Crown.

A Gentler Path

The colonies kept their quiet peace,
no rising drums were heard;
the Crown’s red banner touched the plains
where tribal winds still stirred.

The Lakota rode the prairie’s sweep,
their songs in morning air;
Haudenosaunee kept the trails
their elders shaped with care.

The ocean bore the empire’s reach,
a realm of woven light;
New York and Boston shone like stars
that guided ships at night.

A globe beneath one steady Crown,
yet many voices strong —
and history dreamed a gentler path
where all could still belong

© 2026 Michael McFarland Campbell. Permission granted for local literary group use with attribution. Not for commercial reproduction without permission.