American King: Take Two

[marcus_aurelius]

PM sent your way.

Marc A

[Rooster Cogburn]

“Ladies and Gentlemen, no man acknowledges General Scott’s military skill more than I do. He is one of the best soldiers still living today, and should be honored and respected as such. But despite his skill, that is what he remains: a soldier. As I would not give a Congressman a gun and tell him to march, I would not place a general at the seat of government."

"Yes, I was a general in my early years; but I quickly retired and entered the government, serving there for 16 years before becoming Prime Minister. Even Mr. Harrison was a scholar and a politically astute man. General Scott possesses no such experience in governing. He is a political virgin, unlike his opponent, who has been serving the country for over twenty years. If we begin the failed practice of putting military men in charge of governing the nation, we will enter a period of military despotism, never before seen in this country."

"Support Joseph Story, a man who will protect your rights at all costs, and continue to support the Whig platform, which has brought this country nothing but success! Long live the King, and long live the Whigs!”

-Prime Minister Hunter DeRensis in an 1832 campaign speech

Edit: Shouldn't Daniel Webster have made an appearance by now?

ReEdit: ^Same question with Martin Van Buren.

[metastasis_d]

So to whom is DeRensis trying to appeal? This isn't exactly a democratic society...
Is he just trying to get support from the people so the King will favor him?

[Rooster Cogburn]

Originally Posted by metastasis_d

So to whom is DeRensis trying to appeal? This isn't exactly a democratic society...
Is he just trying to get support from the people so the King will favor him?

Pretty much; just trying to make the people more aware of the happenings of Philadelphia and their possible future if they make the wrong choice. And maybe something I say catches the King's ear.

Its either that, or me and a few other guys making private speeches to the King and raising our hands to see who he'll pick

[metastasis_d]

So does the King base his decision on popular appeal at all? If so, how does he measure this?

[Rooster Cogburn]

I just noticed that while you have Patrick Henry a victim of the 4th of November, he actually died in June that year of stomach cancer; that's a hard thing to butterfly away

Edit: Is it possible for me to pull William Henry Harrison out of retirement, and appoint him as Lord Secretary of the Army from 1824-1832? Also, can you specifically state the job of the Viceroy as compared to the Lord Secretary of Diplomacy and International Law? Those two confuse me somewhat.

ReEdit: Do you have to be born in the URAS to be Prime Minister? And if not, what is the period of time you have to live in the country?

ReReEdit: Request for Harrison Gray Otis to be my Viceroy

[Rooster Cogburn]

How is the life of John Payne Jackson? He's 40 years old by this point, and many should expect he'll soon take over for his 75 year old and often ailing father.

What's his politics like? What's his opinion on me, the Duke? What has he done so far in life? Is he like Jackson, or the total opposite? Is he an alcoholic like in OTL? Should the Whigs look forward to his coronation day, or dread it?

Edit: Congressional terms began in 1808, correct? So, elections in 1808, 1814, 1820, 1826, etc?

[Michael.D.Luffy]

Originally Posted by Nevermore

I also have a small quibble: I don't think the demonym would be 'Holy Romans'; I'm pretty sure the term in this era would just be Germans? Maybe someone can clear that up.

I'm pretty sure that the HRE was defeated by Napoleon, since he never became emperor of France it probably still exists , or has crumbled away.

[Michael.D.Luffy]

Originally Posted by metastasis_d

I don't see why anybody would take the Falklands (until of course the modern era when we know there might be oil found there) but I suppose it's possible.

One of my best friends family is from Argentina and our biology teacher keeps calling him the communist dictator of Les Maldives (or what ever the Argentinian name is).

Napoleon how long till my cameo appears?

[wolfram]

For a cameo:
David Danvers, general known for Xanatos Speed Chess and/or the Indy Ploy, but also for his idiosyncracies.

[techdread13]

I suppose that since I've now entered the official political office of Commonwealth Secretary of State, I should start to join in on these ITTL political speech discussions between cameos, eh?

[Rooster Cogburn]

Originally Posted by techdread13

I suppose that since I've now entered the official political office of Commonwealth Secretary of State, I should start to join in on these ITTL political speech discussions between cameos, eh?

It would be a pleasure to be your political enemy ITTL

[techdread13]

Originally Posted by Rooster Cogburn

It would be a pleasure to be your political enemy ITTL

I think it's fair to say that I'm going to have quite a few political enemies ITTL, nevermind the military ones too...

Glory to Wellington, Britain and the Commonwealth!

[metastasis_d]

Originally Posted by techdread13

I suppose that since I've now entered the official political office of Commonwealth Secretary of State, I should start to join in on these ITTL political speech discussions between cameos, eh?

I'm so glad my cameo is dead. Too much to think about. I just like seeing my name in a story about glorious death in battle.

[Rooster Cogburn]

How's Napoleon's career going? He'd be in his early 60s now; is he still the President of Louisiana? How has that country developed over the last 20 years?\

Edit: And to finish my series on the wiki about the Whig nominations, I really need to know the Crown candidates in 1824 and 1828, and their backgrounds.

[metastasis_d]

Speaking of Napoleon.... what's the holdup? Why no update?

[Napoleon53]

@Rooster: Some of this next chapter might change one or two things in the wiki, but believe me, your character becomes more awesome because of the changes.

Originally Posted by metastasis_d

So does the King base his decision on popular appeal at all? If so, how does he measure this?

He uses just estimated popular appeal in the first appointments, and then polls begin to be used later in the 1800's. It's ALMOST an election, but if he doesn't like the guy winning the polls he can choose the guy who's losing anyway.

Originally Posted by Rooster Cogburn

I just noticed that while you have Patrick Henry a victim of the 4th of November, he actually died in June that year of stomach cancer; that's a hard thing to butterfly away

Edit: Is it possible for me to pull William Henry Harrison out of retirement, and appoint him as Lord Secretary of the Army from 1824-1832? Also, can you specifically state the job of the Viceroy as compared to the Lord Secretary of Diplomacy and International Law? Those two confuse me somewhat.

ReEdit: Do you have to be born in the URAS to be Prime Minister? And if not, what is the period of time you have to live in the country?

ReReEdit: Request for Harrison Gray Otis to be my Viceroy

I butterflied Old Boney's stomach cancer, too. Although he was arsenic'd. *Dragnet theme song*

I'd say Harrison is retired and happy about it. Plus, as a radical Crown, he'd be highly oppositional to DeRensis, even if they had mutual respect. He won't die, he'll just right his memoirs.

The Viceroy is a heartbeat away from becoming Prime Minister, and is Head of Congress. He fulfills many ceremonial duties, is usually a military adviser and just plain consultant to the King and PM. He also is still the chief diplomat, as the LS of D&IL would monitor international situations from his luxurious office at Blue Fountain.

At least at first, being a life-long citizen is not required for PMs. I'd say it just depends on the King's opinion. "He's a foreigner, but is he really a foreign foreigner?"

Already have Oliver Perry set up to be your PM. Trust me, it's integral to the plot. You'll like it.

Originally Posted by Rooster Cogburn

How is the life of John Payne Jackson? He's 40 years old by this point, and many should expect he'll soon take over for his 75 year old and often ailing father.

What's his politics like? What's his opinion on me, the Duke? What has he done so far in life? Is he like Jackson, or the total opposite? Is he an alcoholic like in OTL? Should the Whigs look forward to his coronation day, or dread it?

Edit: Congressional terms began in 1808, correct? So, elections in 1808, 1814, 1820, 1826, etc?

John I in the next chapter!

He's a radical Crownie. He generally detests "Constitution-huggers" and believes he and his father should be undisputed.

Originally Posted by Michael.D.Luffy

Napoleon how long till my cameo appears?

Yikes, hopefully soon.

Originally Posted by wolfram

For a cameo:
David Danvers, general known for Xanatos Speed Chess and/or the Indy Ploy, but also for his idiosyncracies.

Done!

Originally Posted by techdread13

I suppose that since I've now entered the official political office of Commonwealth Secretary of State, I should start to join in on these ITTL political speech discussions between cameos, eh?

Yes, yes indeed! I'm looking forward to your Cromwellian puffery.

Originally Posted by metastasis_d

I'm so glad my cameo is dead. Too much to think about. I just like seeing my name in a story about glorious death in battle.

And I'm trying to keep track of everyone's cameos.

Originally Posted by Rooster Cogburn

How's Napoleon's career going? He'd be in his early 60s now; is he still the President of Louisiana? How has that country developed over the last 20 years?\

Edit: And to finish my series on the wiki about the Whig nominations, I really need to know the Crown candidates in 1824 and 1828, and their backgrounds.

I'll discuss Louisiana in the next chapter or two. Napoleon's going to live a long life free of, well, you know, arsenic and brutal tropical island prisons and hemorrhoids and STDs.

Originally Posted by metastasis_d

Speaking of Napoleon.... what's the holdup? Why no update?

Hold on... *copies and pastes new chapter*

"Blessed are the Warfighters, for they carry forth the banner of Christendom against the Infidels."

-Andrew I, 1833

Moulay Sharif Abderrahmane, Alaouite Sultan of Morocco, prepares to bow to Admiral Matthew Perry aboard the HRM South Kingstown

When the Duke of Winterfell finished serving his second term in 1832, his Viceroy, Crown Party member and former Lord Secretary of the Navy, Oliver Hazard Perry, 1st Duke of South Kingstown, Rhode Island, barely beat out Whig candidate Joseph Story for the appointment. Story, riding on DeRensis' Whig coattails, should have won Andrew's favor, and was predicted to do so, but midway through the process his connections to the Toppers, the most far-reaching criminal organization in his home state of Massachusetts, were uncovered by Perry's private detectives. This caused huge controversy and Andrew said that Story and the Whigs had brought embarrassment upon the Union. Willie Mangum, a North Carolina native and Story's Viceroy candidate, was discovered to have been involved in the death of North Carolina governor. He was arrested and imprisoned until his death in 1846 at age 54. This began a new era known as the Perry Revolution.

Joseph Story


Willie Mangum


Prime Minister Sir Oliver Hazard Perry, 1st Duke of South Kingstown


Viceroy Sir Martin van Buren

When Perry was officially Prime Minister of the Union, he cleaned house and House. Whigs that had sat pretty for eight years under DeRensis' administration woke up to find themselves out of a job, with the Duke of South Kingstown's policemen sometimes coming through their door on corruption charges. A few Whigs managed to save their reputation, such as James Buchanan (who was fondly remembered for his heroic service with Robert E. Lee during the Second Battle of Lisbon), but most found themselves suddenly hated and suspected of criminal activities, however unfairly. The people voted staunchly Crown during the Congressional Election, and gave Perry's "Andrew-huggers" supreme power.

Perry immediately appointed his 38 year-old younger brother Matthew Calbraith Perry to Admiral of the Atlantic Fleet. Clearly, this, along with a new push for enlistees, meant the "Peaceful '20s" were behind the Union. DeRensis, one of only a handful of Whigs who encouraged investigation into his past to prove his excellent reputation, said during a speech in New York City in late 1832, "Warmongering Oliver Perry is quite the Hazard to this country. War is what he wants, and what his brother wants, and I fear His Majesty will go along with it. No matter what happens, I will remain who and what I am and fight for change and a Whig Reformation! Glory be to Andrew!"

In August of 1832, DeRensis dispatched requests to politicians he admired to attend "a Conference of the utmost import" at his home, "The Face of Winterfell." Around two hundred came, from all manners of parties and political alliances: Congressmen, Counts, Governors, Dukes, Lord Mayors, and all the rest, most notably Marcus Dickens, James Buchanan, and Millard Fillmore. He drew up a new system with them over the next two months, and in November he announced the reformation of the Whig Party. It would be a long hard slog before it would gain back its former prestige, but it was on its way.

DeRensis' Pennsylvania mansion and Birthplace of the Reformed Whig Party

When Prime Minister Perry and his bombastic 50 year-old Viceroy Martin van Buren announced that a wave of troops and ships were being sent to the North African colonies and to Macaronesia, many thought it was just going to be a crackdown on Muslim Berber rebels in Algeria, but that was not the case. On January 1st, 1833, the 28th anniversary of Andrew's coronation, American troops stormed beaches just south of the Sultanate of Morocco. Within a few months, the soldiers had gone around the southern border of Morocco and had met up with their comrades in Algeria, locking up Morocco's borders. Moulay Sharif Abderrahmane, the Alaouite Sultan of Morocco, sent a letter to Andrew demanding the withdrawal of American forces encroaching on his border. Andrew declared that such a "weak, decrepit Mohammedan potentate like Abderrahmane should shut his pie-hole lest I shut it for him. I was victorious over the Republicans, over the British, over the Georgians and Carolinians. Pray tell, why should I fear incurring the so-called wrath of a so-called king of a so-called sultanate of devil-worshiping, camel-riding infidels stuck in the 12th century After Christ? I fear not."

Abderrahmane responded by declaring war.

The Sultan of Morocco Declares War by prolific painter John Louis Davidson

A Moroccan vessel transporting the Sultan's family explodes during the opening gambits of the invasion while another sinks in the foreground

The American Subjugation of Morocco was exceptionally planned. Admiral Perry's Fleet of the Atlantic joined up with navies from Genoa, Sicily, and the Papal States (which incurred some controversy). The attack started when a few regiments crossed into the Moroccan south-eastern regions using camels and mules. The brutal heat did not halt progress, and thanks to the camels durability Winfield Scott achieved several decisive victories in just the first two weeks. Scott was momentarily recalled to the URAS for political matters and was replaced by New Jersey's General Stephen Watts Kearney. As Scott took over, the Sultan's family tried to escape by ship to the Ottoman Empire. Scott's vessels accidentally stumbled across them while nearing the Pillars of Hercules. He ordered his small fleet to open fire, and the entire Moroccan royal family except for the Sultan himself were either shot or drowned.

General Stephen W. Kearney

Most of America thought the Regicide of the Alaouites was a good thing, but a select few protested it as a massacre. Andrew responded with his famous statement: "Blessed are the Warfighters, for they carry forth the Banner of Christendom against the Infidels." Protests stopped.

In late 1833, Scott famously declared "I have returned," waded ashore in Algeria with a group of Negro laborers carrying his luggage, and made Kearney his second-in-command. During the Battle of Casablanca, Robert E. Lee, Sir Abraham Lincoln, and Sir Marcus Dickens' son Marcus A. Dickens II, all received promotions. Lee became a Brigadier Colonel, Lincoln a Major Captain, and Dickens II an Officer Cadet.

"I Have...Returned." - Grand Marshal Winfield Scott, October 13th, 1833, Oran, Algeria

The Moroccan citizens tried to resist occupation at first, but after Scott's brutal crackdowns they backed down and submitted. Brigadier Colonel Robert E. Lee was placed in charge of Casablanca in 1834, and he rebuilt the city with a heavy influence of Virginian architecture. Henry Lee Square, named after Lee's war hero father Light Horse Harry Lee (who had passed away that same year at age 78), became the central town hub, on which the Colonial Governor's Mansion sat imposingly. The Sultan had gone into hiding in December of 1833, but Lee flushed him out in April of '34. The Berber king tried to flee on a small merchant vessel down the coast to unclaimed lands and British area of influence. However, Lee did not let that happen. On April 14th, 1834, Abderrahmane was captured by Admiral Matthew Perry's flagship, the HRM South Kingstown. The Muslim leader bowed to the Admiral in humiliation. The Subjugation of Morocco was complete. The Sultan was imprisoned on an isolated fortress-island in Macaronesia which had been used by Medieval Portugal and died under suspicious circumstances in 1836.

The Subjugation of Morocco set off a frenzy in Europe as the Old World powers realized America was going to try to monopolize Africa. Not many countries in the world had slaves aside from Britain, but the ones who did had a lot of them, such as South Carolina and Georgia.

• In 1837, a Georgian fleet escorted by British warships landed on the south-western coast of Africa. By 1840, a booming "slave factory" had been established in what became known as Georgian Angola.

• In 1838, Marshal Scott led another expedition to Africa and proclaimed the new colony of Johnsland, after the Grand Duke. Ivory was its major export.

• In 1836 to 1840, Brazil forged its own colony, Brazilian Senegal.

• In 1837, America's good ally Denmark-Norway seized a good chunk of territory next to Johnsland and formed the Dansk Vestafrika Company (Danish West Africa Company). The Danish colony of Naigeria was born.

• In 1839, the Empire of Gran Colombia took a bit of land between American Morocco and Brazilian Senegal, forming Colombian Mauritania.

• In 1839, France started a small colony between Brazilian Senegal and Johnsland, mostly as a status symbol. With North Africa closed to him and a sprawling colonial empire in Asia, King Louis Joseph I (who had succeeded King Louis XVI in the same year, when his father died at age 85) saw no reason to start hacking up Africa. He did however make plans for potential invasions of Ethiopia. In 1841, France claimed Madagascar, stirring up conflict with the British.

• In 1841, the Kingdom of Naples and the Two Sicilies had come to an agreement over land locked in on three sides by Danish Naigeria. It was a profitable trade center and tried to help the URAS police the slave trade, but was not expansionist.

• Also in 1841, Venice claimed a very large territory east of Danish Naigeria, founding Venetian Camerun.

• In 1842, the Empire of Prussia claimed the area just south of Venetian Camerun and north of Georgian Angola. Prussian Gabun was a very large region, and relations with slave-trading Georgian Angola to the south were tense for years.

The Race for Africa was well underway as the white nations tried to outdo each other. Most were in agreement with the URAS that slavery should not be allowed, but they did take the term "native worker" to new heights. Britain had cracked down on abolitionism following the October Revolution, and slaves from Namibia, Botswana, and Bantuland became common sights in the slave-owning countries throughout the world. The nations also pitted native tribes against their enemies and rivals, such as the supply of American weapons that "somehow" wound up in the hands of the Zulus, a tribe that became a running sore for the Commonwealth's South African colonies.

KEY FIGURES IN THE RACE FOR AFRICA

Portrait of young-looking 33 year-old Louis Joseph I (always known for his boyish looks) in a Royaum white cuirassier uniform standing beside his obese, enthroned father Louis XVI, the Enlightened; this was at a point (1814) when his 60 year-old father was having heart problems and Louis Joseph was suspected to soon become King of France, but Louis lost weight, regained health, and reigned for 25 more years, with Louis Joseph being 58 upon ascension.

"The Renaissance Portrait" of Grand Duke John I (born February 29th, 1792) stepson and heir of Andrew I, was his signature pictorial representation and supposedly symbolized his "enlightenment." The Colony of Johnsland was named after him, and he personally owned many slaves (especially his infamous "butlers," Zekiel and Zebedee, who were both tried and executed for conspiracy in a slave revolt in 1832 in the same ring as Rev'n'd Jethro Shakespeare in Georgia), which became more and more unpopular as time went on.

John I later in life.

Kaiser Friedrich Wilhelm II of the Empire (King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia) (born October 15th, 1795) ascended to the Imperial Hohenzollern throne in 1840 upon the death of his father Friedrich Wilhelm I. When he took power, he made the decision to make Prussia a world power by forming its first colony, Prussian Gabun. He greatly assisted the URAS in slave trade patrol, and Prussian ships routinely sailed with American ones.

Presidente Lauro Biagio Gaspari (born August 6th, 1802) of the Most Serene Republic of Venice was the leader who established Venetian Camerun. He was elected President of Venice following the Bloodless Revolution of 1838, which overthrew the corrupt doges who had run things for centuries. Venice was accused of extreme exploitative use of natives, and skirted on slavery.

President Jeroboam Calvin Moses Towns (born May 7th, 1799) of the Republic of Georgia was known as "a white man's white overlord." While his mildly foppish and unintimidating appearance would lead most to think of him as a typical lawyer-type politician, he was in fact a veteran of multiple Indian and slave revolts. He earned the title of "Butcher of Butler" when slaves led by black minister Rev'n'd Jethro Shakespeare revolted on plantations around the village and farming community of Butler on Christmas Eve, 1832. General J. C. M. Towns led his regiment of regulars in and brutally squashed the rebels and impaled them on pikes along the roadside. Rev'n'd Jethro was captured the day after and was fed to a pack of vicious hunting dogs on Towns' plantation. These same tactics were used in Georgian Angola to keep the natives under control.

So, did I blow any minds this time?

[Napoleon53]

[wiiguy]

Whoa! Did I catch a MacArthur reference in that chapter? Good sir, I am simply flabbergasted by the pure awesome of that chapter.

And my guy wasn't there.

[Napoleon53]

Originally Posted by wiiguy

Whoa! Did I catch a MacArthur reference in that chapter? Good sir, I am simply flabbergasted by the pure awesome of that chapter.

And my guy wasn't there.

Yup, I think I'm going to go for a full MacArthur = Scott analogue. Thanks!

Haha, don't worry, you'll be in the next chapter, I promise. Just because it's now the 1840's doesn't mean I won't go back a decade to cover stuff that went on elsewhere. I want to do North and South America in the next chapter, and Mister Hannibal Glas will be in that. How would you like to be the marshal of American forces fighting in South American puppet wars? Oh, and Scott was recalled temporarily to America when he was replaced by General Kearny, remember? Let's just say that during this time Brazil and the US of Rio didn't like each other and a huge crisis started.