Lone Star Republic
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Chapter 49 Gold and Glory
Chapter 49 Gold and Glory
"Gold! Gold! I've found me some Gold!"- Doug Walker 1848
"Come to Texas! Get cheap Land and the opportunity to become your own king with the California Gold Mines."- Immigration Ad 1849
"I'm glad that we're receiving more people but the problem is they're coming too fast. We've got way too many Asians and those Americans are flocking to the Western Union in droves. We've got to keep the Germans and Tejanos on our side while we build up the Chinese vote. Never thought I'd be saying that."- President Mirabeau B. Lamar 1849
In 1848 as the German/Hungarian wars were winding down and the Oregon War was coming to a conclusion, the Republic of Texas once more settled back into tranquility. Just the year earlier Texas had once more managed to defeat the rogue Mexican governors in the Border Wars and they had managed to gain a nice slice of Sonora in the deal as well. The first year of Lamar's final term was rather quiet as his policies were still being put into effect by the Republican dominated congress (though the Unionists were gaining more ground each election), more land was being settled west and two more tribes and joined the citizen program, immigration was increasing due to the refugees from the revolution, trade with America was at an all time-high, and there was little conflict in the west save for the occasional rogue Indian attack and outlaw. Everything was fine. Then come 1848, the destiny of Texas and its importance on the world stage would be changed forever. Early in March 1848, Texas Rangers Doug and Rob Walker, were searching for minerals in the stream near their lands in modern day Coloma due to Rob reporting the sight of metal. On March 12th, Doug Walker was reported to have discovered the first amounts of gold on there lands by digging up a near 2 Pounds of gold. Initially the two brothers wanted to keep the affair quiet so that they could collect it all to themselves. This silence would not last as the Rangers had to hire more men from the region to get higher quantities dug up. A Tejano worker leaked the news of the gold to a reporter at the Monterrey Gazette, and soon an editorial was published within on August 19th which proclaimed that Gold was spotted in California. Soon the news began to spread all over the Commonwealth in weeks and it managed to reach Texas around two months later. On December 5th, President Lamar addressed congress on the matter where he proclaimed that in an report that he had received from the Texas Rangers company in Monterrey, that gold had been sighted and California did have multiple confirmed deposits. After that address the news was spread all over Texas by the Houston Chronicle and word would reach the United States, Latin America, and Europe months later. The California Gold Rush had begun.
Areas of the Gold Rush in California
During the first year of the gold rush the miners were mostly Californians who lived in the North and had managed to get in on the early discoveries making them richer than most Texans at the time. In 1849 this would all change as nearly 350,000 immigrants would arrive in Texas during this year. The forty-niners as they were called, came from all over the world with the highest places of origin being the United States, Mexico, the Yucatan, Rio Grande, Chile, China, Australia, Britain, France, and Germany. Seemingly overnight, California sprung up from a small and quiet backwater part of Texas, to a huge Commonwealth with bustling towns all over California and the Pacific ports having become the size of their American counterparts in a matter of months. Gold was developed in three stages with the first being river panhandling, the second hydraulic mining, and the third dredging. The last two stages were also the inventions of such techniques and come to play a major role in Texas with the discovery of Oil during the turn of the 20th Century. From 1848-1856, California was nearly stripped dry of its early deposits with an estimated $ 65 Billion Redbacks in Gold being discovered by the miners. Later gold mining using advanced drilling still continues in some form to this day. Another benefit of the Gold Rush was the fact that mining also began in the modern day Commonwealths of Arizona and Deseret as the discoveries of gold were only reported to be in California, which some people assumed was the entirety of the commonwealth. This would launch the early coal and iron mines of the 19th century and along with the mining of precious metals, would lay the groundwork for the Petroleum and Nuclear industry. Economic development would boom overall in California as the Pacific Ports would become the largest cities in the country with the buildup of the shipping, transportation, entertainment, lodging industries booming in these towns with the needs to accommodate the minors continually increasing. Another important side effect was that with the arrival of more immigrants came the development of California's Agriculture industry and land procurement. Finally the Republic of Texas was able to come out of its economic slumber by the end of the 1850's with billions of dollars in gold making its way to the state treasury. The Department of the Treasury had taken up quick actions to create mints in California to exchange the gold for printed coins, Redbacks, and other foreign currencies that it was able to procure with the help of France. By 1861 $1 US Dollar was the equivalent of $.9 Redbacks.
San Francisco 1850 (Right) Largescale goldmining operations near a riverbed (Left)
At the same time while the Rush had brought much growth and financial success to California, there were many conflicts and difficulties that came with the rush. In the beginning the California Commonwealth was hardly developed and there was little infrastructure to take in the large spike in Immigration. There was also little amounts of law and order as only a few hundred Rangers and the established garrisons could protect the hundreds of miles of land and keep order among the population. Racial divisions also arose as different groups of immigrants came into conflict with each other and settlers from the United States frequently attacking the native Tejano and Indian population. The conflicts with the Native lands had caused multiple tribes of California to apply for citizenship during 1848/49, causing their land to be protected by law and causing many miners to ignore it and claim it as their own. There was also one final problem that came to the realization of the politicians at Austin. With the new wave of settlers coming in there would be tens of thousands of people who would gain citizenship, men who could instantly change the political demographic and potentially open their own parties. Needing to act fast in order to solve the crisis, Congress would be active for most of 1849 and Bipartisan bills were passed in order to take care of the immigrants, get the gold, establish order, and get more votes to their side. The first action that would be taken was a huge increase in funding for the Texas Army to be increased a Division of 5,000 men with their forces being split into half with two regiments, one stationed in California, the other Texas. The Texas Rangers were also given the same amount of treatment with hundreds of men being recruited over California in 1849 in order to keep order within the Commonwealth. Most of the Army and Rangers were deployed to California at this time so that they could enforce the national and commonwealth laws, insure a fair distribution of land and gold, and preventing any race riots or abuse of workers by some of the white leaders of the Gold Rush. When it came to the issue of citizenship, the Republicans pushed heavily for a constitutional amendment to increase the time to become a citizen, something which the Western Unionists were open to as well. An Amendment was passed in 1849 that stated that all immigrants who arrived that year would have their citizenship status increased from 6 months to 6 years. In the meantime they were welcome to stay as Residents and would have their rights be protected by the constitution. The Partisan division over race and ethnicity would divide even more during this time as the Western Unionists wanted the Americans to come in droves to California while also encouraging more Indians to become citizens to gain votes, something that caused a division in the party. The Republicans encouraged native Texans to go west and become Californian while also giving preferential treatment in Immigration to Tejanos and Germans. The Chinese were also a new factor as they now formed a large minority group in Texas with thousands of votes coming into play in the mid-50's. There were some calls to ban Asian immigration, though they never managed to gain much attraction in congress as they same law could've been applied to Hispanics and Europeans later on, while many in Texas found the Chinese to be a valuable citizen as they would work hard and do it for a cheap price. Overall most Chinese would slowly go the side of the Republicans as many calls for banning had come from the Western Unionists and the Republicans had created a care system for immigrant voters similar to Tammany Hall. The Department of Immigration and Customs would increase exponentially in this period and it soon became the largest department in Austin. In order to solve the issue of gold acquiring and economic development, Congress passed laws pouring millions of funding into infrastructure development and for the expansion of the Department of the Treasury to create new mint shops in California. Loans were also taken from the United States and Europe, while many prominent individuals and families in Texas would fund their own little gold companies for California such as the exiled Bourbons who used their large wealth to practically create the city of San Francisco, while gaining a fortune of near $765 Million Redbacks in today's money. By the time the mid-1850's had settled, California became a largely populated Commonwealth with over 400,000 in terms of population and an equal, if not greater amount of economic development compared to main Texas. California would soon become the second heart of the Republic and launch Texas into the global economy with the creation of trade with Asia and virtual control of shipping in North America from the Pacific. The largescale influx of migrants and development would also cause the devolution of the region into California, Arizona, and Deseret during President Crockett's term.
The Chinese Texas (Right) Texas Rangers protecting an Indian tribe from Immigrant attacks (Center) Gold Texas coin created to celebrate the Centennial of the Gold Rush (Left)
The rest of the domestic policies for Lamar's term besides the amount of investment dedicated to California, was focused on two things; roads and trains. Most people at the time chose to immigrate to California by sea as the journey from Texas to California would involve crossing hundreds of miles of prairies, deserts, rivers, and mountains. This would mean months of travel on land and a huge delay in trade between the two sides of the Republic. Another important issue was the crossing into the Rio Grande, while Texans had free travel through the land due to the Southwestern Union, it was not under there control and the strip of land was near lawless in several parts. The Department of Railroads and Transportation was created in 1849 and millions of funding was also given to the extensive creation of railroads and the development of stone roads for travel between towns. By the end of Lamar's term, the first stone roads were being laid down with a network of road travel starting to form in Eastern Texas. Dozens of miles of railroad track were also laid down with the goal to reach the Rio Grande by 1859. Funding for the railroads had also come from the United States as many southern businessman had wanted to use Texas as a connection to sale their cotton to the Pacific. The development of these roads did come into an early conflict with Indian tribes though according to their lands. The response of the Lamar administration was to use the State Department to work several treaties to try and gain the land, with high offers of money for the sale. With the extensive and large task to coordinate the building of the roads in the Republic, the calls for new Commonwealths to be created from California began to be born. Finally, negotiations took place with the Rio Grande, and Texas Ragners would be allowed to escort caravans across the border to California. Negotiations over the sale of the New Mexican territory would also start and would be finalized in the Burnett administration. Although Texas would not be fully connected to California by the end of Lamar's term, the travel time did reduce by some weeks, and the groundwork was being laid for the eventual construction of the Continental Railroad in the 1860's.
The first locomotives in Texas
In terms of foreign affairs after the Border War, actions were taken to increase ties with the Republic of Yucatan while the border with Mexico was increasingly strengthened. Texas trade had flourished with Europe at this time as the United States was still recovering economically from the Oregon War, and the mass chaos from the revolution had caused an increased need for food exports from the new world. In 1847, Texas had recognized the sovereignty of the German Empire and became one of the first to recognize Hungary's independence. A formal embassy was set up in Berlin in 1849 with the Germans opening up a counterpart that same year in Austin. The same action was done with Budapest, but both nations kept it at a consular level. When the German Empire was born, close relations were maintained between the two nations due to Texas's German heritage and the continued rise of German immigrants in the 1850's, and the two established a close trade relationship in the 1850's. Any military aid was halted though due to the pressure coming from Napoleon. This formed an even larger partisan divide in Texas due to the Republicans wanting to ally with Germany, while the Western Union wanted to maintain relations with the French. Finally, missions were created by the State Department at the end of Lamar's term to be set off in 1850 and establish contact and trade with China.
Poster created by Adelsverein to promote German culture in Texas
When 1850 came around, Lamar finally stepped down as President due to reaching his constitutional term limits. When he had left office he was a very popular man and had numerous accomplishments under his belt due to protecting Texas's independence, sustaining economic and education development, winning the Border Wars, and the Gold Rush. Due to these successes the Republicans nominated Vice President David Burnett for the Presidency. The Western Unionists had in turn nominated Senator James Henderson. The race while expected to be a Republican landslide, turned out to be a close call as many American and French immigrants had arrived in Lamar's final term while numerous tribes were accepted for citizenship and would tend to vote for the Western Union. Additionally Burnett while an established politician, had little to no charisma and performed poorly in the national debate. It was only over 1,000 votes that had saved Burnett from losing the Presidency again, the Republic spike in voting attributed to the arrival of German refugees from the Unification War. While Burnett was elected to the Presidency, the Western Union was finally able to gain control of the Senate with a 16(W)-14(R) lead in the house while the gap in the House had closed to 30 (W)-37 (R). It was showing that Texas was slowly losing its one party status and that the Western Union would soon gain control.
1850 Texas Presidential Elections
Burnett/Zandt (R): 16,643. 51.72%
Henderson/Wood (W): 15,532. 48.28%
"Gold! Gold! I've found me some Gold!"- Doug Walker 1848
"Come to Texas! Get cheap Land and the opportunity to become your own king with the California Gold Mines."- Immigration Ad 1849
"I'm glad that we're receiving more people but the problem is they're coming too fast. We've got way too many Asians and those Americans are flocking to the Western Union in droves. We've got to keep the Germans and Tejanos on our side while we build up the Chinese vote. Never thought I'd be saying that."- President Mirabeau B. Lamar 1849
In 1848 as the German/Hungarian wars were winding down and the Oregon War was coming to a conclusion, the Republic of Texas once more settled back into tranquility. Just the year earlier Texas had once more managed to defeat the rogue Mexican governors in the Border Wars and they had managed to gain a nice slice of Sonora in the deal as well. The first year of Lamar's final term was rather quiet as his policies were still being put into effect by the Republican dominated congress (though the Unionists were gaining more ground each election), more land was being settled west and two more tribes and joined the citizen program, immigration was increasing due to the refugees from the revolution, trade with America was at an all time-high, and there was little conflict in the west save for the occasional rogue Indian attack and outlaw. Everything was fine. Then come 1848, the destiny of Texas and its importance on the world stage would be changed forever. Early in March 1848, Texas Rangers Doug and Rob Walker, were searching for minerals in the stream near their lands in modern day Coloma due to Rob reporting the sight of metal. On March 12th, Doug Walker was reported to have discovered the first amounts of gold on there lands by digging up a near 2 Pounds of gold. Initially the two brothers wanted to keep the affair quiet so that they could collect it all to themselves. This silence would not last as the Rangers had to hire more men from the region to get higher quantities dug up. A Tejano worker leaked the news of the gold to a reporter at the Monterrey Gazette, and soon an editorial was published within on August 19th which proclaimed that Gold was spotted in California. Soon the news began to spread all over the Commonwealth in weeks and it managed to reach Texas around two months later. On December 5th, President Lamar addressed congress on the matter where he proclaimed that in an report that he had received from the Texas Rangers company in Monterrey, that gold had been sighted and California did have multiple confirmed deposits. After that address the news was spread all over Texas by the Houston Chronicle and word would reach the United States, Latin America, and Europe months later. The California Gold Rush had begun.
Areas of the Gold Rush in California
During the first year of the gold rush the miners were mostly Californians who lived in the North and had managed to get in on the early discoveries making them richer than most Texans at the time. In 1849 this would all change as nearly 350,000 immigrants would arrive in Texas during this year. The forty-niners as they were called, came from all over the world with the highest places of origin being the United States, Mexico, the Yucatan, Rio Grande, Chile, China, Australia, Britain, France, and Germany. Seemingly overnight, California sprung up from a small and quiet backwater part of Texas, to a huge Commonwealth with bustling towns all over California and the Pacific ports having become the size of their American counterparts in a matter of months. Gold was developed in three stages with the first being river panhandling, the second hydraulic mining, and the third dredging. The last two stages were also the inventions of such techniques and come to play a major role in Texas with the discovery of Oil during the turn of the 20th Century. From 1848-1856, California was nearly stripped dry of its early deposits with an estimated $ 65 Billion Redbacks in Gold being discovered by the miners. Later gold mining using advanced drilling still continues in some form to this day. Another benefit of the Gold Rush was the fact that mining also began in the modern day Commonwealths of Arizona and Deseret as the discoveries of gold were only reported to be in California, which some people assumed was the entirety of the commonwealth. This would launch the early coal and iron mines of the 19th century and along with the mining of precious metals, would lay the groundwork for the Petroleum and Nuclear industry. Economic development would boom overall in California as the Pacific Ports would become the largest cities in the country with the buildup of the shipping, transportation, entertainment, lodging industries booming in these towns with the needs to accommodate the minors continually increasing. Another important side effect was that with the arrival of more immigrants came the development of California's Agriculture industry and land procurement. Finally the Republic of Texas was able to come out of its economic slumber by the end of the 1850's with billions of dollars in gold making its way to the state treasury. The Department of the Treasury had taken up quick actions to create mints in California to exchange the gold for printed coins, Redbacks, and other foreign currencies that it was able to procure with the help of France. By 1861 $1 US Dollar was the equivalent of $.9 Redbacks.
San Francisco 1850 (Right) Largescale goldmining operations near a riverbed (Left)
At the same time while the Rush had brought much growth and financial success to California, there were many conflicts and difficulties that came with the rush. In the beginning the California Commonwealth was hardly developed and there was little infrastructure to take in the large spike in Immigration. There was also little amounts of law and order as only a few hundred Rangers and the established garrisons could protect the hundreds of miles of land and keep order among the population. Racial divisions also arose as different groups of immigrants came into conflict with each other and settlers from the United States frequently attacking the native Tejano and Indian population. The conflicts with the Native lands had caused multiple tribes of California to apply for citizenship during 1848/49, causing their land to be protected by law and causing many miners to ignore it and claim it as their own. There was also one final problem that came to the realization of the politicians at Austin. With the new wave of settlers coming in there would be tens of thousands of people who would gain citizenship, men who could instantly change the political demographic and potentially open their own parties. Needing to act fast in order to solve the crisis, Congress would be active for most of 1849 and Bipartisan bills were passed in order to take care of the immigrants, get the gold, establish order, and get more votes to their side. The first action that would be taken was a huge increase in funding for the Texas Army to be increased a Division of 5,000 men with their forces being split into half with two regiments, one stationed in California, the other Texas. The Texas Rangers were also given the same amount of treatment with hundreds of men being recruited over California in 1849 in order to keep order within the Commonwealth. Most of the Army and Rangers were deployed to California at this time so that they could enforce the national and commonwealth laws, insure a fair distribution of land and gold, and preventing any race riots or abuse of workers by some of the white leaders of the Gold Rush. When it came to the issue of citizenship, the Republicans pushed heavily for a constitutional amendment to increase the time to become a citizen, something which the Western Unionists were open to as well. An Amendment was passed in 1849 that stated that all immigrants who arrived that year would have their citizenship status increased from 6 months to 6 years. In the meantime they were welcome to stay as Residents and would have their rights be protected by the constitution. The Partisan division over race and ethnicity would divide even more during this time as the Western Unionists wanted the Americans to come in droves to California while also encouraging more Indians to become citizens to gain votes, something that caused a division in the party. The Republicans encouraged native Texans to go west and become Californian while also giving preferential treatment in Immigration to Tejanos and Germans. The Chinese were also a new factor as they now formed a large minority group in Texas with thousands of votes coming into play in the mid-50's. There were some calls to ban Asian immigration, though they never managed to gain much attraction in congress as they same law could've been applied to Hispanics and Europeans later on, while many in Texas found the Chinese to be a valuable citizen as they would work hard and do it for a cheap price. Overall most Chinese would slowly go the side of the Republicans as many calls for banning had come from the Western Unionists and the Republicans had created a care system for immigrant voters similar to Tammany Hall. The Department of Immigration and Customs would increase exponentially in this period and it soon became the largest department in Austin. In order to solve the issue of gold acquiring and economic development, Congress passed laws pouring millions of funding into infrastructure development and for the expansion of the Department of the Treasury to create new mint shops in California. Loans were also taken from the United States and Europe, while many prominent individuals and families in Texas would fund their own little gold companies for California such as the exiled Bourbons who used their large wealth to practically create the city of San Francisco, while gaining a fortune of near $765 Million Redbacks in today's money. By the time the mid-1850's had settled, California became a largely populated Commonwealth with over 400,000 in terms of population and an equal, if not greater amount of economic development compared to main Texas. California would soon become the second heart of the Republic and launch Texas into the global economy with the creation of trade with Asia and virtual control of shipping in North America from the Pacific. The largescale influx of migrants and development would also cause the devolution of the region into California, Arizona, and Deseret during President Crockett's term.
The Chinese Texas (Right) Texas Rangers protecting an Indian tribe from Immigrant attacks (Center) Gold Texas coin created to celebrate the Centennial of the Gold Rush (Left)
The rest of the domestic policies for Lamar's term besides the amount of investment dedicated to California, was focused on two things; roads and trains. Most people at the time chose to immigrate to California by sea as the journey from Texas to California would involve crossing hundreds of miles of prairies, deserts, rivers, and mountains. This would mean months of travel on land and a huge delay in trade between the two sides of the Republic. Another important issue was the crossing into the Rio Grande, while Texans had free travel through the land due to the Southwestern Union, it was not under there control and the strip of land was near lawless in several parts. The Department of Railroads and Transportation was created in 1849 and millions of funding was also given to the extensive creation of railroads and the development of stone roads for travel between towns. By the end of Lamar's term, the first stone roads were being laid down with a network of road travel starting to form in Eastern Texas. Dozens of miles of railroad track were also laid down with the goal to reach the Rio Grande by 1859. Funding for the railroads had also come from the United States as many southern businessman had wanted to use Texas as a connection to sale their cotton to the Pacific. The development of these roads did come into an early conflict with Indian tribes though according to their lands. The response of the Lamar administration was to use the State Department to work several treaties to try and gain the land, with high offers of money for the sale. With the extensive and large task to coordinate the building of the roads in the Republic, the calls for new Commonwealths to be created from California began to be born. Finally, negotiations took place with the Rio Grande, and Texas Ragners would be allowed to escort caravans across the border to California. Negotiations over the sale of the New Mexican territory would also start and would be finalized in the Burnett administration. Although Texas would not be fully connected to California by the end of Lamar's term, the travel time did reduce by some weeks, and the groundwork was being laid for the eventual construction of the Continental Railroad in the 1860's.
The first locomotives in Texas
In terms of foreign affairs after the Border War, actions were taken to increase ties with the Republic of Yucatan while the border with Mexico was increasingly strengthened. Texas trade had flourished with Europe at this time as the United States was still recovering economically from the Oregon War, and the mass chaos from the revolution had caused an increased need for food exports from the new world. In 1847, Texas had recognized the sovereignty of the German Empire and became one of the first to recognize Hungary's independence. A formal embassy was set up in Berlin in 1849 with the Germans opening up a counterpart that same year in Austin. The same action was done with Budapest, but both nations kept it at a consular level. When the German Empire was born, close relations were maintained between the two nations due to Texas's German heritage and the continued rise of German immigrants in the 1850's, and the two established a close trade relationship in the 1850's. Any military aid was halted though due to the pressure coming from Napoleon. This formed an even larger partisan divide in Texas due to the Republicans wanting to ally with Germany, while the Western Union wanted to maintain relations with the French. Finally, missions were created by the State Department at the end of Lamar's term to be set off in 1850 and establish contact and trade with China.
Poster created by Adelsverein to promote German culture in Texas
When 1850 came around, Lamar finally stepped down as President due to reaching his constitutional term limits. When he had left office he was a very popular man and had numerous accomplishments under his belt due to protecting Texas's independence, sustaining economic and education development, winning the Border Wars, and the Gold Rush. Due to these successes the Republicans nominated Vice President David Burnett for the Presidency. The Western Unionists had in turn nominated Senator James Henderson. The race while expected to be a Republican landslide, turned out to be a close call as many American and French immigrants had arrived in Lamar's final term while numerous tribes were accepted for citizenship and would tend to vote for the Western Union. Additionally Burnett while an established politician, had little to no charisma and performed poorly in the national debate. It was only over 1,000 votes that had saved Burnett from losing the Presidency again, the Republic spike in voting attributed to the arrival of German refugees from the Unification War. While Burnett was elected to the Presidency, the Western Union was finally able to gain control of the Senate with a 16(W)-14(R) lead in the house while the gap in the House had closed to 30 (W)-37 (R). It was showing that Texas was slowly losing its one party status and that the Western Union would soon gain control.
1850 Texas Presidential Elections
Burnett/Zandt (R): 16,643. 51.72%
Henderson/Wood (W): 15,532. 48.28%
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Chapter 50 The Burnet Administration
Chapter 50 The Burnet Administration
"Thank God the President was able to buy the rest of New Mexico from the Rio Grande. Looking back, giving the western portion of that state to that backwater country was a stupid idea. Hell, I think supporting the Rio Grande may have been my biggest mistake."- Stephen F. Austin 1851
"Okay first off, some random American telegram company decides to steal the name of our opposition. Then Lincoln decides to steal our party name. The Americans know nothing but plagiarism with when it comes to Texas."- President Mirabeau Lamar 1860
"I am proud to announce that with my official election as President of Texas, our grand Republic shall be many lone stars among one. May God bless the future commonwealths of Arizona and Deseret."- President Davy Crockett 1853
Unlike the precedent setting term of Houston, or the exciting and adventurous times of Lamar, the Presidency of David G. Burnett was rather...dull in comparison. That is not necessarily to say that in and of itself it's a bad thing, but that the domestic affairs of Texas in this time were simply a continuation of Lamar's policies and the middle stages of the economic boom that resulted from the California Gold Rush. Indeed the it could be said that the full effects of Burnett's term would not be felt until Crockett's first term in office. Still while the events of Burnett where never as exciting as America's beginnings of disunity, or Europe's slide into conflict once more, they did mark the beginning of the transition from the Early Republic, to the so called "Wild West Era".
The most prominent event of Burnett's presidency is commonly known to be the annexation of New Mexico from the Rio Grande. Previously the portion of the old Mexican state on the western side of the Rio Grande, had been given to the Republic of Rio Grande in the aftermath of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in order to support the increased latinization of Mexico and further support the Rio Grande's status as a buffer state and hopefully future ally and partner to Texas. When reviewing the treaty, Secretary of State Austin, Vice President Lamar, and President Houston; had all agreed to this boundary as at the time California was not of too much worth and Texans were allowed access due to the Southwestern Union. In the fifteen years since the signing though, all three men had come to regret it. The Rio Grande was increasingly becoming a lawless land with each passing day, leading to Texan travelers coming under attacks by bandits, Comanches, and Apaches. With Western New Mexico lying in Rio Grande territory, there was little attention paid to creating any settlements for checkpoints and trade exchange, leading to dozens of miles of traveling through an endless desert with low supplies for many. Most Texans had to result to either traveling up North in the Rockies or hiring a group of guns to protect them in the wasteland. For years many in the Texas Rangers and the Army had advocated for annexing land so that they could lay down the law in the frontier. For years Austin kept on telling them that they had little funds or need to buy the land, that is until the Gold Rush. With the now millions of Redbacks of gold coming from California, the Republic of Texas soon became financially stable and was able to pay off all of her foreign debts by 1856. The increasing settlement and development of California also prompted the need for a full land connection to increase trade and implement future railroads. The day of the California panhandle would be no more. In the beginning of his term, President Burnet made an offer to Rio Grande President Pancho Gomez to buy the entirety of the Western New Mexico for $3 Million Redbacks (40 Million Rio Grande Pesos), this offer was immediately accepted by President Gomez as he could use the money for personal usage and the payment of loyal men in the army for the then ongoing, and future unrest within the Rio Grande. Both Presidents met in the border town of Laredo and the Treaty of Laredo was signed on August 14th, 1850. The terms of the treaty were simply just Texas buying the territory for 3 Million Redbacks, the reaffirmation of existing borders, and a renewal of the defense pact against Mexico. After the treaty was gained, congress passed a bill which would transfer control to the Commonwealth of California, which President Burnett approved and was handed over to Governor Alejandro Verde on December 24th, an exchange that was said to be the greatest Christmas present in history. Until the territory's division between Arizona and Deseret, Governor Verde spent a good amount of new revenue on building midway towns for trade in the new territory, as well as creating stations for the Texas Rangers so that law and order would be established in the new lands. This task would prove hard to initiate as the native Apache were fierce resistors of their new owners.
Borders of North America in 1851
The rest of the domestic policies of Burnet's term could be described as a mere continuation of Lamar's goals and plans. The continued funding of industrialization, more building of railroads and roads, greater development of trade, continued education, and keeping of law and order on the frontier. The domestic part of Burnet's term should not be focused on the changes that he put through, but rather the effects Texas underwent during this time. Industrialization while small in comparison to the north of the United States, was starting to grow and by 1853 was approximately 10% of the economy. This came in the form of the so called TSLG's of Texas; textiles, shipbuilding, lumber, and gunworks. Mining at the same time was starting to become an equal part in the primary sector in comparison to agriculture as the mining of California's gold was at its height in 1850-51 and high amounts of iron and coal were starting to be produced from Central California (Deseret). With the craze of the gold rush finally ending and the first immigration boom largely receding, California's economy started to diversify as many of the immigrants who had not struck rich with gold, started to pour their work into the service industry and became hired hands of the established agriculture economy of California for the citrus vineyards. The excess amount of revenue from the gold also prompted the beginning of integrated roads and the production of railroads within California as well as the state of Texas. A new railroad company called Western Pacific had been propped up by American immigrant Timothy McLaughlin, and began the process of building up a railroad from San Francisco to San Diego, with the goal of completion by 1857. At the same time roads were starting to be built up between the coastal cities and ocean trade between the Gulf of Mexico and California was starting to become regular. Education was making great strides with a reported 65% literacy rating in 1850 according to the census. Finally in terms of the domestic peace in Texas, conflicts with Indians were lessened in Burnet's term as the President was not as gun-ho as his predecessor on using the army to frequently attack hostile tribes. Crime was still high in some parts of the frontier, and was rapidly growing with the immigrant influx in California, but steps were being taken to counter it with the large increase and near limitless powers that the Texas Rangers were given in this era. It was an tense, but peaceful domestic situation that wouldn't erupt until the mid 1850's with the beginning of the Apache Wars and the Mormon Rebellion. Overall though, Texas still continued its path of growth both in all aspects of the economy, territory, and population. California was beginning its golden years while the state of Texas was becoming a region with the same level of power comparable to the American states of Virginia or Ohio. It was a time not of change, but rather of growth.
As it would be throughout most of the 1850's, the Burnet administration had little crises or large situations in foreign affairs. Besides the annexation of New Mexico, the only major foreign deals during Burnett's term were the Naval Alliance with the Yucatan and the opening of Asian contacts. In the aftermath of the Border Wars, the Yucatan became jealous of Texas's role in it as they had essentially led the way in the Blockade of Mexico and the Yucatan would've been powerless to do anything even though they now had several key ports in Latin America. Yucatani President Santiago Mendez therefore asked President Burnet for the Texas Navy to assist in the creation of a Yucatan Navy with France providing the ships. Burnet agreed and sent Commodore Wheelwright along with five ships of the Gulf Fleet to Merida in order to train the new Yucatani Navy. This mission lasted for five years until 1855, and at its completion Yucatan now had a 10 ship navy that was on a competence level with the Peruvian Confederation. It was also a sign of increasing friendship between Texas and Yucatan that would prove significant in the Mexican War. On the subject of the Asian contacts, Texas had been quick to open up trade with the colonies of Australia, Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies during Burnet's term. The Pacific squadron was unable to open up trade with Japan or China, but they would later be able to enter these markets after the Second Opium War and the Seymour expedition. When it came to European affairs such as the Crimean War and the War of Italian Unification/Sardinian Heresy, Texas would stay neutral in these conflicts and mostly deal with the aftermath in terms of dealing with the new waves of immigrants. Somewhat of a problem that Texas was starting to share with the United States.
The last important foreign development of note was the recognition of the new Second French Empire and Napoleon III's rule as Emperor of the French in 1851. In his four years since ascension as President, Napoleon had managed to manipulate his way further into power with the support of the Catholic/Monarchist/Conservative wing of the Second Republic. Over time Napoleon's opposition grew and soon a Republican/Socialist bloc formed in parliament that was able to reach a majority and were seeking the goal of ousting Napoleon from power so that the Republic could be saved. This would not be however, as Napoleon had gained the support of the army and launched a coup on the night of December 1st to gain control of Paris and crown himself as Emperor. The coup was successful and soon thousands of members of the opposition were arrested, soon after a plebiscite on the 21st had confirmed Napoleon as the Emperor with an overwhelming 92% majority, something many of his critics and anti-french politicians cried foul over. Back within Texas, the parties were at an immense divide. The Republicans decried this as an illegal coup and that the current treaties with the new French Empire should be null and void while Texas's relationship should move towards Germany. The Western Union wanted to stay with Napoleon as the French alliance was still necessary for trade and defense against Mexico. The situation was further complicated by Louis Phillipe who tried to rally the French-Texans in Nacogdoches to force Austin away from France, which lead to more divisions and the fears of another French Spring, something that was thankfully averted due to the quick deployment of the 1st Company of the Texas Rangers. President Burnet further complicated matters by ambiguously stating that it might be time for Texas to search for new friends in the world. The argument was settled next January when a telegram arrived from Napoleon offering a renewal of the treaties. In addition Napoleon also sweetened the deal by offering the addition of 4,000 troops, a cancellation of part of Texas's debts to France, increased addition of 20,000 French settlers, and the construction of a base in the California Peninsula. Apparently Napoleon held an active interest in the Americas and saw Texas as a key nation to preserve French power within the Western hemisphere. Burnet's leaning towards the gracious terms where later confirmed as the first ambassador to Germany Prince Carl, stated that Germany could not offer much in way of foreign support or defense at the moment. So the alliance was once again renewed by congress on March 2nd, much to the dismay of the German Republicans and French Royalists. It would later be found out in the coming years that Napoleon's offer of addition settlers was actually another method of getting rid of the opposition in French through forced exile to the Republic. Through this, Texas received famed politicians such as Adolphe Thiers (a man who was key in forming the alliance with Texas and later enemy to Louis-Phillipe, ironically the two would later be neighbors in Nacogdoches) along with key figures of French culture such as Victor Hugo, causing a renaissance in Franco-Texan culture.
Napoleon Bonaparte III (Right) Rise of the Second French Empire (Center) Victor Hugo, one of Texas's greatest authors (Left)
In the months leading up to the 1853, many expected for Burnet to possibly receive a second term. He had done well as President and there were few negative aspects of his administration. One main issue that he had leading up to the election though was his aforementioned handling of Napoleon, as it had cost him several key members of the German vote who wanted to ally with their homeland, and the French Royalists with Louis Phillipe now becoming a member of the Western Union, soon becoming its biggest financer. The biggest hit to Burnet's chances though was the Unionist nominee. After losing three straight elections, the Western Union feared losing a fourth time and fading into obscurity like the Federalists of the United States. Though they were performing better in the legislative branch, they had to support a man who would easily secure them victory. After some weeks of debating, in early 1853 they chose the one member of the party who had the charm, charisma, intelligence, and fame to win them the Presidency. That man was Davy Crockett. In the past Davy Crockett had served as a member of congress from 1838-1848 in the House of Representatives, The now sixty-seven year old man was content with his lot in life and wanted to go on one final adventure. It took a great amount of begging from several members of the party, and it wasn't until a talk with Sam Houston that Crockett decided to throw his coon hat into the ring. As soon as he announced his candidacy, Burnet was done for. A supermajority of the American-Texans still loved Crockett from his years as a frontiersmen back east, and they loved him even more for being a hero of the Revolution. He was a man universally loved by all and had support from all sorts of groups of people with his friendly relations with the Indians, close ties with the French (he had saved Louis Phillipe's life once from a pack of wolves), respect among the Tejanos, and history in helping the Germans to settle, there were very few Texans who said that they could hate Davy Crockett. He also ran on a solid platform by promoting the decentralization of Texas with the promise of the new commonwealths of Deseret and Arizona, winning him the Mormon vote. Crockett also promised to support the rangers, shift focus back to agriculture, reduce tariffs on all nations, and give greater powers to California while promoting trade. When performing at the Presidential Debate, President Burnet was able to hold up on his own with clear straight answers and sound arguments to Crockett's positions. Yet at the same time the crowd cheered every time Crockett spoke due to his natural charm. Burnett knew he was done for and yet at the same time he couldn't regret his position, "I may lose the election, but at least I actually got to be President and did alot of good. Crockett's an alright guy, at least I'll lose to him." With the end of the election, Davy Crockett was able to win in a huge landslide over his opponent. The Western Union party was also able to reap off of Crockett's coattails with a now majority in the Senate (19-14) and the House (41-34). The Crockett Years and the rise of the Western Union, would soon begin.
1853 Presidential Elections
Burnet/Zandt (R): 16,211 39.4%
Crockett/Jones (W): 24,983 60.6%
"Thank God the President was able to buy the rest of New Mexico from the Rio Grande. Looking back, giving the western portion of that state to that backwater country was a stupid idea. Hell, I think supporting the Rio Grande may have been my biggest mistake."- Stephen F. Austin 1851
"Okay first off, some random American telegram company decides to steal the name of our opposition. Then Lincoln decides to steal our party name. The Americans know nothing but plagiarism with when it comes to Texas."- President Mirabeau Lamar 1860
"I am proud to announce that with my official election as President of Texas, our grand Republic shall be many lone stars among one. May God bless the future commonwealths of Arizona and Deseret."- President Davy Crockett 1853
Unlike the precedent setting term of Houston, or the exciting and adventurous times of Lamar, the Presidency of David G. Burnett was rather...dull in comparison. That is not necessarily to say that in and of itself it's a bad thing, but that the domestic affairs of Texas in this time were simply a continuation of Lamar's policies and the middle stages of the economic boom that resulted from the California Gold Rush. Indeed the it could be said that the full effects of Burnett's term would not be felt until Crockett's first term in office. Still while the events of Burnett where never as exciting as America's beginnings of disunity, or Europe's slide into conflict once more, they did mark the beginning of the transition from the Early Republic, to the so called "Wild West Era".
The most prominent event of Burnett's presidency is commonly known to be the annexation of New Mexico from the Rio Grande. Previously the portion of the old Mexican state on the western side of the Rio Grande, had been given to the Republic of Rio Grande in the aftermath of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in order to support the increased latinization of Mexico and further support the Rio Grande's status as a buffer state and hopefully future ally and partner to Texas. When reviewing the treaty, Secretary of State Austin, Vice President Lamar, and President Houston; had all agreed to this boundary as at the time California was not of too much worth and Texans were allowed access due to the Southwestern Union. In the fifteen years since the signing though, all three men had come to regret it. The Rio Grande was increasingly becoming a lawless land with each passing day, leading to Texan travelers coming under attacks by bandits, Comanches, and Apaches. With Western New Mexico lying in Rio Grande territory, there was little attention paid to creating any settlements for checkpoints and trade exchange, leading to dozens of miles of traveling through an endless desert with low supplies for many. Most Texans had to result to either traveling up North in the Rockies or hiring a group of guns to protect them in the wasteland. For years many in the Texas Rangers and the Army had advocated for annexing land so that they could lay down the law in the frontier. For years Austin kept on telling them that they had little funds or need to buy the land, that is until the Gold Rush. With the now millions of Redbacks of gold coming from California, the Republic of Texas soon became financially stable and was able to pay off all of her foreign debts by 1856. The increasing settlement and development of California also prompted the need for a full land connection to increase trade and implement future railroads. The day of the California panhandle would be no more. In the beginning of his term, President Burnet made an offer to Rio Grande President Pancho Gomez to buy the entirety of the Western New Mexico for $3 Million Redbacks (40 Million Rio Grande Pesos), this offer was immediately accepted by President Gomez as he could use the money for personal usage and the payment of loyal men in the army for the then ongoing, and future unrest within the Rio Grande. Both Presidents met in the border town of Laredo and the Treaty of Laredo was signed on August 14th, 1850. The terms of the treaty were simply just Texas buying the territory for 3 Million Redbacks, the reaffirmation of existing borders, and a renewal of the defense pact against Mexico. After the treaty was gained, congress passed a bill which would transfer control to the Commonwealth of California, which President Burnett approved and was handed over to Governor Alejandro Verde on December 24th, an exchange that was said to be the greatest Christmas present in history. Until the territory's division between Arizona and Deseret, Governor Verde spent a good amount of new revenue on building midway towns for trade in the new territory, as well as creating stations for the Texas Rangers so that law and order would be established in the new lands. This task would prove hard to initiate as the native Apache were fierce resistors of their new owners.
Borders of North America in 1851
The rest of the domestic policies of Burnet's term could be described as a mere continuation of Lamar's goals and plans. The continued funding of industrialization, more building of railroads and roads, greater development of trade, continued education, and keeping of law and order on the frontier. The domestic part of Burnet's term should not be focused on the changes that he put through, but rather the effects Texas underwent during this time. Industrialization while small in comparison to the north of the United States, was starting to grow and by 1853 was approximately 10% of the economy. This came in the form of the so called TSLG's of Texas; textiles, shipbuilding, lumber, and gunworks. Mining at the same time was starting to become an equal part in the primary sector in comparison to agriculture as the mining of California's gold was at its height in 1850-51 and high amounts of iron and coal were starting to be produced from Central California (Deseret). With the craze of the gold rush finally ending and the first immigration boom largely receding, California's economy started to diversify as many of the immigrants who had not struck rich with gold, started to pour their work into the service industry and became hired hands of the established agriculture economy of California for the citrus vineyards. The excess amount of revenue from the gold also prompted the beginning of integrated roads and the production of railroads within California as well as the state of Texas. A new railroad company called Western Pacific had been propped up by American immigrant Timothy McLaughlin, and began the process of building up a railroad from San Francisco to San Diego, with the goal of completion by 1857. At the same time roads were starting to be built up between the coastal cities and ocean trade between the Gulf of Mexico and California was starting to become regular. Education was making great strides with a reported 65% literacy rating in 1850 according to the census. Finally in terms of the domestic peace in Texas, conflicts with Indians were lessened in Burnet's term as the President was not as gun-ho as his predecessor on using the army to frequently attack hostile tribes. Crime was still high in some parts of the frontier, and was rapidly growing with the immigrant influx in California, but steps were being taken to counter it with the large increase and near limitless powers that the Texas Rangers were given in this era. It was an tense, but peaceful domestic situation that wouldn't erupt until the mid 1850's with the beginning of the Apache Wars and the Mormon Rebellion. Overall though, Texas still continued its path of growth both in all aspects of the economy, territory, and population. California was beginning its golden years while the state of Texas was becoming a region with the same level of power comparable to the American states of Virginia or Ohio. It was a time not of change, but rather of growth.
As it would be throughout most of the 1850's, the Burnet administration had little crises or large situations in foreign affairs. Besides the annexation of New Mexico, the only major foreign deals during Burnett's term were the Naval Alliance with the Yucatan and the opening of Asian contacts. In the aftermath of the Border Wars, the Yucatan became jealous of Texas's role in it as they had essentially led the way in the Blockade of Mexico and the Yucatan would've been powerless to do anything even though they now had several key ports in Latin America. Yucatani President Santiago Mendez therefore asked President Burnet for the Texas Navy to assist in the creation of a Yucatan Navy with France providing the ships. Burnet agreed and sent Commodore Wheelwright along with five ships of the Gulf Fleet to Merida in order to train the new Yucatani Navy. This mission lasted for five years until 1855, and at its completion Yucatan now had a 10 ship navy that was on a competence level with the Peruvian Confederation. It was also a sign of increasing friendship between Texas and Yucatan that would prove significant in the Mexican War. On the subject of the Asian contacts, Texas had been quick to open up trade with the colonies of Australia, Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies during Burnet's term. The Pacific squadron was unable to open up trade with Japan or China, but they would later be able to enter these markets after the Second Opium War and the Seymour expedition. When it came to European affairs such as the Crimean War and the War of Italian Unification/Sardinian Heresy, Texas would stay neutral in these conflicts and mostly deal with the aftermath in terms of dealing with the new waves of immigrants. Somewhat of a problem that Texas was starting to share with the United States.
The last important foreign development of note was the recognition of the new Second French Empire and Napoleon III's rule as Emperor of the French in 1851. In his four years since ascension as President, Napoleon had managed to manipulate his way further into power with the support of the Catholic/Monarchist/Conservative wing of the Second Republic. Over time Napoleon's opposition grew and soon a Republican/Socialist bloc formed in parliament that was able to reach a majority and were seeking the goal of ousting Napoleon from power so that the Republic could be saved. This would not be however, as Napoleon had gained the support of the army and launched a coup on the night of December 1st to gain control of Paris and crown himself as Emperor. The coup was successful and soon thousands of members of the opposition were arrested, soon after a plebiscite on the 21st had confirmed Napoleon as the Emperor with an overwhelming 92% majority, something many of his critics and anti-french politicians cried foul over. Back within Texas, the parties were at an immense divide. The Republicans decried this as an illegal coup and that the current treaties with the new French Empire should be null and void while Texas's relationship should move towards Germany. The Western Union wanted to stay with Napoleon as the French alliance was still necessary for trade and defense against Mexico. The situation was further complicated by Louis Phillipe who tried to rally the French-Texans in Nacogdoches to force Austin away from France, which lead to more divisions and the fears of another French Spring, something that was thankfully averted due to the quick deployment of the 1st Company of the Texas Rangers. President Burnet further complicated matters by ambiguously stating that it might be time for Texas to search for new friends in the world. The argument was settled next January when a telegram arrived from Napoleon offering a renewal of the treaties. In addition Napoleon also sweetened the deal by offering the addition of 4,000 troops, a cancellation of part of Texas's debts to France, increased addition of 20,000 French settlers, and the construction of a base in the California Peninsula. Apparently Napoleon held an active interest in the Americas and saw Texas as a key nation to preserve French power within the Western hemisphere. Burnet's leaning towards the gracious terms where later confirmed as the first ambassador to Germany Prince Carl, stated that Germany could not offer much in way of foreign support or defense at the moment. So the alliance was once again renewed by congress on March 2nd, much to the dismay of the German Republicans and French Royalists. It would later be found out in the coming years that Napoleon's offer of addition settlers was actually another method of getting rid of the opposition in French through forced exile to the Republic. Through this, Texas received famed politicians such as Adolphe Thiers (a man who was key in forming the alliance with Texas and later enemy to Louis-Phillipe, ironically the two would later be neighbors in Nacogdoches) along with key figures of French culture such as Victor Hugo, causing a renaissance in Franco-Texan culture.
Napoleon Bonaparte III (Right) Rise of the Second French Empire (Center) Victor Hugo, one of Texas's greatest authors (Left)
In the months leading up to the 1853, many expected for Burnet to possibly receive a second term. He had done well as President and there were few negative aspects of his administration. One main issue that he had leading up to the election though was his aforementioned handling of Napoleon, as it had cost him several key members of the German vote who wanted to ally with their homeland, and the French Royalists with Louis Phillipe now becoming a member of the Western Union, soon becoming its biggest financer. The biggest hit to Burnet's chances though was the Unionist nominee. After losing three straight elections, the Western Union feared losing a fourth time and fading into obscurity like the Federalists of the United States. Though they were performing better in the legislative branch, they had to support a man who would easily secure them victory. After some weeks of debating, in early 1853 they chose the one member of the party who had the charm, charisma, intelligence, and fame to win them the Presidency. That man was Davy Crockett. In the past Davy Crockett had served as a member of congress from 1838-1848 in the House of Representatives, The now sixty-seven year old man was content with his lot in life and wanted to go on one final adventure. It took a great amount of begging from several members of the party, and it wasn't until a talk with Sam Houston that Crockett decided to throw his coon hat into the ring. As soon as he announced his candidacy, Burnet was done for. A supermajority of the American-Texans still loved Crockett from his years as a frontiersmen back east, and they loved him even more for being a hero of the Revolution. He was a man universally loved by all and had support from all sorts of groups of people with his friendly relations with the Indians, close ties with the French (he had saved Louis Phillipe's life once from a pack of wolves), respect among the Tejanos, and history in helping the Germans to settle, there were very few Texans who said that they could hate Davy Crockett. He also ran on a solid platform by promoting the decentralization of Texas with the promise of the new commonwealths of Deseret and Arizona, winning him the Mormon vote. Crockett also promised to support the rangers, shift focus back to agriculture, reduce tariffs on all nations, and give greater powers to California while promoting trade. When performing at the Presidential Debate, President Burnet was able to hold up on his own with clear straight answers and sound arguments to Crockett's positions. Yet at the same time the crowd cheered every time Crockett spoke due to his natural charm. Burnett knew he was done for and yet at the same time he couldn't regret his position, "I may lose the election, but at least I actually got to be President and did alot of good. Crockett's an alright guy, at least I'll lose to him." With the end of the election, Davy Crockett was able to win in a huge landslide over his opponent. The Western Union party was also able to reap off of Crockett's coattails with a now majority in the Senate (19-14) and the House (41-34). The Crockett Years and the rise of the Western Union, would soon begin.
1853 Presidential Elections
Burnet/Zandt (R): 16,211 39.4%
Crockett/Jones (W): 24,983 60.6%
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A slice of the mundane in a world heading for crazy. Ok, sure buying land from the Rio Grande and the electing of Davy Crockett as president isn't actually all that mundane, but it is good to see a calm before the storm that is coming. One thing that piqued my interest while reading was...
Anywho, and enjoyable update and looking forward to whatever you have planned for us next.
I'm not entierly sure what is going to happen here, but I definitely hope you aren't going to hold out on giving us this for long.
Anywho, and enjoyable update and looking forward to whatever you have planned for us next.
Glad to know the Seymour Expedition still occurs, cause I can't imagine a world without anime.
Pieman97405: The Mormon Rebellion is going to take place during Crockett's time as President and will be triggered by the topic of Polygamy. It won't be touched for a few weeks as we are now entering a phase in the timeline that will temporarily shift focus back to Europe in 1852 for the aforementioned conflicts. Unlike the 1846 Revolutions though, it will only consist of 6 posts all together. In order to diversify the story, I will also include two posts on Texas culture. Don't worry though, sometime in early January we will definitely tackle the topic.
MagicalPhantom345: The Seymour expedition is actually an analogue of the Perry Expedition. More on the topic will be covered in a post relating to Asian events. Another thing to note is that anime flourished in Japan due to the aftermath of World War II, the fact that Japan was opened up to foreign powers definitely help in its development.
Here is a sneak peek for future chapters: Chapter 51 The Webster Administration Chapter 52 The Italian Question Chapter 53 The Sardinian Heresy Chapter 54 Culture of the Republic of Texas 1836-1861
This is a really interesting development as to Napoleon III actually succeeding in his 'Grand Scheme of the Americas', which could translate into the Mexican War that happens in the future of this timeline.
Nice update. Thank goodness that ugly ass panhandle is gone. As for what's going to happen to Rio Grande, my guess they will either be reunited with Mexico or annexed by Texas, whom will see either option as the necessary means for stability in the region. Also, what's the status of Hawaii? Will it remain independent or it will be annexed by another nation, such as Texas? And correct if I'm wrong, but it seems that the electoral results don't match with their respective candidates.
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First off I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for correcting my huge mistake with the electoral results in Chapter 50. I don't have a professional editor with me so mistakes are common, it's the first time I ever screwed up with anything that big in a post.
Personally I loved the panhandle as I felt like it was a fun little parody of Texas's OTL borders. There was no way I was ever going to let that continue to modern day though as it wouldn't make any sense geopolitically. I'm not going to spoil too much about the Rio Grande, but let's just say that the fate of the nation is entirely going to be decided in the upcoming Mexican War.
Hawaii as of right now remains an independent Kingdom ruled by its native peoples. By the end of the century though someone is going to take control.
Thanks for reading the updates and stay tuned for more. Chapter 51 might come on Christmas Eve, but if not don't expect anything until the 26th.
Not going to reveal much in how the war starts, but what happens is that the Mexican War is one of Mexican Revanchism to reclaim its lost territories from the "Rebel Republics." I've heavily hinted that Benito Juarez is going to be a main factor ad that the Mexican Army is going to receive aid from Britain. When 1860 comes around, I'm going to dedicate a post to Mexico, Rio Grande, and Southwestern politics to show all of the factors leading up to the war. One thing for sure is that it is going to be far larger than the Mexican Civil War, Border Wars, or Texas Revolution.
The 1910-1919 Border War occurs adding another war to the Mexican-Texan issues?
Joking. There's no way that'll happen in TTL, right?
When the 1910's come around the Great War and the aftereffects are going to be the most important issues in the world. The real question you should be asking is whether or not Mexico is going to get involved and if it's going to be stable around that time. Because if another Pancho Villa came, then Texas would definitely retaliate in full force instead of acting by proxy.
In all honestly I do have rough drafts for Mexico's role in the Great War, but I have two or three paths I'm debating to take that could effect the country and its relations with Texas for the rest of the 20th century. Once the Mexican War is done then I will decide which route it will go. You're not going to have a carbon copy of the same problems as OTL though.
Alcsentre Calanice
Gone Fishin'
Fear not Europe? What shall Europe fear? It's quite unrealistic to have Napoléon III, who called himself a democrat and socialist, say something that reactionary.
It's just a saying that Europe shouldn't have to worry about France's inaction and that they shall become active in continental affairs soon. Napoleon was also somewhat of a reactionary himself if his control of the press and bullshit referendums are to imply anything.
Alcsentre Calanice
Gone Fishin'
Yes, he was authoritarian, but he wasn't really a reactionary. He was supported by the reactionaries some time, but the reactionaries abandoned him after he supported Italian unification. Then, he tried to gain the ssupport of the workers and the unions.
The Texan-Mexican War Mk. 2 created by the British to keep the Texans out of the Great War. Damn those Brits. Aiding extremist groups to overthrow the Mexican Gov. then giving me them tons of supplies to fight the Texans. (Joking)
Are there good end paths and bad end paths for the Lone Star Republics most hated neighbor?
Of course not. That would be unrealistic. But speaking of OTL. With all these differences will you have posts covering the creation of Intelligencs Agencies like the BoI for Texas and America? I wonder how different of a path they'll go down in this TTL compared to OTL.