Here's a wikibox for the
1880 US Presidential Election in
Forgotten No More
Since the fall of the Republican Party, the United States political system has been rather crazed. While before the collapse a noticeable two-party system existed, since only one thing remains constant: the existence of the Federalist Party. The Americans were the most successful opponent to the Federalists, but their existence had been marred with infighting. In fact, in both the 1852 and the 1868 elections, the Party saw opposing members seek the Presidency concurrently. In 1852 it was the result of the rise of the Peacock Americans, a group of former Republicans throughout the Northeast who joined the party and nominated Fernando Wood contrary to the Party founders wishes. In 1868 it would be the nomination of another Peacock American, Nathaniel Prentiss Banks, that would draw the social-radical wing of the party to endorse John Brown. Brown would go on to win Nova Scotia, though it would be Banks who would win the election. Just in 1876, Emerson Unferhow himself would challenge the President's
attempt to a third term and nearly doing it to, taking over 40% of the delegates.
In 1880 Senator Unferhow would become the first non-Peacock American nominee since 1848. Emerson's victory at the Convention that summer would be a victory for the party-members who sought to reform the electoral system, fight for the voting rights of freedmen and women, and reject religious radicalism.
They, not the Workers, were the original leaders of
Reformism. His daring challenge to President Banks in 1876 gave him the ire of many, and the respect of many. He would use this to propel himself early on as the leader the Party needed... And he wasn't a bad candidate, either. Unferhow had been a popular and successful Governor, passing many reforms while balancing the budget. As Senator, he had carried on fighting for his beliefs - in 1879, he would be one of the American Senators that would sign the MRRCA. Emboldened by the failure of Banks in 1876, Unferhow won the nomination to the dismay of the Peacocks that had ruled the Party. Much to their dismay. The threat of an independent American run was great enough to bring Senator Unferhow to the table and in the end there would be compromise: Roscoe Conkling would become the Vice-Presidential nominee, and the Peacock's will have a say in the platform drafting. This may have proven a critical error for Unferhow come election day, when many Peacocks refused to vote for him and many of the people he was appealing to looked at other places. But what was the Senator to do? A Peacock independent run would have been worse yet.
1880 would prove to be, like many elections since the 1850s, somewhat unpredictable. It was a part of the the tumultuous Second Party System that followed the fall of the Republicans, and as a result the successes and prosperity experienced under Whipple did not guarantee the Workers a victory. For one, Whipple was not seeking re-election, preaching the sanctity of Ward's original precedent of one term. There was also the role of the Federalists in the last four years, coming off as sensible supporters of some Workers policies, but drawing the line on others. They had taken this mantle a long time ago, the big government, big picture
Natural Party of Government, and it had succeeded time and time again. Their popularity in the United States had remained stable, ingrained in the nation's persona, even if the last Federalist President was Robert Lee in 1865. In a rather quick affair the party would nominate Secretary of State Frelinghuysen, a man connected with the popular incumbent yet very much so a typical Federalist, and one with grand schemes in mind. Frelinghuysen's campaign became one for the future and outwards. "America must awake," said Frelinghuysen at the 1880 Meeting of American Federalists, "from it's long slumber and resume establishing it's place in History!" In many ways Frelinghuysen's campaign became one of nostalgia and of better things to come at the same time. With economic opportunity blossoming once again, the thought of modernizing the nation and seeking diplomatic and economic endeavors across the globe under the Party that had done so much of that in the past, became a tantalizing offer for the average voter. Frelinghuysen was paired with Senator Allison of Sauk and there can be no question why. Now was the time, if ever, for the Federalists to strike back at the West which one day long ago favored the Federalists. Allison voted for the MRRCA, but also called for changes in the timetable of the removal of gold and silver, and in calling for more silver dollar circulation by the US government.
This would prove troublesome for the Workers Party, who had the rockiest Convention of the summer. Going nearly 80 ballots before selecting a nominee, the refusal of President Whipple to seek a second term almost broke the Party. Early on it had been Representative William Wheeler of New York who seemed poised to take the nomination, with moderate credentials and Northeastern appeal. Vice-President Taylor was determined to become the next President, however, and slowly mounted an insurgency that dragged the ballots out and brought him neck and neck with Wheeler. But this had allowed something else to happen when the name Wilford Woodruff was uttered by disgruntled Christian democrats. The Convention went into a flurry, many remembering what happened when the Christian democrats attempted to overtake the Populist Party. When Woodruff gained support, the Vice-President slowly began taking more and more Wheeler delegates. Finally, both men would compromise and Wheeler would accept the nod for Vice-President in order to end the whole ordeal. Woodruff would announce a campaign for President under a reborn Christian Democratic Party shortly after, and an independent Prohibition campaign would also appear, angered by the Workers dismissal of Prohibition as an immediate goal.
Now these things would spell bad omens for Vice-President Taylor, but he did still represent the incumbent Party, who, under a two party system, perhaps, would have the upper hand. Taylor led a campaign of continuing the hard work started under Whipple, and it had been hard work. Taylor had been a strong Vice-President and the architect of the Party's successes in the Senate. It was he who worked endlessly to get the MRRCA passed and he that oversaw the executive department legislative services under President Whipple. Taylor promised no concrete or major next move, instead aiming for a public view of "continuing the good fight!" Taylor did not want to impress too many with promises that might not come to fruit with the volatile Congressional situation, nor distance himself from the oftentimes radical goals of the Party. As such, his campaign was a reminder of the needs of the nation and that he would continue to fight for those needs.
But with such volatile political times, perhaps he was being a little too reserved. Come Election Day, Frelinghuysen's message would resonate the loudest with the masses and serve him a whopping victory. The American Party floundered, receiving less than 15% of the vote. This had become a worst case scenario for the Party and one that would see Senator Unferhow retire from political life. Frelinghuysen managed to bring in the Federalist base and the majority of disgruntled Americans. His key victories would be in the Mid-Atlantic and New England, succeeding in capitalizing the most from the Americans fall. Vice-President Taylor was ultimately a victim of the chaotic nature of the Second Party System, but for the Workers Party as a whole, the future seemed brighter still as the American Party collapsed. It would be the beginning of the Third Party System in the United States and they would live to fight another day, now, officially, as one of the big dogs.
In the meantime, Frelinghuysen would become the first Federalist elected President in 16 years and the Natural Party of Government would continue to shape History, as it has since the beginning...