alternatehistory.com
Chapter 61 Rise of the Republicans
Chapter 61 Rise of the Republicans
"We of the GOP have always made it our fundamental policy to be a party that would support the prosperity of the average American through common sense and protection of constitutional rights. From the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great War, Civil Rights movement, and the role of past Republican Presidents in leading the mission of OAS, it has been the party's mission to lead America to greatness under the path of righteousness that American exceptionalism has guided our manifest destiny since the Deceleration of Independence. As your newly elected President I will work for the welfare of all Americans so that we may maintain the American dream and show the world why the United States is the number one superpower that will become a thousand year Republic to guide the world on the path of freedom and liberty."- President Douglas Freeman 1981
"I accept this nomination with the highest of honor and gratitude to the delegates here in choosing myself to lead our great Republican party to victory against the Democratic hegemony that makes up Washington. While the Whigs may have been a failure for their bickering on platform and national agenda, we will show the nation come November that the Republican Party is the right path to chose in order to heal the divisions that has torn apart this union so great under the tyranny of Douglas. May God bless our country so that in the event of victory we will not have to experience further discord and can instead work towards the continued prosperity of our great republic."- Republican Presidential nominee Abraham Lincoln 1860
"Son of a bitch! Those damn Americans decided to steal the party name that I had spent days mulling over in late 1840. Stealing my legacy. I'll show them how it is to steal one's intellectual property when we sue their asses in court. Call the Attorney General!"- President Mirabeau Lamar 1854
When William Henry Harrison was elected as President many Americans thought that the two party system had finally stabilized and that for the rest of the century it would be a competition of Democrats versus Whigs. The feeling was quite understandable as the Whigs were the primary opposition in the Jackson Era and enjoyed much success during this time by taking control of the legislature and managing to influence President Johnson in passing many bills created by Whig Senators and Representatives in the '37 Recession. Harrison's Presidency only confirmed that idea as the man managed to recover the American economy to above pre-recession levels and had personally lead the country into its third war against Great Britain and won an immense victory with the addition of Oregon and liberation of Quebec. When President Webster was elected to office it was the start of what many Whigs hoped to be a potential dynasty. Then slavery came in and tore the party apart. While the Whigs could be said to be united by a common set of ideals based on big government and a protectionist form of economics, they were far from united when it came to the matter of whether or not slavery should be abolished. When it came to the issue of slavery the Democrats were united in continuing it not because all members held a universal value over is existence, but more so due to the fact that the party's entire base was centered around the southern states where the idea of abolishing slavery was treated as sheer ludicrous. On the Whigs side was a division between those who wanted abolishment, those who seeked to merely limit it in its current borders, the people who didn't care, and the small minority who supported the practice. In addition to this was increased factionalism in other areas such as social class, regionalism, conservatives and liberals, imperialists and isolationists, etc. Another main divide that rose up in 1854 was the issue of nativism and immigration. Since the end of the 1846 Revolutions, the United States experienced a huge surge of immigrants from Europe, primarily those that came from Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Russia, and Scandinavia. All of these immigrants were men and women who wanted to seek a new life in the United States and achieve the American Dream where their children would live a better life then the one that laid in the home country. Unlike Texas who welcomed the new surge of immigration, the United States became polarized on the issue as many Anglo-Saxon Protestant Americans feared losing the nations homogeneity and having to play second fiddle to the Catholics, Slavs, Germans, Irish, Italians, Hispanics, etc. While most of the Whigs could be said to be pro immigration as the founding fathers intended, a significant faction within the party turned to Nativism in order to drive the immigrants out and protect their jobs from the newcomers. This in turn allowed the Democratic Party to monopolize on Irish, German, and Catholic votes until the change in party policy under the Lincoln and Lee Presidencies. Meanwhile a good number of immigrants who were being snubbed by their new nation decided to head to Texas instead when word reached from their brethren of better conditions. With all of these conditions the Whig Party unofficially disintegrated in the summer of 1854, almost all members switching their party allegiance to either Democrat or Independent. The Douglas Administration looked on in glee as while President Douglas faced significant controversy and opposition to his current slavery policy, the collapse of the Whigs all but signified his reelection and the possibility of a Democrat monopoly on elections for the next generation. Unfortunately for the Democrats, a new party would rise and soon become their eternal rivals for control of America. The Republicans.
After the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act came a small period of uncertainty for many of the former Whigs in Washington. One by one a congressmen left the party each day and the few remaining loyalists of the party who wanted to see a revival gradually gave up trying to go against the current tide. Past Presidents Harrison and Webster were both invited to Washington early that Summer in order to try and unite the party together and find a united stance upon slavery. Both men came on June 5th and gave impassioned speeches on why the Whigs need to maintain unity in order to move forward the agenda that they had been so successful at promoting during their presidencies. Harrison spoke of the good work that they did in the Oregon War and how the Whig Party was needed in the future for America, Webster rebuked many of the congressmen present for flipping out over the Oregon Compromise when it was a sound deal and the reason the Democrats were able to gain in power again. Both men while not fundamental supporters of slavery like the south, both didn't see the need for active abolishment and tried shift party agenda to limit the spread of slavery at the most. At the end of the day a faction of men who were of Nativist origins decided to leave the meeting and set about to create their own political party, since both Harrison and Webster were pro immigration. Those who remained were a mix of men from different walks of life. However, unlike the previous makeup of the Whigs they had several things in common; many of them were from the North, most of Anglo Protestant or Scandinavian origin, fundamental supporters of modernization, and all of whom relative agreed in the ideology of "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Land". While it wasn't the results that Harrison and Webster were looking for in order to save the Whigs, it was an active start for what could be a new party. A later meeting was called at July 6th in Jackson, Michigan so that they could fully discuss any potential plans for what the new third party would be. Word spread out of the meeting and many were invited to participate so that they could have a place in the new party. Among the newcomeers were members of the Free Soil Party who felt that they would not be able to abolish slavery on their own, and Northern Democrats who were tired of Douglas' policies and the control that the Southern Wing had over the party. Many prominent future Republican leaders would be in attendance including John Fremont, Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, James G. Blaine, Charles Sumner, and many more. When the convention started all the delegates were in agreement that the Democratic Party had taken matters too far with their radical shift of the slavery balance and the potential to overturn most of the Whig laws that had been passed. Many still remembered the tyranny of Jackson and they were afraid what would happen if a man like Toombs would become President (later being justified). When it came to ideology there was a swift agreement in retaining the Whig platforms of protectionist economics and the continued pursuit of industrialization and building of infrastructure. On foreign policy there was a gradual want to maintain continental affairs but back off from the imperialist attitudes that was present in many Democrats. Finally on the issue of slavery, it was agreed upon after much debate that the new party's course would be to limit slavery within the current boundaries and make all the western territories free, with the problem of abolishment postponed for a later date. With party mindset being handled all that was left was a name. Many ideas were thrown such as the Neo-Federalist, New Whigs, Constitutionals, American Union, Progressives, or the Reform Party. The issue of the matter was finally resolved when a Texan reporter for the Austin Chronicle was present for the debate and remarked "Well I'll be, you guys look like a bunch of Republicans." The reporter then explained the Republican Party of Texas and how it shared many similar traits to the group gathered in political ideology and stance on slavery, with many members of the electorate and supporters of the Texan Republicans being more anti-slavery then the Western Union. The name sounded good to many of those present and when an official vote came the delegates chose the name Republican Party (ironically affirming Lamar's claims that they stole his idea). With a few more days spent on party structure and new mission for the upcoming midterms, the party became an official organization and soon moved into Washington in the old Whig headquarters. Its new members were given the mission of becoming elected to as many offices as possible with the upcoming midterms while campaigns were created to try and convert many of the Northern politicians to the party.
View attachment 305953
Logo of the Republican Party in 2016
When the 1854 Midterm elections were completed the Republicans managed to win and impressive 20 Senate seats and 84 House seats within Congress. This was able to be achieved due to the near assimilation of the Whigs into the new Republican party and a mix of defections and elections of new original candidates taking place. Unfortunately for the Republicans, this was still not enough as the Democrats held an a majority in both houses with 37 Senators and 132 Representatives, the rest belonging to the American party or Independents. The only benefit of the Democratic majority is that it could be said that with distrust starting to grow against Douglas that the Democrats were far from unified like previously before. While the Republicans tried to establish an identity and grow their movement within the American electorate, their new congressmen were active within Washington. After Kansas-Nebraska the members of the Republican Party all became firmly anti-slavery in one way or another and soon set up to block any pro slavery bills from passing in congress. While they weren't able to meet the task in the Senate most of the time due to the firm Southern control, they had managed to solidify an opposition in the House by allying with Northern Democrats who were either anti-Douglas or anti-slavery. Among the legislation for the 34th Congress that the Republicans did support were measures of modernization and federal funds to help further the creation of industry in New England and the Ohio river region, leading to a huge part in Douglas' success with the railroads. While economics could mostly be agreed upon through debate, all bills related to slavery and western settlement became deadlocked within congress. The only major action that received bipartisan support in relation to slavery was the admittance of Minnesota and the Bahamas into the Union. In the past couple of years both territories had been getting extensive colonization by both the North and the South respectively so that another free/slave state would be admitted into the union and strengthen the balance. There were of course other reasons besides the settlement for slavery such as Minnesota's rich farmland and the Bahamas excellent position as a producer of rum and trade point entering into the Gulf of Mexico. In order to settle the divide and insure equality before the admittance of Kansas though, both states would have to be admitted at the same time, which was achieved on February 4th, 1856. Two more states joining just in time for the election.
While the congressmen in Washington actively debated over the future of the nation, the position of national stability in order was getting worse every day. With the divide on both sides of the political spectrum getting nastier as a result. On March 30th, 1855, the first elections were underway in Kansas in order to settle the issue of a territorial legislature. In the aftermath of the vote the slave camp won an overwhelming 26-3 majority in the new legislature, giving them a monopoly on the political process. The Abolitionists cried foul and demanded a recount take place due to voter fraud, the federal authorities acquiesced and a recount was done that proved that the divide was actually 19-10 in slave to free voters. With the new majority the pro-slavery camp made its way to Pawnee to conduct the first legislative session and pass laws favorable to slavery. Outraged by the results of the election, a national campaign was underway in order to encourage New England Yankees to migrate to Kansas in order to push the legislature towards abolition. Thousands traveled across the country and soon the free settlers became equal to the slave setters. In response settlers from Missouri and Arkansas migrated to Kansas in order to push it back into their favor. The situation escalated in mid-1855 when the infamous abolitionist John Brown arrived in Kansas and declared that he would create a righteous revolution to free Kansas of the evils of slavery. Brown along with other radicals set up a rival legislature in Topeka and claimed themselves as the legitimate government of Kansas. The Pawnee government declared them to be nothing more than rebels and asked for federal intervention to quell this apparent insurrection. Unfortunately for them Washington would not be able to do anything as a gridlock in congress and threats of impeachment upon the sending of the army held Douglas' hands tied behind his back. As time went on the debates turned into bloodshed when slave and free settlers started to attack each other in the streets and took to vandalizing each others property to try and strike feat into the others hearts. The situation is felt to have been perfectly described by Texas Ranger Jessie Simmons who was traveling through the territory in order to extradite a murderer back to Houston in 1856, "Traveling through Kansas is like going to hell and back. Americans over here like to mock us Texas and call us savages due to the claims of large gunfights, Indian attacks, ranch wars, and other matters of the frontier. In truth while these events have taken place, there is usually a code of honor among the participants and disputes are settled relatively quickly through the decisions of the community before Rangers or the local sheriff needs to get involved. Even the Indians will sometimes take it to court instead of the old ways of settlement raiding. Here in Kansas though, you can't walk a single mile without some American pointing a gun at you and demanding your viewpoint on slavery. If a free settler were to walk into a slave town then that man would be beaten, stripped, robbed, and sometimes killed just for believing that a man of dark skin should not be enslaved, with the same holding true for the other side. Traveling through the territory I needed to have my colt and badge with me at all times to protect myself, even then I'd get shot at a few times just for being different then their community. There is an intense divide with hate on both sides enough to make our disputes with the Mexicans seem like a petty squabble. All of this for the life of a fucking slave. You'd never see this sort of shit happening in Texas. No sir."
View attachment 305952
"The Tragic Prelude" by John Stewart Curry. A Painting showing how the actions of John Brown and Bleeding Kansas led to the Civil War.
While Bleeding Kansas was getting more intense with each passing day the general mood of the nation remained at a nervous calm as these events were only happening in the backwards western frontier that was Kansas and only involved Radicals of both sides. What happened there couldn't possibly happen east of the Mississippi where civilized folks lived, right? It turned out that the hopes by Americans back east would soon come falling down as the intense radicalism of the slave fight soon made its way back into the halls of Washington, where the nation's leaders where supposed to be discussing the matter in a civilized form. On May 20th, 1856, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts (R) gave a speech on the floor Senate attacking the actions of South Carolina Senator Andrew Bulter for his role in creating Kansas-Nebraska, which Sumner believed to be the cause of the current crises in bleeding Kansas. The criticism soon became personal when Sumner attacked Butler's moral character and speech while Butler made sexual allegations of Sumner and possible relations with black women, which were entirely false. After the affair Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina became infuriated at Sumner due to the fact that Butler was the man's brother in-law. Brooks planned to challenge Sumner to a duel for his brother's honor when Sumner refused due to his belief that duels were a barbaric and ancient practice that had taken the lives of greats like Alexander Hamilton pointlessly. Brooks became enraged at the outcome and wanted vengance for what he now felt was a direct slight to his southern honor. Brooks' friend Laurence M. Keitt, another South Carolina representative, conspired with Brooks and planted the idea that since Sumner was a dishonourable low life that it would be better to directly take revenge by openly attacking the man for all to see as justice, something Brooks madly agreed with. On May 22nd, 1856, just as Charles Sumner was collecting his papers in the Senate floor to head for a lunch recess, Brooks launched a surprise attack and began beating the senator intensely with a gutta-percha cane along with its gold head. The sheer force of the blows caused Sumner to temporarily lose his sight and suffer multiple head trauma while undergoing massive bleeding. Multiple Senators and Representatives gathered around the men and tried to intervene when Keitt whipped out his own cane and pistol and demanded that the congressmen step back and let the two "Settle their affairs like proper gentlemen." Many stood back in horror and stared as Brooks savagely beat Sumner to a pulp, with the Senator looking on the verge of death if nothing was done. While Vice President Toombs tried to calm down the men and get them to release Sumner, another Senator decided to take action. Standing on a balcony overlooking the fight, Oregon Senator Nathaniel Smith (R) was disgusted with the actions of Brooks and felt that he had to take action or his friend and colleague would die. Senator Smith decided to bring out his own Colt .45 that he kept on his person at all times, and shot both Brooks and Keitt in the from the balcony, both dying instantly due to the first blows being headshots while Smith dispensed the remaining four rounds into both bodies for insurance. When the rest of the floor looked on in shock and horror, Senator Smith shouted "What are you all looking at? What I did was shoot a rabid dog and his lackey who were both attempting to murder our colleague for the shit reason of southern chivalry and honor. What I did was save Charles' life by eliminating his would-be killers before they struck the finishing blow. Let it be known that I, Nathaniel Edwards Smith, dispensed justice. You are welcome." Upon finishing his speech the Southern Wing of congress attempted to strike out at Smith for killing their allies. Thankfully no further bloodshed took place as Capitol police and men of the Presidential Guard rushed in and extracted Sumner from the scene while arresting Smith, all the while installing order on the congressional floor, the men having been alerted by Senator Lincoln during the attack. When news of the Caning of Sumner, or the Murder of Brooks and Keitt as it was known in the south, spread the next day the nation erupted in a plethora of emotions. The North generally held an attitude that hailed Sumner as a martyr for the cause of abolition while Smith was treated as a hero for dispensing the two villains. In the South the viewpoint was the exact opposite as the populace held Brooks and Keitt as martyrs and Sumner the instigator and Smith a murderer. The situation became worse when on May 26th all charges against Smith were dropped by the Justice Department due to their finding that Smith acted in self-defense of Sumner, the mans severe head and spinal injuries and eyewitness accounts of the affair confirming that Brooks launched the attack with killing intent. When news of that ruling spread riots started to grow in the south while the North celebrated Smith as their hero. Wanting to prevent a bad situation from getting worse, Douglas passed an executive order that banned firearms in the floors of congress and extended the powers of the Presidential Guard to reside over general sessions and protect Smith's life. While federal troops were sent in across the country to restore order. The need for troops getting highly intense in Kansas where the Caning had prompted John Brown to go on a terror spree against the slave settlers for justice, resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides. While the Civil War would not start for five more years, the Caning of Sumner marked a point in American politics when the divide over slavery became an uncompromising affair which would result in chaos in blood at the current rate.
A Northern cartoon of the Caning of Sumner showing the Massachusetts Senator as a victim to the savage Brooks.
When the 1856 Presidential Elections came around it looked to possibly be the most divisive one to date, overshadowing even the 1832 and 1852 Presidential Elections. With the Caning of Sumner both sides became firmly divided with little hope of reconciliation or compromise on the issue of slavery. The situation having been worsened after the Caning with the violence in Bleeding Kansas reaching an all-time high and Douglas having to use Federal troops for an intervention in the territory. The Democrats felt the need to win in order to save the Union and prevent the supposed tyranny of the Republicans. While the Republicans felt they needed to win in order to end the barbaric continuance of slavery and protect the nation from being controlled by the Southern Aristocracy. In the middle was the American or Know-Nothing Party who while they felt that slavery was immoral, focused on a ban of immigration in order to fix the nations problems, something that both Democrats and Republicans thought went against the principles of the founding fathers. At the Republican Convention General John C. Fremont, Conquerer of Oregon, was chosen as the nominee after a few rounds of voting due to the need for the Republicans to establish a high profile candidate to entice voters to chose the brand new party, Fremont having the perfect fit due to his war hero status. In addition Fremont was a diehard abolitionist and if put in office would've relied on the consensus of the Party in Congress, something that members of the early establishment looked forward to. For the Republican Vice President William L. Dayton the Senator from New Jersey was chosen in order to draw the eastern seaboard in, Abraham Lincoln being passed over in a close majority. IN the DNC the Democrats chose to continue with the Douglas-Toombs ticket for reelection. While there had been high opposition on both sides due to some Southerners feeling that Douglas didn't do enough on the Caning and Bleeding Kansas, while other Northerners thought he was a liability against the Republicans, most agreed that it would be the right choice to stick with their current President and felt that the direction he was going was enough, everyone waiting to see the final results on Kansas to give a verdict on whether or not popular sovereignty was a good idea. Within the American Convention in Philadelphia there was a high sense of urgency as the Americans needed to win this election or at least do well enough so that they could establish themselves as the primary opposition to the Democrats. Many felt threatened by the Republicans and while the Americans held a substantial minority in congress, many of its members considered switching to the Republicans. For their presidential candidate former vice president Millard Fillmore was selected as the party's candidate. Ironically the man did not believe in the party's anti-immigration policies and his name was chosen while he was on a trip to Europe, Fillmore only realizing that he was nominated once he returned to America. The man accepted the nomination nonetheless as he felt Fremont was too much of a radical and his election would've led to Civil War. When Fillmore was nominated his candidacy came under harsh attack from his former boss President Webster who decried Fillmore to be a "Betrayal be my great friend who chose to abandon the Whig ideal and instead pursued a path of bigotry and tyranny." Fillmore's nomination came under heavy scrutiny by other Republicans and former Whigs, leading to any hopes of a potential alliance between the two parties. Not only that but Fillmore's nomination itself was attacked by both Presidents Crockett and Nelson who stated that if the man was elected then all agreements between Texas and Quebec, and the United States would be null and void due to the party's anti-Catholic stance, leading to Fillmore's support being dropped in much of the nation. The election campaign was a very polarized one as all three candidates chose to forgo a potential debate and instead directed their energies to attacking each others policies, all three saying that the other two would lead to the downfall of the Union when elected. All of the candidates also took to campaigning exclusively in the Northern states as the South was seen as a waste of effort due to their solid support of the Democrats. Still the election turned to an dark note when supporters of all three parties would regularly get into brawls and sometimes riot over their conflict of their respective parties. The worse case being the St. Paul Street War when both Fremont and Douglas were in the capitol of the newly admitted State of Minnesota to try and campaign for votes in the new state. Their campaign events were poorly planned by being a block away from each other and supporters from both sides attack the other during speaking events, drawing 61 casualties but fortunately no deaths. When election day came on November 4th the whole nation waited in anticipation for the result and whether or not the Union would truly collapse due to it. The result was decided weeks later where Douglas won on a very slim margin with 159 electoral votes compared to Fremont's 133 and Fillmore's measly 8. Along with that while Douglas did not win a majority of the popular vote again, he won a plurality at 44.47% compared to Fremont's 36.74% and Fillmore's 18.79%. While the Democrats relaxed that they had their first reelection since Jackson in 1832, not everything looked good for the party. The Republicans results proved to be the best performance of an opposition party in American history and many agreed that if Fremont had received Indianna and Illinois, or solely Pennsylvania, then the man would've won the Presidency. In addition the Republicans had closed the gap in Congress with now 25 Senators and 111 Representatives. While the Democrats did well at the same time with 39 Senators and 125 Representatives (The American party and other independents defecting to either side while the Democrats lost seats in the House). If the elections were to go at the current rate then the Republicans could easily win a majority in both houses and the presidency in 1860. With these results the Democrats hoped for a very successful second term for Douglas so that they could maintain their dominance in politics. This would not be the case as Douglas's second term would prove to be the point where the line had passed and the country on a ticking time bomb to Fort Sumter.
1856 United States Presidential Election
Douglas/Toombs (D): 159 EV 1,803,072 Votes 44.74%
Fremont/Dayton (R): 133 EV 1,351,433 Votes 36.74%
Fillmore/Donelson (A): 8 EV 761,366 Votes 18.79%
View attachment 305974
A/N: Sorry for the wait but I'm finally done with Douglas' first term. Next time we talk about America you'll see Dred Scott, more Bleeding Kansas, and other things that led to the 1860 Election and the American Civil War. Just as a reminder while the Civil War will start the same with Fort Sumter, the issues leading up to it, generals on both sides, and some of the states allegiances will be different this time around. Next American chapter will be a special narrative one that will be a prequel to an important event that did not take place OTL. Also for those of you curious of Doug Freemen, the man is meant to be a different version of Reagan since Ronald will be a Texan TTL. I chose the date 1981 for his inauguration since that's when Reagan was sworn in, though the year can change Freemen will become a President in the late 20th century no matter what. Next official story chapter we will be looking at the Crockett Presidency, before that is a little skit post in advance. Also as one final PSA, I just found out that there was a Turtledove category for best quote. If any of you guys like my quotes and feel they are worthy for the award, please head on over to the Non-Political Chat forum and submit a nomination. Looking forward to what you guys think is Turtledove worthy if you chose to do so. Thanks once again for reading and stay tuned for more!
"We of the GOP have always made it our fundamental policy to be a party that would support the prosperity of the average American through common sense and protection of constitutional rights. From the Civil War, Reconstruction, the Great War, Civil Rights movement, and the role of past Republican Presidents in leading the mission of OAS, it has been the party's mission to lead America to greatness under the path of righteousness that American exceptionalism has guided our manifest destiny since the Deceleration of Independence. As your newly elected President I will work for the welfare of all Americans so that we may maintain the American dream and show the world why the United States is the number one superpower that will become a thousand year Republic to guide the world on the path of freedom and liberty."- President Douglas Freeman 1981
"I accept this nomination with the highest of honor and gratitude to the delegates here in choosing myself to lead our great Republican party to victory against the Democratic hegemony that makes up Washington. While the Whigs may have been a failure for their bickering on platform and national agenda, we will show the nation come November that the Republican Party is the right path to chose in order to heal the divisions that has torn apart this union so great under the tyranny of Douglas. May God bless our country so that in the event of victory we will not have to experience further discord and can instead work towards the continued prosperity of our great republic."- Republican Presidential nominee Abraham Lincoln 1860
"Son of a bitch! Those damn Americans decided to steal the party name that I had spent days mulling over in late 1840. Stealing my legacy. I'll show them how it is to steal one's intellectual property when we sue their asses in court. Call the Attorney General!"- President Mirabeau Lamar 1854
When William Henry Harrison was elected as President many Americans thought that the two party system had finally stabilized and that for the rest of the century it would be a competition of Democrats versus Whigs. The feeling was quite understandable as the Whigs were the primary opposition in the Jackson Era and enjoyed much success during this time by taking control of the legislature and managing to influence President Johnson in passing many bills created by Whig Senators and Representatives in the '37 Recession. Harrison's Presidency only confirmed that idea as the man managed to recover the American economy to above pre-recession levels and had personally lead the country into its third war against Great Britain and won an immense victory with the addition of Oregon and liberation of Quebec. When President Webster was elected to office it was the start of what many Whigs hoped to be a potential dynasty. Then slavery came in and tore the party apart. While the Whigs could be said to be united by a common set of ideals based on big government and a protectionist form of economics, they were far from united when it came to the matter of whether or not slavery should be abolished. When it came to the issue of slavery the Democrats were united in continuing it not because all members held a universal value over is existence, but more so due to the fact that the party's entire base was centered around the southern states where the idea of abolishing slavery was treated as sheer ludicrous. On the Whigs side was a division between those who wanted abolishment, those who seeked to merely limit it in its current borders, the people who didn't care, and the small minority who supported the practice. In addition to this was increased factionalism in other areas such as social class, regionalism, conservatives and liberals, imperialists and isolationists, etc. Another main divide that rose up in 1854 was the issue of nativism and immigration. Since the end of the 1846 Revolutions, the United States experienced a huge surge of immigrants from Europe, primarily those that came from Ireland, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Russia, and Scandinavia. All of these immigrants were men and women who wanted to seek a new life in the United States and achieve the American Dream where their children would live a better life then the one that laid in the home country. Unlike Texas who welcomed the new surge of immigration, the United States became polarized on the issue as many Anglo-Saxon Protestant Americans feared losing the nations homogeneity and having to play second fiddle to the Catholics, Slavs, Germans, Irish, Italians, Hispanics, etc. While most of the Whigs could be said to be pro immigration as the founding fathers intended, a significant faction within the party turned to Nativism in order to drive the immigrants out and protect their jobs from the newcomers. This in turn allowed the Democratic Party to monopolize on Irish, German, and Catholic votes until the change in party policy under the Lincoln and Lee Presidencies. Meanwhile a good number of immigrants who were being snubbed by their new nation decided to head to Texas instead when word reached from their brethren of better conditions. With all of these conditions the Whig Party unofficially disintegrated in the summer of 1854, almost all members switching their party allegiance to either Democrat or Independent. The Douglas Administration looked on in glee as while President Douglas faced significant controversy and opposition to his current slavery policy, the collapse of the Whigs all but signified his reelection and the possibility of a Democrat monopoly on elections for the next generation. Unfortunately for the Democrats, a new party would rise and soon become their eternal rivals for control of America. The Republicans.
After the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act came a small period of uncertainty for many of the former Whigs in Washington. One by one a congressmen left the party each day and the few remaining loyalists of the party who wanted to see a revival gradually gave up trying to go against the current tide. Past Presidents Harrison and Webster were both invited to Washington early that Summer in order to try and unite the party together and find a united stance upon slavery. Both men came on June 5th and gave impassioned speeches on why the Whigs need to maintain unity in order to move forward the agenda that they had been so successful at promoting during their presidencies. Harrison spoke of the good work that they did in the Oregon War and how the Whig Party was needed in the future for America, Webster rebuked many of the congressmen present for flipping out over the Oregon Compromise when it was a sound deal and the reason the Democrats were able to gain in power again. Both men while not fundamental supporters of slavery like the south, both didn't see the need for active abolishment and tried shift party agenda to limit the spread of slavery at the most. At the end of the day a faction of men who were of Nativist origins decided to leave the meeting and set about to create their own political party, since both Harrison and Webster were pro immigration. Those who remained were a mix of men from different walks of life. However, unlike the previous makeup of the Whigs they had several things in common; many of them were from the North, most of Anglo Protestant or Scandinavian origin, fundamental supporters of modernization, and all of whom relative agreed in the ideology of "Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Land". While it wasn't the results that Harrison and Webster were looking for in order to save the Whigs, it was an active start for what could be a new party. A later meeting was called at July 6th in Jackson, Michigan so that they could fully discuss any potential plans for what the new third party would be. Word spread out of the meeting and many were invited to participate so that they could have a place in the new party. Among the newcomeers were members of the Free Soil Party who felt that they would not be able to abolish slavery on their own, and Northern Democrats who were tired of Douglas' policies and the control that the Southern Wing had over the party. Many prominent future Republican leaders would be in attendance including John Fremont, Abraham Lincoln, William Seward, James G. Blaine, Charles Sumner, and many more. When the convention started all the delegates were in agreement that the Democratic Party had taken matters too far with their radical shift of the slavery balance and the potential to overturn most of the Whig laws that had been passed. Many still remembered the tyranny of Jackson and they were afraid what would happen if a man like Toombs would become President (later being justified). When it came to ideology there was a swift agreement in retaining the Whig platforms of protectionist economics and the continued pursuit of industrialization and building of infrastructure. On foreign policy there was a gradual want to maintain continental affairs but back off from the imperialist attitudes that was present in many Democrats. Finally on the issue of slavery, it was agreed upon after much debate that the new party's course would be to limit slavery within the current boundaries and make all the western territories free, with the problem of abolishment postponed for a later date. With party mindset being handled all that was left was a name. Many ideas were thrown such as the Neo-Federalist, New Whigs, Constitutionals, American Union, Progressives, or the Reform Party. The issue of the matter was finally resolved when a Texan reporter for the Austin Chronicle was present for the debate and remarked "Well I'll be, you guys look like a bunch of Republicans." The reporter then explained the Republican Party of Texas and how it shared many similar traits to the group gathered in political ideology and stance on slavery, with many members of the electorate and supporters of the Texan Republicans being more anti-slavery then the Western Union. The name sounded good to many of those present and when an official vote came the delegates chose the name Republican Party (ironically affirming Lamar's claims that they stole his idea). With a few more days spent on party structure and new mission for the upcoming midterms, the party became an official organization and soon moved into Washington in the old Whig headquarters. Its new members were given the mission of becoming elected to as many offices as possible with the upcoming midterms while campaigns were created to try and convert many of the Northern politicians to the party.
View attachment 305953
Logo of the Republican Party in 2016
When the 1854 Midterm elections were completed the Republicans managed to win and impressive 20 Senate seats and 84 House seats within Congress. This was able to be achieved due to the near assimilation of the Whigs into the new Republican party and a mix of defections and elections of new original candidates taking place. Unfortunately for the Republicans, this was still not enough as the Democrats held an a majority in both houses with 37 Senators and 132 Representatives, the rest belonging to the American party or Independents. The only benefit of the Democratic majority is that it could be said that with distrust starting to grow against Douglas that the Democrats were far from unified like previously before. While the Republicans tried to establish an identity and grow their movement within the American electorate, their new congressmen were active within Washington. After Kansas-Nebraska the members of the Republican Party all became firmly anti-slavery in one way or another and soon set up to block any pro slavery bills from passing in congress. While they weren't able to meet the task in the Senate most of the time due to the firm Southern control, they had managed to solidify an opposition in the House by allying with Northern Democrats who were either anti-Douglas or anti-slavery. Among the legislation for the 34th Congress that the Republicans did support were measures of modernization and federal funds to help further the creation of industry in New England and the Ohio river region, leading to a huge part in Douglas' success with the railroads. While economics could mostly be agreed upon through debate, all bills related to slavery and western settlement became deadlocked within congress. The only major action that received bipartisan support in relation to slavery was the admittance of Minnesota and the Bahamas into the Union. In the past couple of years both territories had been getting extensive colonization by both the North and the South respectively so that another free/slave state would be admitted into the union and strengthen the balance. There were of course other reasons besides the settlement for slavery such as Minnesota's rich farmland and the Bahamas excellent position as a producer of rum and trade point entering into the Gulf of Mexico. In order to settle the divide and insure equality before the admittance of Kansas though, both states would have to be admitted at the same time, which was achieved on February 4th, 1856. Two more states joining just in time for the election.
While the congressmen in Washington actively debated over the future of the nation, the position of national stability in order was getting worse every day. With the divide on both sides of the political spectrum getting nastier as a result. On March 30th, 1855, the first elections were underway in Kansas in order to settle the issue of a territorial legislature. In the aftermath of the vote the slave camp won an overwhelming 26-3 majority in the new legislature, giving them a monopoly on the political process. The Abolitionists cried foul and demanded a recount take place due to voter fraud, the federal authorities acquiesced and a recount was done that proved that the divide was actually 19-10 in slave to free voters. With the new majority the pro-slavery camp made its way to Pawnee to conduct the first legislative session and pass laws favorable to slavery. Outraged by the results of the election, a national campaign was underway in order to encourage New England Yankees to migrate to Kansas in order to push the legislature towards abolition. Thousands traveled across the country and soon the free settlers became equal to the slave setters. In response settlers from Missouri and Arkansas migrated to Kansas in order to push it back into their favor. The situation escalated in mid-1855 when the infamous abolitionist John Brown arrived in Kansas and declared that he would create a righteous revolution to free Kansas of the evils of slavery. Brown along with other radicals set up a rival legislature in Topeka and claimed themselves as the legitimate government of Kansas. The Pawnee government declared them to be nothing more than rebels and asked for federal intervention to quell this apparent insurrection. Unfortunately for them Washington would not be able to do anything as a gridlock in congress and threats of impeachment upon the sending of the army held Douglas' hands tied behind his back. As time went on the debates turned into bloodshed when slave and free settlers started to attack each other in the streets and took to vandalizing each others property to try and strike feat into the others hearts. The situation is felt to have been perfectly described by Texas Ranger Jessie Simmons who was traveling through the territory in order to extradite a murderer back to Houston in 1856, "Traveling through Kansas is like going to hell and back. Americans over here like to mock us Texas and call us savages due to the claims of large gunfights, Indian attacks, ranch wars, and other matters of the frontier. In truth while these events have taken place, there is usually a code of honor among the participants and disputes are settled relatively quickly through the decisions of the community before Rangers or the local sheriff needs to get involved. Even the Indians will sometimes take it to court instead of the old ways of settlement raiding. Here in Kansas though, you can't walk a single mile without some American pointing a gun at you and demanding your viewpoint on slavery. If a free settler were to walk into a slave town then that man would be beaten, stripped, robbed, and sometimes killed just for believing that a man of dark skin should not be enslaved, with the same holding true for the other side. Traveling through the territory I needed to have my colt and badge with me at all times to protect myself, even then I'd get shot at a few times just for being different then their community. There is an intense divide with hate on both sides enough to make our disputes with the Mexicans seem like a petty squabble. All of this for the life of a fucking slave. You'd never see this sort of shit happening in Texas. No sir."
View attachment 305952
"The Tragic Prelude" by John Stewart Curry. A Painting showing how the actions of John Brown and Bleeding Kansas led to the Civil War.
While Bleeding Kansas was getting more intense with each passing day the general mood of the nation remained at a nervous calm as these events were only happening in the backwards western frontier that was Kansas and only involved Radicals of both sides. What happened there couldn't possibly happen east of the Mississippi where civilized folks lived, right? It turned out that the hopes by Americans back east would soon come falling down as the intense radicalism of the slave fight soon made its way back into the halls of Washington, where the nation's leaders where supposed to be discussing the matter in a civilized form. On May 20th, 1856, Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts (R) gave a speech on the floor Senate attacking the actions of South Carolina Senator Andrew Bulter for his role in creating Kansas-Nebraska, which Sumner believed to be the cause of the current crises in bleeding Kansas. The criticism soon became personal when Sumner attacked Butler's moral character and speech while Butler made sexual allegations of Sumner and possible relations with black women, which were entirely false. After the affair Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina became infuriated at Sumner due to the fact that Butler was the man's brother in-law. Brooks planned to challenge Sumner to a duel for his brother's honor when Sumner refused due to his belief that duels were a barbaric and ancient practice that had taken the lives of greats like Alexander Hamilton pointlessly. Brooks became enraged at the outcome and wanted vengance for what he now felt was a direct slight to his southern honor. Brooks' friend Laurence M. Keitt, another South Carolina representative, conspired with Brooks and planted the idea that since Sumner was a dishonourable low life that it would be better to directly take revenge by openly attacking the man for all to see as justice, something Brooks madly agreed with. On May 22nd, 1856, just as Charles Sumner was collecting his papers in the Senate floor to head for a lunch recess, Brooks launched a surprise attack and began beating the senator intensely with a gutta-percha cane along with its gold head. The sheer force of the blows caused Sumner to temporarily lose his sight and suffer multiple head trauma while undergoing massive bleeding. Multiple Senators and Representatives gathered around the men and tried to intervene when Keitt whipped out his own cane and pistol and demanded that the congressmen step back and let the two "Settle their affairs like proper gentlemen." Many stood back in horror and stared as Brooks savagely beat Sumner to a pulp, with the Senator looking on the verge of death if nothing was done. While Vice President Toombs tried to calm down the men and get them to release Sumner, another Senator decided to take action. Standing on a balcony overlooking the fight, Oregon Senator Nathaniel Smith (R) was disgusted with the actions of Brooks and felt that he had to take action or his friend and colleague would die. Senator Smith decided to bring out his own Colt .45 that he kept on his person at all times, and shot both Brooks and Keitt in the from the balcony, both dying instantly due to the first blows being headshots while Smith dispensed the remaining four rounds into both bodies for insurance. When the rest of the floor looked on in shock and horror, Senator Smith shouted "What are you all looking at? What I did was shoot a rabid dog and his lackey who were both attempting to murder our colleague for the shit reason of southern chivalry and honor. What I did was save Charles' life by eliminating his would-be killers before they struck the finishing blow. Let it be known that I, Nathaniel Edwards Smith, dispensed justice. You are welcome." Upon finishing his speech the Southern Wing of congress attempted to strike out at Smith for killing their allies. Thankfully no further bloodshed took place as Capitol police and men of the Presidential Guard rushed in and extracted Sumner from the scene while arresting Smith, all the while installing order on the congressional floor, the men having been alerted by Senator Lincoln during the attack. When news of the Caning of Sumner, or the Murder of Brooks and Keitt as it was known in the south, spread the next day the nation erupted in a plethora of emotions. The North generally held an attitude that hailed Sumner as a martyr for the cause of abolition while Smith was treated as a hero for dispensing the two villains. In the South the viewpoint was the exact opposite as the populace held Brooks and Keitt as martyrs and Sumner the instigator and Smith a murderer. The situation became worse when on May 26th all charges against Smith were dropped by the Justice Department due to their finding that Smith acted in self-defense of Sumner, the mans severe head and spinal injuries and eyewitness accounts of the affair confirming that Brooks launched the attack with killing intent. When news of that ruling spread riots started to grow in the south while the North celebrated Smith as their hero. Wanting to prevent a bad situation from getting worse, Douglas passed an executive order that banned firearms in the floors of congress and extended the powers of the Presidential Guard to reside over general sessions and protect Smith's life. While federal troops were sent in across the country to restore order. The need for troops getting highly intense in Kansas where the Caning had prompted John Brown to go on a terror spree against the slave settlers for justice, resulting in dozens of casualties on both sides. While the Civil War would not start for five more years, the Caning of Sumner marked a point in American politics when the divide over slavery became an uncompromising affair which would result in chaos in blood at the current rate.
A Northern cartoon of the Caning of Sumner showing the Massachusetts Senator as a victim to the savage Brooks.
When the 1856 Presidential Elections came around it looked to possibly be the most divisive one to date, overshadowing even the 1832 and 1852 Presidential Elections. With the Caning of Sumner both sides became firmly divided with little hope of reconciliation or compromise on the issue of slavery. The situation having been worsened after the Caning with the violence in Bleeding Kansas reaching an all-time high and Douglas having to use Federal troops for an intervention in the territory. The Democrats felt the need to win in order to save the Union and prevent the supposed tyranny of the Republicans. While the Republicans felt they needed to win in order to end the barbaric continuance of slavery and protect the nation from being controlled by the Southern Aristocracy. In the middle was the American or Know-Nothing Party who while they felt that slavery was immoral, focused on a ban of immigration in order to fix the nations problems, something that both Democrats and Republicans thought went against the principles of the founding fathers. At the Republican Convention General John C. Fremont, Conquerer of Oregon, was chosen as the nominee after a few rounds of voting due to the need for the Republicans to establish a high profile candidate to entice voters to chose the brand new party, Fremont having the perfect fit due to his war hero status. In addition Fremont was a diehard abolitionist and if put in office would've relied on the consensus of the Party in Congress, something that members of the early establishment looked forward to. For the Republican Vice President William L. Dayton the Senator from New Jersey was chosen in order to draw the eastern seaboard in, Abraham Lincoln being passed over in a close majority. IN the DNC the Democrats chose to continue with the Douglas-Toombs ticket for reelection. While there had been high opposition on both sides due to some Southerners feeling that Douglas didn't do enough on the Caning and Bleeding Kansas, while other Northerners thought he was a liability against the Republicans, most agreed that it would be the right choice to stick with their current President and felt that the direction he was going was enough, everyone waiting to see the final results on Kansas to give a verdict on whether or not popular sovereignty was a good idea. Within the American Convention in Philadelphia there was a high sense of urgency as the Americans needed to win this election or at least do well enough so that they could establish themselves as the primary opposition to the Democrats. Many felt threatened by the Republicans and while the Americans held a substantial minority in congress, many of its members considered switching to the Republicans. For their presidential candidate former vice president Millard Fillmore was selected as the party's candidate. Ironically the man did not believe in the party's anti-immigration policies and his name was chosen while he was on a trip to Europe, Fillmore only realizing that he was nominated once he returned to America. The man accepted the nomination nonetheless as he felt Fremont was too much of a radical and his election would've led to Civil War. When Fillmore was nominated his candidacy came under harsh attack from his former boss President Webster who decried Fillmore to be a "Betrayal be my great friend who chose to abandon the Whig ideal and instead pursued a path of bigotry and tyranny." Fillmore's nomination came under heavy scrutiny by other Republicans and former Whigs, leading to any hopes of a potential alliance between the two parties. Not only that but Fillmore's nomination itself was attacked by both Presidents Crockett and Nelson who stated that if the man was elected then all agreements between Texas and Quebec, and the United States would be null and void due to the party's anti-Catholic stance, leading to Fillmore's support being dropped in much of the nation. The election campaign was a very polarized one as all three candidates chose to forgo a potential debate and instead directed their energies to attacking each others policies, all three saying that the other two would lead to the downfall of the Union when elected. All of the candidates also took to campaigning exclusively in the Northern states as the South was seen as a waste of effort due to their solid support of the Democrats. Still the election turned to an dark note when supporters of all three parties would regularly get into brawls and sometimes riot over their conflict of their respective parties. The worse case being the St. Paul Street War when both Fremont and Douglas were in the capitol of the newly admitted State of Minnesota to try and campaign for votes in the new state. Their campaign events were poorly planned by being a block away from each other and supporters from both sides attack the other during speaking events, drawing 61 casualties but fortunately no deaths. When election day came on November 4th the whole nation waited in anticipation for the result and whether or not the Union would truly collapse due to it. The result was decided weeks later where Douglas won on a very slim margin with 159 electoral votes compared to Fremont's 133 and Fillmore's measly 8. Along with that while Douglas did not win a majority of the popular vote again, he won a plurality at 44.47% compared to Fremont's 36.74% and Fillmore's 18.79%. While the Democrats relaxed that they had their first reelection since Jackson in 1832, not everything looked good for the party. The Republicans results proved to be the best performance of an opposition party in American history and many agreed that if Fremont had received Indianna and Illinois, or solely Pennsylvania, then the man would've won the Presidency. In addition the Republicans had closed the gap in Congress with now 25 Senators and 111 Representatives. While the Democrats did well at the same time with 39 Senators and 125 Representatives (The American party and other independents defecting to either side while the Democrats lost seats in the House). If the elections were to go at the current rate then the Republicans could easily win a majority in both houses and the presidency in 1860. With these results the Democrats hoped for a very successful second term for Douglas so that they could maintain their dominance in politics. This would not be the case as Douglas's second term would prove to be the point where the line had passed and the country on a ticking time bomb to Fort Sumter.
1856 United States Presidential Election
Douglas/Toombs (D): 159 EV 1,803,072 Votes 44.74%
Fremont/Dayton (R): 133 EV 1,351,433 Votes 36.74%
Fillmore/Donelson (A): 8 EV 761,366 Votes 18.79%
View attachment 305974
A/N: Sorry for the wait but I'm finally done with Douglas' first term. Next time we talk about America you'll see Dred Scott, more Bleeding Kansas, and other things that led to the 1860 Election and the American Civil War. Just as a reminder while the Civil War will start the same with Fort Sumter, the issues leading up to it, generals on both sides, and some of the states allegiances will be different this time around. Next American chapter will be a special narrative one that will be a prequel to an important event that did not take place OTL. Also for those of you curious of Doug Freemen, the man is meant to be a different version of Reagan since Ronald will be a Texan TTL. I chose the date 1981 for his inauguration since that's when Reagan was sworn in, though the year can change Freemen will become a President in the late 20th century no matter what. Next official story chapter we will be looking at the Crockett Presidency, before that is a little skit post in advance. Also as one final PSA, I just found out that there was a Turtledove category for best quote. If any of you guys like my quotes and feel they are worthy for the award, please head on over to the Non-Political Chat forum and submit a nomination. Looking forward to what you guys think is Turtledove worthy if you chose to do so. Thanks once again for reading and stay tuned for more!
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 5.3k