alternatehistory.com
IV
From The Blue Cockerel’s Cry: The Rise, Ascendency, Fall, and Rebirth of the Democratic Party by Barry Dunham[0] PhD. University of Chicago Press
Introduction to Chapter 4: A Divided Continent
The Democratic victory in the 1864 elections was almost entirely due to the Northern losses in the field. Consequently, the converse was true, since the 1862 elections were a resounding victory for the Republicans. However, as the war continued to shift in the South’s favor and as Usonian enthusiasm waned, the Peace Democrats began to become more important in the party leadership. While Vallandigham, originally the leader of the Copperheads, had been imprisoned and died in prison[1] many Copperheads were able to defeat Radicals, Republicans, and Unionists for House seats. It was especially helpful to the Democrats that the Radicals had split the Republicans, which caused many districts to become four or five way races. [2] As a result, no one faction had a majority in the House and the tendency of some Liberals[3] to cross the aisle and vote with the Radicals did little to help the situation for the Republicans and Unionist Democrats. These pro-war Democrats had largely lost control of the party by the 1864 Democratic National Convention. Even though the party nominated MacClelland to unseat Cameron was moderately pro-war, the platform that the DNC chose had explicitly pro peace planks and McClelland's running mate and soon to be President George Pendleton was the inheritor of the leadership of the Copperheads. This shows how much this election was a referendum on the war itself, which was getting more and more unpopular with the Usionan citizenry after increasingly sour news from the front. It was this referendum that allowed the Democrats to become the undisputed masters of Usonian politics for the next half century.
[0] No relation. Honest.
[1] Spoilers: he gets pardoned by the next president. Posthumously. Also, note that he was imprisoned rather than exiled-again, without habeas corpus. Lincoln was able to abuse civil rights to the benefit of the war, but Cameron wasn't quite as good at it as Lincoln. His incompetent overreach caused the Copperheads to be more popular ITTL, combined with the losses in the field, due to Cameron's poor understanding of military matters-and unlike Lincoln, Cameron is a textbook Dunning-Kruger style manager. Vallandigham being in prison rather than abroad also allows him to be able to be a rallying figure after he dies. Also, note that he's held up as a leader-that's due to the Copperheads actually having leadership after his death galvanizes and polarizes Democrats. IOTL, Peace Democrats were never very well organized.
[2] Simon Cameron and his lackeys are almost hilariously incompetent ITTL. So much so that Fremont was able to actually run as an independent and he wasn't finagled back into the fold.
[3] The Republicans at this point have split into three factions: Radicals, who wanted emancipation in the US and to harshly punish the South, Liberals who wanted to continue the war as it was going and resolve the slavery issue in the border states at a later time, and the Cameron loyalists, who were backing the POTUS no matter what. Note how two of them have names but the third doesn't? Well, that's because one of these factions disintegrates once Cameron fails to get reelected. The other two continue onwards and become different political parties.
Interlude
Jim was bored. Very, very bored. Everything in the Province House's historical display room was dusty and smelled vaguely of dust and he was standing too far away from Olivia and he was paired up with the class's resident " comedian" Billy, and he just wanted to hold Olivia's hand so damn badly and be literally anywhere other than this stupid field trip. The group was stopped in front of a gallery of portraits from the mid 1800s. It registered to Jim that Billy made some shitty joke about one of the Confederation Fathers' hair style, causing Mr. Smith to call Billy out. Jim thought the tour guide looked embarrassed. I'd be embarrassed too, Kate from Nova Scotia. Hell, I AM embarrassed about having such a smoothbrain in my class.
"Anyway, a fun fact about the Conference is that there was a circus in town that garnered more attention by the locals than the foundation of the Maritime Confederation" I know a circus would be more interesting than this damn field trip. Maybe I'd be able to sit next to Olivia and low key put my arms around [CENSORED FOR BEING A WEIRD ADOLESCENT FANTASY I THINK YOU GET THE IDEA THAT THIS KID IS BORED LEARNING ABOUT HIS COUNTRY'S FOUNDING]
Jim realized the group was moving on so he shuffled along with them. Kate from Nova Scotia pointed out the table that the Articles were drafted on and ecstatically remarking on the ring that one of the delegates, most likely George Cole, claimed Kate from Nova Scotia, left on the table from his beer. She also pointed out an inkspot, indicating where the Fathers of the Confederation actually stood and signed the Articles. The group moved out of the musty cavernous hall. Jim stuck around for a bit longer, staring at the Blue Ensign of the Maritime Union noticed his class had started piling into the bus. Jim briskly walked out.
Introduction to Chapter 4: A Divided Continent
The Democratic victory in the 1864 elections was almost entirely due to the Northern losses in the field. Consequently, the converse was true, since the 1862 elections were a resounding victory for the Republicans. However, as the war continued to shift in the South’s favor and as Usonian enthusiasm waned, the Peace Democrats began to become more important in the party leadership. While Vallandigham, originally the leader of the Copperheads, had been imprisoned and died in prison[1] many Copperheads were able to defeat Radicals, Republicans, and Unionists for House seats. It was especially helpful to the Democrats that the Radicals had split the Republicans, which caused many districts to become four or five way races. [2] As a result, no one faction had a majority in the House and the tendency of some Liberals[3] to cross the aisle and vote with the Radicals did little to help the situation for the Republicans and Unionist Democrats. These pro-war Democrats had largely lost control of the party by the 1864 Democratic National Convention. Even though the party nominated MacClelland to unseat Cameron was moderately pro-war, the platform that the DNC chose had explicitly pro peace planks and McClelland's running mate and soon to be President George Pendleton was the inheritor of the leadership of the Copperheads. This shows how much this election was a referendum on the war itself, which was getting more and more unpopular with the Usionan citizenry after increasingly sour news from the front. It was this referendum that allowed the Democrats to become the undisputed masters of Usonian politics for the next half century.
[0] No relation. Honest.
[1] Spoilers: he gets pardoned by the next president. Posthumously. Also, note that he was imprisoned rather than exiled-again, without habeas corpus. Lincoln was able to abuse civil rights to the benefit of the war, but Cameron wasn't quite as good at it as Lincoln. His incompetent overreach caused the Copperheads to be more popular ITTL, combined with the losses in the field, due to Cameron's poor understanding of military matters-and unlike Lincoln, Cameron is a textbook Dunning-Kruger style manager. Vallandigham being in prison rather than abroad also allows him to be able to be a rallying figure after he dies. Also, note that he's held up as a leader-that's due to the Copperheads actually having leadership after his death galvanizes and polarizes Democrats. IOTL, Peace Democrats were never very well organized.
[2] Simon Cameron and his lackeys are almost hilariously incompetent ITTL. So much so that Fremont was able to actually run as an independent and he wasn't finagled back into the fold.
[3] The Republicans at this point have split into three factions: Radicals, who wanted emancipation in the US and to harshly punish the South, Liberals who wanted to continue the war as it was going and resolve the slavery issue in the border states at a later time, and the Cameron loyalists, who were backing the POTUS no matter what. Note how two of them have names but the third doesn't? Well, that's because one of these factions disintegrates once Cameron fails to get reelected. The other two continue onwards and become different political parties.
Interlude
Jim was bored. Very, very bored. Everything in the Province House's historical display room was dusty and smelled vaguely of dust and he was standing too far away from Olivia and he was paired up with the class's resident " comedian" Billy, and he just wanted to hold Olivia's hand so damn badly and be literally anywhere other than this stupid field trip. The group was stopped in front of a gallery of portraits from the mid 1800s. It registered to Jim that Billy made some shitty joke about one of the Confederation Fathers' hair style, causing Mr. Smith to call Billy out. Jim thought the tour guide looked embarrassed. I'd be embarrassed too, Kate from Nova Scotia. Hell, I AM embarrassed about having such a smoothbrain in my class.
"Anyway, a fun fact about the Conference is that there was a circus in town that garnered more attention by the locals than the foundation of the Maritime Confederation" I know a circus would be more interesting than this damn field trip. Maybe I'd be able to sit next to Olivia and low key put my arms around [CENSORED FOR BEING A WEIRD ADOLESCENT FANTASY I THINK YOU GET THE IDEA THAT THIS KID IS BORED LEARNING ABOUT HIS COUNTRY'S FOUNDING]
Jim realized the group was moving on so he shuffled along with them. Kate from Nova Scotia pointed out the table that the Articles were drafted on and ecstatically remarking on the ring that one of the delegates, most likely George Cole, claimed Kate from Nova Scotia, left on the table from his beer. She also pointed out an inkspot, indicating where the Fathers of the Confederation actually stood and signed the Articles. The group moved out of the musty cavernous hall. Jim stuck around for a bit longer, staring at the Blue Ensign of the Maritime Union noticed his class had started piling into the bus. Jim briskly walked out.
- Guildencrantz
- Word Count: 890