A New Dawn Rising: What if America stuck by her ideals?

Old thing I feel I should point out. Unless things are different in this US, Garfield can't be president in 1856. The minimum age for president is 35. Garfield is 10 years below that.
The Age Limit here is established at 25. Allow younger voices to have a say in government. Its something I should of added near the start, learning as I write this.
 
Chapter Sixty-three: You’re Not Garfield

Chapter Sixty-three: You’re Not Garfield​

Freemont had big shoes to fill, and fill them he could not. The social changes that began to rise in the 1860s were not one’s he was prepared to handle. His lack of ability to enact reform led to the rise of the new socialist party. He was considered a Garfield puppet with all the cabinet remaining bar one. Despite enacting some changes, he will always be overshadowed by his predecessor. His cabinet included

Secretary of Defence: Robert E. Lee - Lee ignored Freemont, considered him both useless and annoying. With the army stable and going strong. Lee turned to the navy. He began the first campaigns in the media to gain recruits for the navy and also worked closely with Hayward A. Harvey on strengthen the fleet as lee believed Cuba would soon be open to America n occupation.

Secretary of State: William H. Seward- Seward did the impossible that Lincoln could not. He established firm relations with Russia with embassy opening up in both countries. America n and Russian goods began to flow and in 1867 the Alaska purchase went ahead fully bringing north America under America n control. Seward would come under fire however for supporting a government who oppressed democratic movements.

Secretary of the Treasury: Philip Francis Thomas- Thomas would come under fire by both republicans and socialists. Though the economy was good he was accused of favouriting the rich. When the democrats lost control of the senate, Thomas lost most of his power and all his changes were blocked.

Secretary of home development: Henry Bessemer and Hayward A. Harvey - Henry Bessemer would keep his role and continue expanding America n infrastructure under the orders of the president Hayward A. Harvey would join him. At first Bessemer was annoyed by this but eventually they pair began to work together to upgrade railroads and more making them more efficient. Together they once again pushed America n transport further than any other country.

Secretary of Health: Dorothea Dix- Dix would remain, a secret socialist, she pushed for higher nurse wages, better more ventilated hospitals and nurse schools. All of these she would get, dix would be the most popular and successful person in the Fremont cabinet making the women rights movement grew even more.​
 
Chapter Sixty-Four: Let there be holidays

Chapter Sixty-Four: Let there be holidays​

Freemont’s first goal was to tackle American holidays. It was 1864 and many Americans attempted to celebrate holidays but they found they could not. It was the one thing socialists and democrats agreed on but it would take a full year to define which holidays should be considered. The plan was to give three days of on a holiday with pay for those days so Americans’ could come together and celebrate. It would be the only advance for rights during Fremont’s time in office. These holidays would include:
Christmas (December 25th)
Thanksgiving (November 22–28)
Easter (March 22 – April 25)
Independence Day (Fourth of July)
Memorial Day (31st May)
Washington's Birthday (15th of February)​
 
Chapter Sixty-Five: A Lame Duck To Soon

Chapter Sixty-Five: A Lame Duck To Soon​

Despite having so many ideas to expand America and to change America . Freemont would never get the chance. Congress would soon become divided between socialists, democrats and republicans who could do nothing but fight. Every time the democrats attempted to pass a bill the other sides would stop it. The only bills to pass were the Alaska purchase and the holiday bill of 1869. Freemont was infuriated by this, that his legacy was being ruined crazy people. He was quoted saying *these dam reds, these purple wearing freeloaders want to work less. I will show them. Shove them down a mine and show them what the meaning of hard work is*. These words would make it out to the media many believed it was Secretary of Health: Dorothea Dix. Freemont was soon hounded by the press and the public as the socialists took control of congress, Freemont began to veto any of their bills and so America fell into what became known as a lame duck session for four years. This time could have been used as in England a Plantagenet king returned Charles Rawdon-Hastings as King Charles the third. Charles would quickly began to industrialise and militarise British society with harsh laws that many suffered under. In congress and in the white house the term lame duck was coined. Despite knowing he had little to no change Freemont agreed to run for re-election in 1868. Meanwhile a new younger figure was rising faster with fiery speeches scaring the democrats and republicans who both had mass flocks of people flooding to this new party. To stop this, the democrats and republicans would reform to put aside their feud to try stop the socialists in the election of 1868.​
 
Chapter Sixty-Six: The Election of 1868

Chapter Sixty-Six: The Election of 1868​

Though Freemont had agreed to run for election in 1868, he was quickly dropped when the parties reformed. Freemont hated this and began to give angry rants and speeches which alienated his party and the population. Instead, former youth Secretary Chester a Arthur would run for the democratic-republicans, he was young and had ideas. He was also a good speaker but his main weakness was his is inability to agree to reform allways skirting around the issues. It was not helped when Garfield could not name one thing Arthur did that truly impacted America. Robert Todd Lincoln hated the way his father was treated. He did everything for America to try take her forward and had many ideas. Todd Lincoln had seen his defeated father return home in 1864 and was determined to get revenge and also advance the ideals of the party. Only 21 he joined the socialist party in 1864 and though fiery speeches, long detailed written down plans and backing from his father Todd Lincoln rose further and further. He became known as the next Garfield. Todd Lincoln was everything Arthur was not. Chester A Arthur knew he had little to no chance but continued to fight to the very end. At the age of 25, Robert Todd Lincoln was elected president the same age Garfield was, many believed that setting the age to 25 and not 35 had become a wise choice by 1868 despite some disagreeing Robert Todd Lincoln had made many promises and now set out to complete them one by one, if he did, he would cement the socialists as a mainstream party if not he could doom them to the halls of failed parties. One thing was for certain with his election a new age was dawning. The short but sweet progressive era was born.​
 
Part Twelve: The Presidency of Robert Todd Lincoln

Part Twelve: The Presidency of Robert Todd Lincoln​

Robert Todd Lincoln.jpeg
 
Chapter Sixty-Seven : A Cabinet to Reflect America

Chapter Sixty-Seven : A Cabinet to Reflect America​

Robert Todd Lincoln was a smart man who had taken his father’s ideas and adapted to them for his own. Though was he was not considered a true socialist because he had not fully opened himself to full civil rights for all America ns, he had become a voice for the working class. To reflect this Lincoln would make his cabinet as inclusive as he could with a socialist wave sweeping the north, the Canadian provinces and the west the south could do little to stop his plans. To this end the Robert Todd Lincoln cabinet included:

Secretary of Defence: Ely S. Parker- Lee would retire when Robert took office, in a first for America a native American was elected to the cabinet. Ely S. Parker was considered and outsider but he was by no means useless. He expanded the army to allow native Americans, began the foundations for the American police force, and established the pacific fleet in san-Francisco.

Secretary of State: William H. Seward- Seward would remain despite some grumblings from socialists. Seward would begin to work on an idea that would surely grow with time. That the former colonies of the Kingdom of Great Britain should come together as allies and trading parters, in a time while Britain was preaching total conquest of all former colonies and was rapidly militarising. He also deepened relations with Russia as alexander ii attempted to reform America . During his time Seward was nearly assassinated by Mexican rebels.

Secretary of the Treasury: Ada Lovelace - A women in charge of the treasury sounded like insanity. Lincoln however was far from insane. Lovelace would continue the stability of America while also intruding an income tax to America and a property. Lovelace would also set her main focus on education introducing tax cuts for lower income families so they could afford education.

Secretary of home development: John A. Roebling – Roebling would take over the home department. While previous tile holders had focused on railways, Roebling turned to cities. New York became his project city with ideas for larger roads, sewers and early skyscrapers coming to be tested in New York. Roebling also believed in the idea of railways above cities.

Secretary of Health:
Dorothea Dix/ Florence Nightingale - Dix was order now and more cyclical yet she continued in her role. During her remaining four years she would push for more research into cancers and causes of mental illnesses she would seek to upgrade and expand mental health institutions as technology advanced. After four more years, dix retired. Florence Nightingale had moved with her family to America in 1821 after Britain was not considered suitable, she was selected by dix as her replacement and she would not disappoint. Her Health reforms in her four-year term included improving healthcare for all sections of America n society, establishing the connection between bad sanitation and health, and expanding the acceptable forms of female participation in the health care system.​
 
List of Presidents:

1. George Washington: 1789-1797
2. Thomas Jefferson: 1797-1805
3. Aaron Burr: 1805-1813
4. James Monroe: 1813-1817
5. Benedict Arnold: 1817-1825
6. John Quincy Adams: 1825-1833
7. James K Polk: 1833-1838
8. Martin Van Buren: 1838-1849
9. James A Hamilton: 1849-1857
10. James A Garfield: 1857-1865
11. John C Freemont: 1865-1869
12. Robert Todd Lincoln: 1869-
 
Another thing I feel I should point out. His name is spelled "Frémont", not "Freemont"

This is a pet peeve of mine so I just had to mention it.
 
Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who is reading this, its my first one so there's a few mistakes here and there. Would love to know what you like and dislike about it?
 
Chapter Sixty-eight: Amending the Mistakes New

Chapter Sixty-eight: Amending the Mistakes​

Robert Todd Lincoln loved America and he loved the Constitution. He believed in it and the ideals that America had been founded on. but he and his people believed for far too long America had gone without change. He was a part of a group of people who believed the Constitution was made as it was to evolve with the times and now was the time to evolve it. most protests came from the south but with socialist control there was not much they could do. Thus, It was time for the Constitution to gain some amendments, these would be:

13th: All workers are to be protected from physical and mental harm. No worker should be fired without unsatisfactory reasoning. Workers should be informed 2 weeks before firing in order to allow them to secure new employment.

14th: Prohibits the denial of the right to vote based on race. Prohibits states establishing laws and tests to make voting harder.

15th: Limits the number of times a person can be elected President to two terms.

The changes would be commended throughout America there were portions of the south that were angry, they were talks of succeeding but something much more sinister would take root instead.​
 
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Southern Fury New

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Southern Fury​

The southern members of the union believed heavily in male Anglo-supremacy, they had been raised to believe the white man was the boss and all others were under them, with Robert’s changes to the Constitution the south reacted as their views came under attack. The kkk (Klu Klux Klan) would be formed in 1872. They would be an America white supremacist and hate group whose primary targets where African America ns. Lesser enemies of the Klan include Jews, immigrants, leftists, homosexuals, Muslims, Catholics and independent women. The KKK was strongest in Georgia were many members of the state govemrent would secretly be a part of this hate group. They would use murder, assault and Terrorism means to an end. They wanted to purify America and return it to its roots. Meanwhile in England, King Charles III was facing rising resistance for his actions in the north and in wales fearing loss of control he began to steal ideas from the kkk but stopped short of racial purification. The implementation of these new ideas in the British Isles would bring about an even more militaristic country hell bent on returning its empire to its control and placing the British back on top again..​
 
Chapter Seventy: The First Ladies of America New

Chapter Seventy: The First Ladies of America​

First Lady of the United States (is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States. The first ladies of America so far included:

1: Martha Washington: Martha was not fully supportive of Washington's agreeing to be President of the newly formed United States. Once he assumed office, as the First Lady (a term that was only used later) she hosted many affairs of state at New York City and Philadelphia during their years as temporary capitals. The socializing would become the duty of the first lady, one that was taken onboard to relive pressure from the president.

2: Martha Jefferson Randolph- A Daughter not a wife, she was the first lady of the white house despite not living there. When she did visit however, she would help keep Jefferson organised and keep him to his schedule. She would also handle the presidents mail, the early first ladies would become the president’s secretary.

3: Theodosia Burr Alston-
Another daughter would become the first lady when president burr took office. Theodosia would begin another tradition of the first ladies. She would begin taking over control of the Whitehouse, directing the furniture and artist style of the building. She was the first, first lady to gain her own office be it a small room where she could oversee the household.

4: Elizabeth Monroe- Due to her husband unpopularity and her the fragile condition of Elizabeth's health, many of the duties of official White House hostess were assumed by her eldest daughter, Eliza Monroe Hay. Like Monroe with the presidency mother and daughter made the title of first lady more hostile. Seeking to make access to the White House more socially exclusive. The Monroe family would not be remembered fondly.

5: Anne-Sophie Adams: The First Non-American first lady, Anne-Sophie was French. Anne-Sophie would bring warmth back to white house brining her French charm to the white house. Music enhanced Tuesday evenings at the white house, and threater parties contributed to her reputation as an outstanding hostess and first lady.

6: Sarah Childress Polk: During James K Polk’s political career, Sarah assisted her husband with his speeches, gave him advice on policy matters and played an active role in his campaigns. She was lively, charming, intelligent, and a good conversationalist. President Polk at times discussed policy matters with her. While she enjoyed politics, she also cautioned her husband, whose health was never robust, against overwork. She, with the help of her husband, bought a small building in DC and established the Library of the first lady which would slowly grow over time.

7: Angelica Singleton Van Buren: The First daughter-in-law to become first lady, She assumed the post of First Lady because the president's wife, Hannah Van Buren, had died and he never remarried. Angelica was an adequate first lady though only remained a hostess and nothing more.

8: Mary Morris Hamilton: Mary would seek to change the office of first lady, making it more open to the public. She would have bi-weekly meals with members of Washington dc and would begin to open the first lady’s office to letters from the population. She expanded and upgraded the first lady’s office and sold of most of her evening wear after her husband’s term was up to give the money back to the people.

9: Lucretia Garfield: The first girlfriend of a president she would assume the role of first lady when her courtship ascended into office. she and the president would become the first to marry in the white house. Though Lucretia Garfield was not particularly interested in a First Lady's social duties, she was deeply careful and her genuine hospitality made her dinners and twice-weekly receptions enjoyable. Her earlier education instilled in her an interest in history and she began to make plans to make the historical White House the cultural centre of D.C. As first lady she took on the custodian of white house history (a role that would continue) and helped establish the white house museum in dc.

10: Jessie Benton Frémont: Despite Her husband being unpopular, Jessie fought to be a decent first lady. She used her role to begun having meetings with the population, opening the white house to the public. She received and wrote letters to the population and attempted to quell there disliking of the president. She upgraded the family quarters of the white house to be more open and spacious and wrote the most out of any of the past first ladies.

11: Mary Harlan Lincoln: Mary was a different kind of first lady. She expanded the office of the first lady and began working with local charities to help feed children. She held meetings with female rights activists and allowed the first African America n visitors into the Whitehouse. She took the time to meet native America ns and try to learn their culture. She too was an avid writer who further expanded the first lady library.​
 
Chapter Seventy-One: Fighting Fire with Fire New

Chapter Seventy-One: Fighting Fire with Fire​

Fire had never been a major foe of America . They had used it effective against the British more than once against their fleets or troops in cities but no major problems had arisen. Benjamin Franklin had created the first fire department in America but it had not become much more than that. Large cities had small fire station with under equipped, under trained and underfunded firemen. Nobody believed that America would ever face problem that would need a fully funded fire service across the nation, it was deemed too expensive and not worth the cost. That was until the events of 1871. On the morning of April 18, 1871, a massive earthquake shook San Francisco. Though the quake lasted less than a minute, its immediate impact was disastrous. The earthquake also ignited several fires around the city that burned for three days and destroyed nearly 500 city blocks. The Earthquake and fires killed an estimated 3,000 people and left half of the city's residents homeless. Alone it would have been devastating but it was not the only event that shook America that year.

July 1871, as san Francisco struggled to recover a dry season settled in over Chicago. It was dry, windy and hot. On July 8th a fire ignited in or around a small barn belonging to the O'Leary family that bordered the alley behind 137 DeKoven Street. Quickly because of the weather conditions, the fire spiralled out of control. The fire leapt the south branch of the Chicago River and destroyed much of central Chicago and then leapt the main branch of the river, consuming the Near North Side. ed in the America n city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly 3.3 square miles (9 km2) of the city, and left more than 100,000 residents homeless. Smaller fires would devastate the region. Some 250 miles to the north, the Peshtigo Fire consumed the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin, along with a dozen other villages. It killed 1,200 to 2,500 people and charred approximately 1.5 million acres. Across the lake to the east, the town of Holland, Michigan, and other nearby areas burned to the ground. Some 100 miles to the north of Holland, the lumbering community of Manistee also went up in flames in what became known as the Great Michigan Fire. Farther east, along the shore of Lake Huron, the Port Huron Fire swept through Port Huron, Michigan and much of Michigan's "Thumb". A fire swept through the city of Urbana, Illinois, 140 miles south of Chicago, destroying portions of its downtown area.

President Lincoln reacted quickly after the fires destroyed the cites, he was seen handling out supplies coming from the capital, he also promised reform. Help began to flow to the affected area from near and far after the fire. The federal government improved building codes to stop the rapid spread of future fires and rebuilt rapidly to those higher standards. This would include wider streets and the end of wooden dominated buildings in America . The federal government also began to work on a fire department that would work under federal control. The main office would be in DC while each state would have its own main fire department while each city and town would have its own fire department. A donation from the French spurred the establishment of the Chicago Public Library, a free public library system, a contrast to the private, fee-for-membership libraries common before the fire, which would slowly become the normal across America .​
 
Chapter Seventy-Two- A Monument to the Forgotten New

Chapter Seventy-Two- A Monument to the Forgotten​

President Robert Lincoln was determined not to let the forgotten heroes of America . President Lincoln had four ideas all which would begun construction in his time during office. all would be monuments to those long forgotten by history. These included:

National America n Indian Memorial: The National America n Indian Memorial was a monument to American Indians to be erected on a bluff overlooking the Narrows, the main entrance to New York Harbour. Despite protests from some in New York, the home department was able to negotiate with local land owners and business to begun construction of the monument in 1872. The memorial was to a 165-foot-tall statue of a representative America n Indian warrior atop a substantial foundation building housing a museum of native cultures. It opened in 1896.

The Mothers of America Memorial: The Mothers of America Memorial was an idea that had been brewing for years. A building in the capital dedicated to the women who had done great things for America and democracy since the revolution. Since it was on federal land, construction was approved in 1873. The centrepiece of the monuments was a 297-foot high white marble arch atop marble step. A group of figures were built at the top of the arch, one of which would have been Martha Washington holding the “Torch of Enlightenment. It opened in 1901.

Democracy Uniting the Word: Many Asian-Americans had died and fought in America since California joined the union, a large influx of immigrants from Asia would lead to a cultural boom in the west which president Lincoln did not want to forget, he also wanted to inspire Asia to unite behind democracy. The structure was to be built in the rebuilding san Francisco with permission given in 1874. The structure includes the figures of three naked men from different racial groups, holding a huge globe. The figures stand atop a museum linked to the monument. The total structure was designed to be an imposing 480-feet tall. It would open in 1908.

The Hall of Presidents: The final of four projects would focus on all presidents, each getting a section dedicated to themselves, with space for more to be added. The goal was to make sure every president was known for what they did without bias. Construction would begun in 1876. The design included a massive central tower that shielded a giant female figure. It would open in 1911 with the first 10 presidents included. More would be added as time went by.​
 
Chapter Seventy-Three- The President of The People New

Chapter Seventy-Three- The President of The People​

Robert’s term was nearly up and with the new laws could not serve another term. Most presidents by the end of their terms would begin to relax and do less but Lincoln was not going to be that man. He would continue working right up until the day his successors were sworn in. he had made promises to America and kept them all (a first for a president) yet still continued to work onward. He would lay the seed for the education department and the emergency service department. His views became more radical toward the end of his term, preaching for civil rights and an income for all though the successive progressive socialists presidents would not follow this. it was his words that would ignite a moment in the south. As southerners moved to make life harder for African Americans in the south, they found hope in Lincolns words of a beter tomorrow and would turn to music.

The music they would turn to would become known as the blues or more commonly known the Lincoln blues. It was created from roots in African musical traditions, African-American work songs, and spirituals. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads. It proved that the American spirt would not die despite the hatred. Robert would also meet the people, working with them and learning to understand their struggles. Though he could not act on the information he found, his book released after his election would reveal shocking truths about the American working system that would ignite a new movement. Despite leaving office in 1877, Robert Todd Lincoln would continue his fight for a beter tomorrow always looking for new ideas to better the people. He would become known as the people’s president right up to his death in 1937.​
 
Chapter Seventy-Four- The Election of 1876 New

Chapter Seventy-Four- The Election of 1876​

The democratic republicans were out for revenge. They called socialists values un-America n and were destroying their way of life. They preached the need to return back to the ways America was before Lincoln, Garfield and even Polk. They lambasted the presidents for setting fire to the union the forefathers had created and promised to win the election to reverse what had come before. To this end they would select George Armstrong Custer for the role. Custer was known for his old-time views and was considered the perfect candidate to role America back.

The socialists had an ace up their sleeve. When he was younger Ulysses S. Grant would have sided with the democratic republicans but after spending time with African-Americans and with president Lincoln grant’s views had changed. Grant had become known for taking on the role of training African America n regiments and actually making them fit for fighting. He was no pure socialist that was known but a recovered alcoholic who believed in education was the perfect ace against Custer. So, the election of 1876 would see two military men fight it out for the office of president. Ulysses S. Grant and Custer fought a hard battle, of speeches and appearances. Both were courting the favour of retired Robert E. Lee. Lee who would die one year later in 1877, at the age of 70. But in the election of 1876, he supported Ulysses S. Grant. Grant would go on to win the election in a landslide, including a cabinet member nobody would expect.​
 
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