Chapter 7: Unsteady Beginnings
"Charles may be a Catholic in Protestant clothing, but Robert will be a Protestant through and through."
-William Atherton, Brooklyn Merchant, on Prince Robert, Aged 14.
The early years of the Kingdom where shaky at best, and it was only through skillful politicians and copious appeasement that peace was maintained in the new nation. Perhaps the most important factor in preventing a major rebellion was the Great and General Court, which permitted the main factions of Massachusetts society to channel their outrage and disappointment into (mostly) nondestructive outlets.
The Election of 1763
The divisions in Massachusetts society became evident even in the first national election, even if political parties hadn't yet developed. The elections were dominated by four main groups: republicans, Catholics, pro-monarchist Protestants, and pro-slavery Protestants. The revelation that the latter two were largely separate concerned both groups, but the pro-slavery contingent the most.
"It has become clear to me that this King the Catholics have forced upon us has sympathies not for us who encourage the development of the negroes through servitude, but rather for the brash and ungodly individuals who would see the negroes given the freedom to sin."
-Michael Adams, Duke of Marblehead and pro-slavery member of the House of Lords
The results of the elections showed a clear regional split in politics:
The largest group, the pro-monarchist Protestants, had support from Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Western Plymouth, and Eastern Connecticut.
The second group, the Catholics, had support from Nova Hibernia, Nova Scotia, and parts of Central Plymouth.
The third group, republicans, held support in Taconia and Western Connecticut.
The smallest group, the pro-slavery Protestants, were localized to Eastern Plymouth.
The elections and their aftermath were characterized by massive amounts of political activity on all sides. Many men, seeking to participate in the often cruel and slanderous campaigns, founded electoral associations, the predecessors to the first political parties. These electoral associations would produce posters and newspaper ads decrying their opponents as cowards and criminals, and would often print outright lies in order to stir up what they called a "healthy election spirit". This helped to develop a sort of tribal approach to politics, which in turn lead to them adopting their own symbols, often worn on the hat. Monarchists would, predictably, wear the Royal Stewart tartan, whether as a cockade, waistcoat, or kilt; republicans would wear the Vindictan club; Catholics would wear a prominent crucifix; pro-slavery individuals would wear a paper mayflower. These groups would prove to be the backbone of the coming political structure.
The other major election was for the Mayor of the Realm. Fortunately for the young nation, this election was uncontested, with John Mordaunt the only candidate on the ballot. His administration would prove unambitious, as Mordaunt had little interest in governing and the people had little interest in being governed. His single term as Mayor would be marred by only a single consideration: the
Winter Rebellion.
The Winter Rebellion
In the January of 1765, a small coalition of slavers, pro-British merchants, and die-hard Protestants hatched a treasonous scheme. They quietly organized a group of anti-government ex-soldiers, armed a handful of slave ships, and launched an attempt to seize Boston and stage a coup d'état. The traitors numbered at over a thousand men, and their cannon fire and numbers were enough to force Royal forces out of the city. Perhaps the most important reason for this early success was the fact that Boston had been nearly burned to the ground, and few Royal troops were overseeing the rebuilding process.
Within a week, King Charles I had ordered troops sent from his temporary capital in Portsmouth to retake Boston. The 3,000 strong force under the direct command of Mayor Mordaunt engaged the rebel troops on the 29th of January, in the Battle of Beacon Hill. The Royal forces sustained 381 casualties while inflicting an estimated 500 casualties on the rebel force. The remainder were captured or dispersed, except for the three armed vessels the ringleaders had devised. Royal forces engaged the vessels with artillery batteries, but the ships fled the harbor and began sailing for Portsmouth in the hopes of killing the King.
The arrival of the rebel ships was a matter of great concern for the fledgling Royal New England Navy. The slave ships were designed to carry heavy cargo, and had been modified to carry 30 guns each, though the ships in fact carried only 12 each. The presence of the extra gun ports led to the ships being reported as large frigates to Admiral Cooke, the commanding naval officer in Portsmouth. The Royal Navy, composed of four 24-gun ships, decided to try and trap the rebel fleet between their vessels and Fort Mary[1], and to this end withdrew to Fort McClary.
The confrontation came on the night of February 2, when the three rebel ships attempted to enter Portsmouth Harbor. At first, the ships slipped by the forts undetected, but the rebels quickly engaged the city with cannon fire in the hopes of quickly killing King Charles. Their cannons proved unable to reach Charles' residence, and the two forts and the Navy were able to sink all three vessels before they maneuvered into position. The City of Portsmouth sustained a total of 23 casualties in the attack.
The Winter Rebellion's Impact
It is difficult to overstate the impact the Winter Rebellion had upon Massachusetts' development and stability. The rebellion, especially the attack on Portsmouth, disillusioned many from the idea of armed rebellion, and even converted some to the monarchist factions. This was aided by King Charles himself, who remained in the city during the attack, and donated personal funds to help rebuild the predominantly Gaelic dockyard neighborhoods. The attack did, however, have some supporters:
"This naval uprising is the first speck of reason I've laid eyes upon in this affront to the name Kingdom. It is with the deepest regret that I inform you that the British forces in Bergen, New York were unable to respond with the speed necessary to relieve the Loyalists in Boston, and the city has once again fallen to the Jacobites."
-John Roberts of Marblehead, in a letter to his father Harold Roberts of London
For most citizens, the Winter Rebellion painted a stark portrait of armed uprisings against the throne. Many realized that the National War was won by France and Austria, not by New England, and that attempted to recreate the rebellion would be ill-advised. The Winter Rebellion seemed to be the dying gasps of the anti-monarchists, as between its utter failure and the rebel's disregard for civilian casualties, being publicly anti-monarchist led to accusations of being associated with the Winter Rebellion, which in turn lead to social ostracism. This gave the monarchy the support, or at least lack of loud dissent, it needed to fully establish itself.
The other major effect of the Winter Rebellion was military in nature. Worried that their ally on the continent might not be able to defend against British attack, France sold the Royal Navy five frigates and a 50-gun flagship extremely cheaply. While the sale would have no major effect on following events, the knowledge that the 50-gun HMS
Prince of Rhodes[2] would respond to any uprisings was enough to prevent any further revolts along the coast.
The Election of 1766
The election of 1766 is most notable for the emergence of political parties. The electoral associations of the previous elections had, in the intervening three years, merged into a handful of massive groups. From these groups emerged the political parties. The results in 1766 were much the same as in 1763, only the republicans declined severely in votes.
Party: Tory Jacobite Republican Morality
1763: 40% 38% 15% 07%
1766: 52% 38% 03% 07%
The electoral failure of the Republican Party would put in place the Parliament necessary for the reign of Massachusetts' second Mayor, and the beginning of the National Emergence.
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[1] Fort William and Mary was renamed for obvious reasons.
[2] Presuming I remember, British will be referred to as HBMS, for His Britannic Majesty's Ship.
Firstly, I apologise for that kind-of a graph. I had some formatting issues.
Secondly, I apologise for that seven-month break between updates. I've had school, and time got away from me.
Thirdly, comments, questions, and concerns are welcome. I might actually step away from this format at some point in the near future in order to discuss events in Europe. After all, there's been a massive upheaval there; something interesting is bound to happen.