America, A City on a Hill: The Presidency of Joseph Smith Jr. and Beyond

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Election of 1844
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    • Neshomancer

    Neshomancer

    The election of 1844 was a landmark event in American history. The thing about such events is that they are rarely expected. Such was the case with this election. Going in no one honestly expected Joseph Smith to win the presidency, except perhaps the man himself and his most ardent supporters.

    It was known that Smith and his Reform party were gaining support, but the Whigs and Democrats were powerful political machines so it was fully expected that Clay or Polk would carry the day. Until the results came in.

    Smith's victory would send shock waves through not just the United States, but all of North America. While Smith won the White House he did so winning the bare minimum of electorate votes. His victory put the divisions the United States was facing into sharp relief. Divisions that would define the coming years.

    Of the states Smith carried only one was in the South, that being Kentucky, which was open to his gradual emancipation plan. The stark political divide spurred by Smith's anti-slavery sentiment would be the recipe for kicking off the American Slave War in 1845.

    genusmap.php


    James K. Polk/George M. Dallas (Democrat) 73 total EV
    Henry Clay/Theodore Frelinghuysen (Whig) 64 total EV
    Joseph Smith jr./Sidney Rigdon (Reform) 138 total EV
     
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    • Jon Crawford

    We could see a different civil war. Although it will still probably start in South Carolina. (Doctrine and Covenants revelation)

    I wonder if it will be completely geographical. I also wonder about foriegn involvement. (If any) Spain, Texas, or Mexico for the south. Britain, France etc... for the North.
     
    Neshomancer

    Neshomancer

    Jon Crawford said:
    We could see a different civil war. Although it will still probably start in South Carolina. (Doctrine and Covenants revelation)

    I wonder if it will be completely geographical. I also wonder about foriegn involvement. (If any) Spain, Texas, or Mexico for the south. Britain, France etc... for the North.
    Click to expand...
    Why do you think Mexico would help the South?
     

    Jon Crawford

    It’s possible. It depends on if Virginia still secedes from the union. Or if there’s enough population to support a state. Twenty years is a full generation of development and growth.
     
    The Confederacy is formed
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    • Neshomancer

    Neshomancer

    January 30, 1845, Washington D.C.:



    President John Tyler cursed the name of Joseph Smith. The Union was falling apart at the seams and it was all because of that man. Smith's victory in the election, carrying mostly northern states with the exception of Kentucky, as well as his abolitionist leanings had set the South on edge. So much so that some were breaking from the Union!

    Tyler looked down at something that had been brought to his attention when this whole thing had started. It was a written copy of a “prophecy” that Smith had made in 1832:

    Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;

    And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.

    For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

    And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.

    That first part had certainly come true, this whole secession business had started in South Carolina, and no less than five other states had followed them. Missouri had been the next to go. Tyler could understand that to an extent, Missouri didn't have the best opinion of Smith or his Mormon followers, given the trouble that had taken place there. Including the attempted assassination of Lyman Boggs. It was actually more surprising that South Carolina had beaten them to the punch than anything else.

    Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana had all followed suit shortly after. Even Florida which wasn't even a state yet had decided to break away. Tyler could send troops down to Florida to do something about that since it was still a territory, but that would mean marching troops through these secessionist states which would no doubt trigger a war.

    It was bad enough that this was happening during his final days in office, but to add insult to injury negotiations with Texas had broken down as since they were pro-slavery they didn't want to live under a Joseph Smith administration either. Honestly Tyler found himself between a rock and a hard place. To not do anything would make the US seem weak, but to send troops would mean starting a war of aggression that would no doubt prompt more states to leave. Perhaps it would be better to just try and keep things stable and pass the mess on to Smith when he took office.

    Tyler looked at the “prophecy” on his desk once more and sighed. Perhaps Joseph Smith was a prophet. Strangely Tyler found himself hoping that was the case because right now it looked like only God could save America.




    February 4, 1845, Montgomery, Alabama:

    Anson Jones smiled as the Provisional Congress of the Confederate States of America elected him interim President, He like many took a dim view of the so-called Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith, but right now he loved the man. His election as President of the United States had scared him at first thanks to his abolitionist tendencies. Mexico had already gotten rid of slavery so if the United States did as well that would leave Texas between to giants who had abolished an institution that Texas held dear.

    Most Texans despite Jones' own wishes had wanted to join the United States before the election. Smith's election had tempered that, but the offer to join the Confederate States had been too good to pass up without political suicide.

    So Jones had worked out a deal to join the CSA and as a bonus was now the interim President. This was mainly due to his good relationship with Great Britain as the new nation was hoping for recognition that would dissuade the United States from making any moves against them. Of course there was still the matter of Mexico, but surely they were in a better bargaining position as part of the Confederacy than they were alone...
     
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    • Evan

    Very interesting premise! I'm looking forward to seeing President Smith's impact on the United States, his impact on the Mormon Church, and how (other) Christian denominations will respond to his election.

    Neshomancer said:
    So I've been trying to figure out whether West Virginia will still break away if and when war breaks out. Any thoughts?
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    They'll want to; they'd been pushing to become their own state since the 1790's due to differences in their economies and a (largely correct) sense of being ignored by Richmond. Virginia's secession will definitely give them a chance to try; after that, it all depends on President Smith and Congress's opinion of the matter.

    If West Virginia does separate, its borders will almost certainly be different.
     
    Neshomancer

    Neshomancer

    Okay so possibly a bit of a silly question, but does anyone know how they would transport a President-to-be from his home state to Washington n the 1840s?
     

    Evan

    Neshomancer said:
    Okay so possibly a bit of a silly question, but does anyone know how they would transport a President-to-be from his home state to Washington n the 1840s?
    Click to expand...
    Abraham Lincoln in 1861 took the train (and gave speeches on the way). I seem to recall that was a new thing, but given how Joseph Smith has broken so many traditions already, he could easily do it here too.

    If you don't get any answers about how OTL President-Elects did it here, I'd recommend asking in the excellent /r/AskHistorians subreddit.
     

    mrmandias

    There wouldn't have been a rail network all that way. Probably a combo of steamship to New Orleans, sailing ship to the East Coast, or else carriage/horseback to Chicago, boat to somewhere in NY, carriage/horseback after that.
     
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