Challenge: Slavery ended by revolution in the United States

Just as it says on the tin. With a POD no earlier than...say...the 1840's...have slavery ended in the United States not after a traditional civil war like that of OTL or by peaceful means, but by a Second American Revolution that completely abolishes not only slavery but also the previous American government.

In this challenge, the revolution must occur before 1 January, 1910.
 
Ok this is a little wild - but the only way I see this working if it's a race war rather than a North South war. The slaves (and their freed brethrin) vs the slaveowners and those who kept them at the top of the heiracy.

The trouble is that the American system is very flexible and even if the slaves took control of the slave states (either with or without the support of the non-slave states) all that would happen is they would be asked to send representatives to Congress to replace those that had kept them in slavery.

I can't really see a continent wide war of black vs white as the shear numbers would outway the slaves (particularly if France and Britain joined in to protect their intreasts).
 
hm here's a go, John Wilkes Booth and Co set their plans into motion shortly before Appomattox, they pull off the murder of Lincoln and Johnson as well as Secretary of State Seward, in the panic and rage that fallows it Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sets up a committee of safety to hunt the assassins and wage the war, conservative Republican President pro tempore Lafayette Foster and the courts try to protest this, and Stanton gives no fucks, he gets support from the Radical Republicans who cheer the Stanton plan to punish the Confederates and support for freeman rights, with military support Democrats and conservative Republicans are jailed and the constitution suspended, in 1866 or 67 Stanton and the rest of the committee of safety proffer up a new constitution for an American Federal Union, with a powerful Presidency and military, little in the way of states rights/powers, aggressive land redistribution to new freemen, and long term occupation of the South, Jeff Davis and other top Confederates are tried and hanged by military courts between 1865 and 1867 Stanton is chair of the committee of safety, than President of the new nation till his death in 1894
 
hm here's a go, John Wilkes Booth and Co set their plans into motion shortly before Appomattox, they pull off the murder of Lincoln and Johnson as well as Secretary of State Seward, in the panic and rage that fallows it Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sets up a committee of safety to hunt the assassins and wage the war, conservative Republican President pro tempore Lafayette Foster and the courts try to protest this, and Stanton gives no fucks, he gets support from the Radical Republicans who cheer the Stanton plan to punish the Confederates and support for freeman rights, with military support Democrats and conservative Republicans are jailed and the constitution suspended, in 1866 or 67 Stanton and the rest of the committee of safety proffer up a new constitution for an American Federal Union, with a powerful Presidency and military, little in the way of states rights/powers, aggressive land redistribution to new freemen, and long term occupation of the South, Jeff Davis and other top Confederates are tried and hanged by military courts between 1865 and 1867 Stanton is chair of the committee of safety, than President of the new nation till his death in 1894

Not sure if this is what the OP had in mind, but I agree. This is the only possibility. Not a traditional "slave revolution" but a revolution from the top by a segment of the National government staging a coup in effect, using the outcome of the ACW as a starting point.

It would of course lead to a new Civil War because many more people than beaten southerners are going to resist such a radical reconstruction of the federal system.
 
It would of course lead to a new Civil War because many more people than beaten southerners are going to resist such a radical reconstruction of the federal system.

maybe, I think there is a moment there were the nation is so in shock and enraged that you could get away with it, it'd be a near thing
 
maybe, I think there is a moment there were the nation is so in shock and enraged that you could get away with it, it'd be a near thing

Perhaps some of the immediate actions you propose (suspending constitutional rights, arresting Democrats and moderate Republicans, giving the military a major role in enforcing law, even forced redisribution of land) might occur in a clearly defined "emergency situation".

However, I think any attempt to codify such a regime by rewriting the constitution to give the national government such sweeping and uncontrolled power, or extend the "emergency" beyond the point most people believed was reasonable, would lead to a true revolution in which an overwhelming majority of Americans in all parts of he country, and their state governments, would rise up. The end result might even be what the CSA claimed it was fighting for: greater State's rights and a right of secession.
 
However, I think any attempt to codify such a regime by rewriting the constitution to give the national government such sweeping and uncontrolled power, or extend the "emergency" beyond the point most people believed was reasonable, would lead to a true revolution in which an overwhelming majority of Americans in all parts of he country, and their state governments, would rise up. The end result might even be what the CSA claimed it was fighting for: greater State's rights and a right of secession.

maybe, though in many revolutions a powerful figure rises and in control of the military is able to to hang on to power, with the huge Union army, and the CSA crushed, a nation worn from bloody bitter war, I think it could happen, though I think its just as likely that the nation would fall apart in a multi sided civil war
 
Ok this is a little wild - but the only way I see this working if it's a race war rather than a North South war. The slaves (and their freed brethrin) vs the slaveowners and those who kept them at the top of the heiracy.

The trouble is that the American system is very flexible and even if the slaves took control of the slave states (either with or without the support of the non-slave states) all that would happen is they would be asked to send representatives to Congress to replace those that had kept them in slavery.

I can't really see a continent wide war of black vs white as the shear numbers would outway the slaves (particularly if France and Britain joined in to protect their intreasts).

It definitely wouldn't be a black-white thing. There were plenty of abolitionists who were very radical -- John Brown being the obvious example.

But in the South it would definitely be black vs white.

hm here's a go, John Wilkes Booth and Co set their plans into motion shortly before Appomattox, they pull off the murder of Lincoln and Johnson as well as Secretary of State Seward, in the panic and rage that fallows it Secretary of War Edwin Stanton sets up a committee of safety to hunt the assassins and wage the war, conservative Republican President pro tempore Lafayette Foster and the courts try to protest this, and Stanton gives no fucks, he gets support from the Radical Republicans who cheer the Stanton plan to punish the Confederates and support for freeman rights, with military support Democrats and conservative Republicans are jailed and the constitution suspended, in 1866 or 67 Stanton and the rest of the committee of safety proffer up a new constitution for an American Federal Union, with a powerful Presidency and military, little in the way of states rights/powers, aggressive land redistribution to new freemen, and long term occupation of the South, Jeff Davis and other top Confederates are tried and hanged by military courts between 1865 and 1867 Stanton is chair of the committee of safety, than President of the new nation till his death in 1894

That's more of a coup than a popular revolution.
 
Top