Federalist Victory 1800: Civil War, Chaos, Undemocratic Federalist State?

Communist Wizard

The Federalists had a very, very, very close run in 1800. However, they lost the Presidential Election and soon, were destroyed. They were the most undemocratic major political party in the history of the nation- They favored extreme centralisation and could have destroyed democracy once they had control of America. Many people threatened Cvil War had they won the Election. They were also industrialist, pro-British, and based on the North (mostly). One could probably say they would have a centralised military. So, what if they get elected? What might happen next? I might go for the extremes here... ;).
 

Faeelin

Communist Wizard said:
The Federalists had a very, very, very close run in 1800. However, they lost the Presidential Election and soon, were destroyed. They were the most undemocratic major political party in the history of the nation- They favored extreme centralisation and could have destroyed democracy once they had control of America.
Click to expand...

What extreme centralization?

A Federal bank. A strong military and a national economic policy.

I also find the claim that they're undemocratic interesting; this is "true" to an extent, but let's remember that Hamilton was a leading member of one of New York's abolitionist societies, and argued during the Revolution for enlisting slaves.

Jefferson, umm, didn't bother to free most of his slaves in his will.

Many people threatened Cvil War had they won the Election.
Click to expand...

I can't see Jefferson pushing for it, and without Jefferson who will follow?
 

HueyLong

Banned
They'd won before that.... with no real problem. They did not destroy the American democracy then, and they controlled the country from Washington up till Jefferson.
 

HueyLong

Banned
Communist Wizard said:
But then came the Alien+Sedition Acts... Who knows what they had on their minds?
Click to expand...

There was an "American ideal" after the Revolution that demanded consensus. Both sides supported the idea of removing faction in government by.... removing the opposing faction. The fact that the Federalists passed it is just a matter of who got power first. Had the Anti-Feds been in power, there would have been something similar. They did not see an opposition as essential to governance.

The Anti-Feds, after all, targeted Federalist societies both then and later, with a lot of early anger expressed against the Cincinatti.

The rallies of Democratic-Republican Societies and their exaltation of the French Revolution.... not exactly inspiring democracy there, now are we?
 

HueyLong

Banned
A longer lived national bank, which would help the economy and increase land sales out west

An avoidance of the War of 1812, possibly with seizure of French Louisiana which also leads to no Embargo Act which, again, leads to a stronger American economy......

A stronger anti-slavery movement, but one with much less evangelical tones than in OTL (They'll stay closer to the political mainstream if the Federalists stay around) They'll stay with the Republican language of the Revolution, and emphasize a gradual end to the institution, so closer to the American Colonization Society than anything else......

There would be a slightly longer time without full white manhood suffrage... for better or worse. The Anti-Feds kinda brought in later Jacksonian democracy, with all of its latent flaws.

A ban on secret societies (The later National-Republicans were bedfellows with the Anti-Mason movement)

Earlier limits on immigration, especially on Catholics and non-Northern Europeans (Though this will fail just as much as modern day limits, basically)




So, no, not a great America, but certainly with its own positive and negative trends.....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Top