So I thought this up while doing some bitching constructive criticism on AmericanAdam's "Power of the West" TL
(This has nothing to do with AA's "New Albion"; everything is identical to OTL until the POD).
POD: OTL, In 1859 Thurlow Weed, William Seward's poweful political manager, felt it was best if Seward spent eight months in 1859 (May to December) doing a tour of Europe, to prevent him shooting his mouth off, which he was wont to do, and causing a disruption in his path to the presidency. Here, either Weed changes his mind, or Seward refuses to go.
So Seward is in the US for John Brown's raid in October 1959. His condemnation is thought to be less than heart-felt, arousing even more fury against him.
William Seward is the former Governor and two-term Senator of New York, and widely-hated in the South as the most prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement. He is considered to be the almost inevitable candidate for the Republican nomination the next year [edited to remove modern OTL reference]
He attends an anti-slavery meeting held in Cincinnati; present is Ohio Governor Salmon Chase, a man with well-known presidential ambitions himself, and Abraham Lincoln, a political figure from Illinois who has made a name for himself in the Senatorial debates with Stephen Douglas.
Seward has his eyes on Chase; he certainly doesn't see any rival in this undistinguished former Congressman. Still, they have hit it off previously, and when they meet again they end up staying at the same hotel, talking late into the night (though not, unlike their last meeting, sharing the same room and even the same bed).
In the morning, going in to breakfast, Seward and Chase, with Lincoln on the periphery, are confronted by a young Southerner, outraged by the incident at Harper's Ferry (or two assailants, depending on your faith in early revolvers). He shoots the hated Seward point-blank, and tries to kill Chase as well. Always physically couragous, Lincoln intervenes and is also fatally shot.
Chase is wounded, but is in good enough shape to make a blistering speech blaming it on the Southern propensity to violence brought on by slavery, which both sweeps him to the forefront of the Republican Party and outrages the slave states, especially as his more radical opinions, not well known until now, come under scrutiny
Chase was instrumental in Ohio in striking down the Black Laws; he has supported ithe admission of Negroes to public schools, equality before the courts, and even voting rights. He has also made speeches saying he wanted to see slavery totally abolished, unlike the more moderate Lincoln, who only opposed its extension, believing it would die a natural death in the South.
More violent incidents occur, with retaliation by both sides. The Republicans are so outraged at the murder of their beloved standard-bearer, plus that guy from Illinois, that at their convention they select Salmon Chase [OTL he came in a distant third at the Convention, behind the now-absent Lincoln and Seward].
This drives the Southerners into even more of a frenzy. Alarmed by all the violence, and at the prospect of the radical Chase, Bell drops out and throws his support behind Stephen Douglas, receiving the Vice-Presidential nomination of the new Democratic-Union Party, after the walk-out of the southerners from the Democratic Convention.
In the election this gives Douglas Kentucky as well as Missouri. The middle states- Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey- support Douglas against the radical Chase [OTL it was fear of losing these that led the Convention OTL to select the moderate Lincoln over Seward; here a 5% vote swing against Chase is enough.] Chase holds his own state of Ohio, but just barely. It all comes down to New York, [won by Lincoln 53.7 to 47.3 OTL.] Fear of Chase's radical agenda does the trick; the swing gives Douglas New York.
[Edit June 19: my numbers don't add up here; should be]
Results in the Electoral College: Chase (R) 112; Breckenridge (Southern Democrat) 99; Douglas (Democratic Union) 92.
Based on this scenario
http://www.270towin.com/1860_Election/interactive_map
I'm assuming most of Bell's votes go to Douglas, but enough go to Breckenridge to tilt Virginia and Tennessee to him. Add in a general five percent swing against Chase. It doesn't help that ,while Chase is deeply admired by his radical followers, he is widely disliked for his air of absolute moral and intellectual superiority, not to mention his emotional coldness and charges of political backstabbing.[ed. as above]
(This has nothing to do with AA's "New Albion"; everything is identical to OTL until the POD).
POD: OTL, In 1859 Thurlow Weed, William Seward's poweful political manager, felt it was best if Seward spent eight months in 1859 (May to December) doing a tour of Europe, to prevent him shooting his mouth off, which he was wont to do, and causing a disruption in his path to the presidency. Here, either Weed changes his mind, or Seward refuses to go.
So Seward is in the US for John Brown's raid in October 1959. His condemnation is thought to be less than heart-felt, arousing even more fury against him.
William Seward is the former Governor and two-term Senator of New York, and widely-hated in the South as the most prominent figure in the anti-slavery movement. He is considered to be the almost inevitable candidate for the Republican nomination the next year [edited to remove modern OTL reference]
He attends an anti-slavery meeting held in Cincinnati; present is Ohio Governor Salmon Chase, a man with well-known presidential ambitions himself, and Abraham Lincoln, a political figure from Illinois who has made a name for himself in the Senatorial debates with Stephen Douglas.
Seward has his eyes on Chase; he certainly doesn't see any rival in this undistinguished former Congressman. Still, they have hit it off previously, and when they meet again they end up staying at the same hotel, talking late into the night (though not, unlike their last meeting, sharing the same room and even the same bed).
In the morning, going in to breakfast, Seward and Chase, with Lincoln on the periphery, are confronted by a young Southerner, outraged by the incident at Harper's Ferry (or two assailants, depending on your faith in early revolvers). He shoots the hated Seward point-blank, and tries to kill Chase as well. Always physically couragous, Lincoln intervenes and is also fatally shot.
Chase is wounded, but is in good enough shape to make a blistering speech blaming it on the Southern propensity to violence brought on by slavery, which both sweeps him to the forefront of the Republican Party and outrages the slave states, especially as his more radical opinions, not well known until now, come under scrutiny
Chase was instrumental in Ohio in striking down the Black Laws; he has supported ithe admission of Negroes to public schools, equality before the courts, and even voting rights. He has also made speeches saying he wanted to see slavery totally abolished, unlike the more moderate Lincoln, who only opposed its extension, believing it would die a natural death in the South.
More violent incidents occur, with retaliation by both sides. The Republicans are so outraged at the murder of their beloved standard-bearer, plus that guy from Illinois, that at their convention they select Salmon Chase [OTL he came in a distant third at the Convention, behind the now-absent Lincoln and Seward].
This drives the Southerners into even more of a frenzy. Alarmed by all the violence, and at the prospect of the radical Chase, Bell drops out and throws his support behind Stephen Douglas, receiving the Vice-Presidential nomination of the new Democratic-Union Party, after the walk-out of the southerners from the Democratic Convention.
In the election this gives Douglas Kentucky as well as Missouri. The middle states- Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and New Jersey- support Douglas against the radical Chase [OTL it was fear of losing these that led the Convention OTL to select the moderate Lincoln over Seward; here a 5% vote swing against Chase is enough.] Chase holds his own state of Ohio, but just barely. It all comes down to New York, [won by Lincoln 53.7 to 47.3 OTL.] Fear of Chase's radical agenda does the trick; the swing gives Douglas New York.
[Edit June 19: my numbers don't add up here; should be]
Results in the Electoral College: Chase (R) 112; Breckenridge (Southern Democrat) 99; Douglas (Democratic Union) 92.
Based on this scenario
http://www.270towin.com/1860_Election/interactive_map
I'm assuming most of Bell's votes go to Douglas, but enough go to Breckenridge to tilt Virginia and Tennessee to him. Add in a general five percent swing against Chase. It doesn't help that ,while Chase is deeply admired by his radical followers, he is widely disliked for his air of absolute moral and intellectual superiority, not to mention his emotional coldness and charges of political backstabbing.[ed. as above]
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