Chapter 52: Land of Liberty
The Inauguration of President William Henry Harrison
The United States of America shared much in common with the Kingdom of Greece. Born in the fires of revolution and war; the struggle for independence by the Thirteen Colonies against the the British Empire served as an inspirational development to the long-oppressed Greeks of the Ottoman Empire. Their messages of freedom from tyranny, liberty and justice for all, the equality of all men, and the inalienability of these rights found an incredibly receptive audience in the Greeks. According to legend, a small band of Greek freedom fighters was so moved by the American cause that they had journeyed to the new World where they joined the Continentals in their war against the tyranny of their British overlords. Standing side by side, the Continentals and the Greeks under the leadership of their commander, a man by the name of Demetrios Ypsilantis, bravely fought against the British in the battle of Monmouth Courthouse in the Summer of 1778 abd successfully fought the indomitable British Army to a draw alongside their American compatriots.
[1] Regardless of the tale’s accuracy, it cannot be denied that the land and people of Greece had a great deal of infleunce on the development of the nascent United States of America.
Following the War’s end, the United States of America would construct their government in the model of Ancient Athens and Ancient Rome, establishing themselves as a Federal Republic with a democratic electoral system. Their symbolism was heavily inspired by the ancient Romans and Greeks as were their public buildings and monuments which were constructed primarily in the Neo-Classical architectural style. Like the Greeks, the Americans were a mercantile people who maintained a large fleet of commercial ships who did business with the far corners of the world. Like those in Europe, the American people were also greatly fascinated by the myths and legends of Ancient Greece and so, when the Greeks attempted to win their own independence in 1821 it came as no surprise that the Americans looked on with great interest.
A letter by the Maniot chieftain Petros Mavromichalis appealing to the American Secretary of State John Quincy Adams for aid was well received by the American public as it detailed their shared ideals, their closeness in relations, and their kinship as liberty loving patriots. Though the American government would be disinclined from officially aiding the Greek Revolutionaries following the enactment of the Monroe Doctrine in 1824, the American people turned out in droves to support their brothers in arms across the sea in their War for Independence. A few Americans would travel to Greece to take up arm alongside the Greeks in their fight against the Ottomans, but the true extent of the American Philhellene contribution came in the form of humanitarian aid and monetary support.
Tens of thousands of American dollars from private donors and well-wishers flooded into the Greek Government’s coffers, as did a considerable amount of medical supplies, cereals and other non-perishable food items, blankets, cots, clothing, and other simple commodities which saved hundreds if not thousands of Greek refugees from starvation, disease, or exposure to the elements. American philanthropists constructed numerous hospitals and clinics, schools and orphanages for the Greeks during the war. More doctors and missionaries would journey to Greece than actual fighters, although a sizeable number of Americans did indeed fight with distinction at Missolonghi, Nafpaktos, Bralos, and Lamia. Some who made the journey to Greece were journalists and writers who regaled American audiences with tales of the valiant Greeks in their fight against the dastardly Ottomans, others were archaeologists who explored the ancient wonders and ruins of this storied land. One American in particular who eventually made the long voyage to Greece was the eldest son of former President John Quincy Adams, George Washington Adams.
George Washington Adams as a Young Man
Born on the 12 of April 1801, George Washington Adams was the son and grandson of two American Presidents, and bearing the name of a third President it was believed that much was to be expected of the young Adams boy, perhaps too much. George would go on to attend the University of Harvard where, like his father and grandfather before him, he would study law and become an accomplished attorney from the Boston area. Young George was an incredibly intelligent, if somewhat mercurial young man, who was a gifted speaker in his own right, his July 5th speech at Quincy being a particularly impressive performance in 1825. The following year in 1826, George was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives where he would serve with distinction in spite of his young age of 25. However, despite the success and acclaim he had garnered as a lawyer and state legislator George remained unsatisfied with this life and swiftly left office a year later in 1827. It was during this time that he came to develop a great interest in the land of Greece.
Like many Americans, George was captivated by tales of the war in Greece which filled the papers and editorials throughout the country. He had read the Iliad and the Odysseus in his youth and throughout his many years of schooling he had studied Pericles’ famous Funeral Oration and the Trial of Socrates. But it was Lord Byron’s latest poem,
Hellas, detailing the Baron Byron’s own adventures in Greece which truly inspired George to see it for himself.
[2] Though Byron’s work did much to dispel the myths that surrounded the conflict and painted a remarkably human picture of the supposedly noble and flawless Greek heroes fighting the war, his vivid writings on the ancient wonders and majestic panoramas that dotted the countryside reportedly brought the young Adams boy to tears upon first reading it. George’s efforts to convince his overbearing father, then President John Quincy Adams, to permit him to go fulfill this aspiration would unfortunately run into difficulties.
As the eldest son of the President of the United States, his presence, however minor it may be, would undoubtedly provide the Greek rebels with the appearance of recognition and legitimacy on the part of the American Government and would likely serve as a breach of the Monroe Doctrine. Moreover, with the Presidential Election several months away, he did not wish to jeopardize his standing prior to the election. His father also did not wish for him to go as Greece was a land wracked in war and rife with violence. Should George travel to Greece in person, then he not only risked the sanctity of the Monroe Doctrine, he would also be risking his very life. While his father sympathized with the Greeks and with his son’s desire to aid them, the answer to his request would have to be a resounding no.
Crestfallen, George began to fall into a melancholy of sorts which would linger with him for much of 1828 leading him to grow gloomier with each passing day.
[3] While it was generally misunderstood at the time, it is now believed that George Washington Adam’s erratic behavior was attributed to a terrible case of depression that afflicted him for much of his life. The rejection by his father had only served to worsen problems which were present for the young man leading to a noticeable shift in his mood and disposition in the days following the heated meeting with his father. As his mood continued to darken, George began considering a myriad of terrible plots, including the ending of his own life to end his depression all of which culminated in a failed suicide attempt in late 1828 following the loss of his father to General Andrew Jackson in the 1828 Presidential Election.
Fearing for his son’s health and having lost his bid for reelection to General Andrew Jackson, George’s father John Quincy Adams, reconsidered his son’s earlier proposal. Given that the situation in Greece had changed remarkably over the past few months with the intervention of the British, French, and Russias on the side of the Greeks, and the notion of Greek independence becoming an increasingly likely prospect, the matter of American recognition of the Greeks had lost its significance. Moreover, the withdrawal of the Egyptians and the resurgence of the Greeks had done much to secure the Greek countryside, making any trip there much safer for George and his companions. With the political sensitivities of the matter greatly diminished and the risk of injury or death greatly reduced as well, George received his father’s blessing to finally embark on his journey to Greece.
Departing from Boston Massachusetts on the 21st of January 1829 for the Spanish port of Sevilla, George Washington Adams began his long and well recorded journey to Hellas. In Adams’ possession throughout the entire journey to Greece were a collection of journals which detailed each step young George took along the road to Greece. His writing depicts in great detail the grandeur of the Great Rock of Gibraltar as his ship sailed through the Pillars of Hercules. He remarked upon the bustling streets and busy markets of Barcelona. He wrote of gentle tides splashing upon the beaches of the beautiful French Riviera, he dined in Genoa with the mayor of the city and vacationed in the magnificent Tuscan countryside for several weeks before departing from Ancona for the island of Zakynthos where he would make the final leg of his journey to Greece. While the war was still ongoing in neighboring Greece, the conflict at sea had all but ended months before as the Allied Fleet of British, French, and Russian ships had swept aside any measure of organized resistance by the Ottoman Navy. Though the occasional Turkish ship could be found in the Aegean, they no longer dared to stray too far from their ports and they would never think of attacking a foreign flagged ship. And so, it came as no surprise that the final undertaking from Zakynthos to Nafplion was a relatively uneventful, if somewhat boring trip for George and the other passengers aboard his ship.
Finally arriving at the city of Nafplion on the 19th of May 1829 George fell in love with the land at first sight. The people were incredibly charming, kind, and hospitable to the young American, offering him every courtesy they could offer even when they themselves had very little for their own families. He traveled the Morean countryside and explored the famous cities of Sparta, Argos, Corinth, and Mycenae. He visited the battlefields of Dervenakia, Maniakion, and Myloi where the Greeks had valiantly fought against their Ottoman and Egyptian adversaries. He toured the Aegean islands and experienced the wonderous vistas from beautiful Santorini and Naxos. He also engaged in philanthropic activities himself while in Greece as he worked as an aide in the various hospitals across the countryside and he provided what he could to those in need. By far though his most documented venture was his trip to the city of Athens where he walked through the hallowed remains of the great structures atop its Acropolis. Passing through the mighty gatehouse of Propylaea, he stood in awe of the majesty of the Parthenon for several moments in complete silence as the sun set between the marble columns in a beautiful amalgamation of color. When George finally departed from Greece on the 4th of August, he did so as a fully rejuvenated man; his body had been cured of the ills that ailed it and his mind had been saved from the darkness that clouded his thoughts.
The Parthenon (circa 1830)
Thoroughly refreshed in both mind and body, George would return home to Boston in late November 1829 where he started his life once again. Despite the objection of his parents and their threats of his disownment, he would go on to marry his longtime mistress Eliza Dolph in a small private service in early February that was attended only by George’s brother John and Eliza’s immediate family, and their closest friends. Theirs was a happy, if somewhat troubled life together as the Adams family remained obstinately opposed to the match and refused to contact the couple for several months before they finally made amends following the birth of George and Eliza’s first child together John Quincy in April 1831. George’s eccentric behavior also made finances difficult for the family as he would routinely change vocations every few months, trying his hand at writing, teaching, medicine, and business before finally returning to practicing law in the Spring of 1832. George would also depart on unannounced trips overseas at various points throughout their marriage putting undo stress on Eliza and the family. Yet despite their troubles, the couple would go on to have another three children, Abigail born in 1832, Charles born in 1834, and Thomas born in 1835 and the pair remained genuinely in love with one another for all their many years together.
In 1833, George would run for and win back his old seat in the Massachusetts statehouse where he would continue to serve with distinction for another two years before running for and winning a seat in the Massachusetts State Senate. Once more though the tedium of the Massachusetts Statehouse began to wear on Adams leading him to the announcement that he would not seek reelection in 1837 choosing instead to run for Congress in the 1838 Midterm Elections as a member of the Whig Party. The seat that he would be running for was the 3rd District of Massachusetts and had been his father’s, who had now decided to walk away from politics after four consecutive terms in Congress. With his beliefs and dreams firmly implanted in his sons, John Quincy Adams had felt it was time to retire and return to writing his memoirs and biography of his father.
Despite claims by his Democratic opponents of being an American royal who relied solely on his family name to get anywhere in life, Adams would gain great popularity among the people of the 3rd District owing to his magnificent speeches and his vivid portrayal of the Whig party platform. He also had the full support of his father as well as his various connections in Congress who similarly endorsed George for the job. Most importantly was the rather strong anti Jacksonian fervor sweeping across the country at the time of the midterms as a result of the Panic of 1837 and it was no surprise that George Washington Adams won the election by a decisive margin of 56 to 41 percent. However, in the midst of his greatest triumph yet, tragedy would strike once more as his youngest son Thomas fell ill and died to the measles in late December 1838.
The loss of his beloved son devastated the man, sending him back into the doldrums of depression that had wracked him so deeply nearly ten years before. For days on end, he remained locked away inside his bedroom, refusing to leave the room for even the most basic of necessities. As time continued to pass and George continued to remain hidden away in the safety of his home, many began to believe he had killed himself in his grief; their only proof to the contrary were the rare glimpses of him through the bedroom window and the sounds of his weeping which disturbed the quiet of the night. Though it would take some time, nearly two months in fact, he would eventually recover thanks to the love and support of his family and close friends to the point where he was well enough to make the trip to Washington D.C. in early March 1839 for his first term in the US House of Representatives.
Fascinated by the new and exhilarating atmosphere he found himself in, Adams would quickly regain his composure as a politician and an orator. Though he was a junior Congressman from Massachusetts, George became an incredibly vocal opponent of the ruling Democratic administration of President Martin van Buren especially over the matter of slavery. His fiery speeches on the House floor deriding the President for his involvement in the Amistad Case earned him quite the following among the Whigs in Congress as well as the attention of the Senior Senator from Massachusetts Daniel Webster and his close colleague the Senator from Kentucky, Henry Clay. Both men had been deeply impressed by Adams’ talents as a speaker as well as his demeanor following the death of his son. Clay, in particular, having been a close friend of George's father John Quincy, even offered to take young Adams under his wing and personally invited him to attend the Whig National Convention in December.
[4]
The primary purpose of the Convention was to unite the Whigs behind one nominee for President as a divided Whig party had been their undoing in the 1836 Presidential Election. To win the Party’s nomination, a candidate needed to earn the support of at least 50% of the delegates in attendance at the Convention and it was clear that no candidate had the required amount. Of the three prospective nominees, General Winfield Scott had the lowest number of delegates supporting his candidacy at 57 having only won the states of New York, New Jersey and Vermont. General William Henry Harrison came in second on the first ballot with 94 delegates, having won the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, Maine, Indiana, New Hampshire, and Michigan. Finally, Senator Henry Clay came in first on the first ballot with 103 delegates having won the remaining states of Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Maryland, Connecticut, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Illinois, Delaware Rhode Island and Missouri, however this still fell short of the required 50% needed to win the Party's nomination. Clay had also won the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Arkansas, yet for one reason or another, those states had chosen to withhold their delegates from the Convention much to Clay’s dismay.
[5]
Senator Henry Clay (Left), General William Henry Harrison (Center), and General Winfield Scott (Right)
What had originally been portrayed as a coronation of Henry Clay as the official Whig nominee for President quickly became a heated horse race between all three candidates. Backroom deals, secret negotiations, lobbying and debate filled the town of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania as the three Whig Candidates jockeyed for an advantage over their opponents. The second round of voting would garner the same result; 57 votes for General Scott, 94 for General Harrison, and 103 for Senator Clay. In the third round, however, Massachusetts would flip from Harrison to Scott and Connecticut would flip from Clay to Scott resulting in a new balance of 68 votes for Scott, 91 for Harrison, and 95 for Clay. The fourth vote would achieve the same result as the third leaving the Convention in a stalemate.
In a bid to break the gridlock, Clay organized a meeting with General Scott at the Astor House in New York City where he hoped to convince Scott to withdraw from the race and endorse his candidacy. Clay would never get the opportunity to convince Scott to withdraw as he was beaten to the punch by the Harrison campaign. On the 8th of December 52 of Scott’s 68 delegates openly sided with Harrison in the fifth round of balloting, pushing him well above the 50% threshold needed to win the Whig nomination. When Clay learned of Scott’s treachery, Clay lost control of himself and physically attacked the General sparking a vicious brawl between the two men. The fight was only broken up after several moments by the quick reaction of George W. Adams and John J. Crittenden who had to physically remove Clay from the room where they had been cordially meeting only moments before.
The tension between the two men would continue for several days and threaten to unravel all the hard-won unity that the Whigs had worked so hard to achieve over the past few years. Relations between Scott and Clay would continue to deteriorate to the point where General Scott openly challenged Senator Clay to duel to the death before Adams and Crittenden were forced to intervene. Through the careful diplomacy and mediation of the Representatives from Massachusetts and Kentucky, the conflict between Clay and Scott was resolved, albeit barely. Once again, Adams’ actions did not go unnoticed as the Whig Party's nominee for President, General William Henry Harrison had recognized Adams’ loyalty to Clay and he had heard of his efforts to reconciling Clay with Scott for the good of the party, and for the good of Harrison’s candidacy.
With the Convention over, the 1840 Presidential Election began in earnest. Portraying himself as a humble frontiersman and his opponent President Martin van Buren as an out of touch elite, Harrison managed to secure the support of the common man in America. He campaigned on the repudiation of Jacksonian policies, strengthening the American economy, and cracking down on corruption in Government. The Democrats efforts to paint Harrison as a drunkard and a buffoon backfired tremendously as Harrison would adopt the log cabin and cider jar as his campaign symbols, while his campaign slogan “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too” became one of the most famous in American history. Thanks to the concerted effort of Whig leaders like Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, George W. Adams, John J. Crittenden, and many others, Harrison would win the 1840 Presidential Election in a landslide with a margin of 262 electoral College Votes to 32. The popular vote was much closer however at 54% to 46%, or a difference of about 155,000 votes, but with the final votes tallied it was clear that William Henry Harrison would be the 9th President of the United States of America.
Next Time: Tippecanoe and Earl Grey Too
Author's Note: Apologies for the lack of significant divergences in this update. Aside from George Washington Adams' survival not much different in this part from OTL, but it does set up events to come in the United States.
[1] There were in fact several Greeks who did fight in the American Revolution, but this Demetrios Ypsilantis is definitely not the Demetrios Ypsilantis of the Greek War for Independence, as he was born in 1793, well after the end of the American Revolutionary War.
[2] ITTL Footnote: "Following the completion of Don Juan in late, 1825, Lord Byron would go on to record his narrative of the Greek War for Independence. The work simply titled,
Hellas was released in Britain in the Summer of 1826 and received critical acclaim given the popularity of Greece at the time in Europe. It would not reach American shores until the Summer of 1827."
[3] George Washington Adams suffered from depression and paranoia for much of his life. His depression became so bad that he ultimately took his own life in April 1829 while traveling at sea aboard the steamship Benjamin Franklin.
[4] John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay had an interesting relationship as they were at different points in their lives hated rivals and best friends.
[5] Even with the added votes of the Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Arkansas delegates, Clay would have been 4 votes shy of the 50% margin which would have been 147 had all the states participated in the convention.