The Condition of Man

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“It was inevitable that the deep south would leave the U.S.; in fact what surprises me is that we were able to coexist for so long. They of the Cavaliers; us of the Puritans. We were always the men of thought to their men of action. We always considered the consequences; they never considered the consequences. And I suspect that this is the cause for what has befallen them.” -President [FONT=&quot]Samuel A. Cartwright[/FONT], 1868[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] For want of a cane...[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Early March, 1820, Albany, New York[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lieutenant Governor John Tayler had lost his cane somewhere in the state house, although he was not precisely sure where. And then he saw it. One of the impertinent Bucktails[1], excited about the imminent election for Governor, was brandishing the cane in the air. “This is the very cane” he said, “that Lieutenant Governor Tayler used to attack Solomon Van Rensselaer[2] to beat the man nearly to death. This is the kind of thuggery Clinton and his gang are capable of!”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]It was the usual electioneering hyperbole, and the small crowd around the man looked rather disinterested. Their interest increased considerably when John Tayler stalked up to the man; who he now realized was a clearly drunk Samuel Talcott. Tayler snatched the cane out of Talcott’s hands, glared at the man furiously, and then hit him once with the cane for good measure.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The incident created a brief stir in New York politics, then seemed to fade; politicians caning each other was nothing out of the ordinary. The next month, when the Bucktails very narrowly won the election[3], the blame seemed to clearly rest on “Clinton’s Folly” of the Erie Canal, which had taken three years and still seemed to be a waste of labor and money. No one really blamed John Tayler. Yet they well could have, for if it hadn’t been for him, DeWitt Clinton would have been re elected governor, rather than it being Daniel D. Tompkins who was elected. And that is what changed everything.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Daniel D. Tompkins[/FONT][FONT=&quot] 1817-1820[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Daniel D. Tompkins is one of the most obscure and frankly unimportant people to ever be Vice President of the United States. Although he had been an activist and important governor of New York during the 1st British-American War, he unwisely accepted James Monroe’s offer of the Vice Presidency. He quickly came to realize that the position was a useless sinecure, which is why he longed for his old position as governor of New York. He ran for the position as sitting Vice President, and won, creating the 3rd vacancy of the position in 8 years.[/FONT]..

[FONT=&quot] Henry Clay felt an incipient sense of victory. He was very pleased that he of all people could be the one to break the news to John Quincy Adams. He stifled his grin, and walked into the office of the Secretary of State. He looked around briefly. The office was one he expected to occupy shortly.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “What are you doing here at this time of day?” Adams said, his cold countenance barely changing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Clay allowed himself to smile. “I’m here to congratulate you on your nomination as Vice President.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “But the caucus wasn’t even supposed to nominate anyone [4]. I don’t think even 50 people showed up. Why would I presume to take Tompkins’ place?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “Why, surely you knew that Tompkins has resigned in anticipation of his term as Governor? That left the caucus in quite a predicament about who to choose. Everyone knew that Monroe wanted to balance his ticket with a northerner, and if I may be immodest I came up with the idea to nominate you. Monroe is relying on you of course. You’re one of the few dependable New Englanders in the administration, and you have impeccable preparation for the job. ” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]John Quincy Adams looked like he’d been dealt a hard blow to his ambitions, and Clay went in for the killing blow. “And given the example of your honorable father, how could you refuse?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Era of Good Feelings[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The so-called Era of Good Feelings reached its height with the election of 1820. Monroe and Adams ran literally unopposed. There was no campaign, and in the end the only excitement came from the electors. 21 faithless electors voted for a Vice President other than Adams, most notably in Massachusetts where the Federalist slate regarded him as an apostate. Monroe on the other hand became the second president since George Washington to win every single electoral vote[5], winning a total of 229 electoral votes. There was however one thing to mar Monroe’s reelection victory; Missouri.[FONT=&quot]..[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=&quot]

Henry Clay[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Clay was on the brink of obtaining the position of Secretary of State, but his very success had produced obstacles to his success in the House. Clay’s unfair treatment of Adams had alienated much of the North and New England, and Clay realized that he would have to get more of his political support from the South. So the soon-to-be Secretary of State was set on a collision course with the new Speaker of the House, John W. Taylor.[/FONT]
..

[FONT=&quot]February 1st 1821: John W. Taylor agrees to Clay’s idea of appointing a conciliatory committee, after multiple previous solutions have been rejected, however Clay himself is not on the committee[6]. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February 8th 1821: The special committee suggests that Missouri strike the offending portions out of its constitution; the proposition is defeated.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February 14th 1821: Congress reviews the electoral votes for the 1820 Election. Over the objections of the south, Congress refuses to count the votes of Missouri in the election, deciding that it is not a state.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February 22nd 1821: Clay proposes the creation of a special committee to be elected by the House; such a committee is created[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February 24th 1821: Clay’s proposes to the committee that Missouri not be admitted in exchange for a repeal of the 36° 30' state line[7]. The northern majority rejects this and instead proposes an amendment similar to the earlier Tallmadge amendment which would have ended slavery in Missouri.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February 25th 1821: The northern proposition which would amend the Missouri constitution and limit slavery there narrowly passes in the House. The Senate rejects it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]March 3rd 1821: The 16th Congress ends without having admitted Missouri. Frustrated by Northern defiance in the House; various southerners begin to ponder secession.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]March 5th 1821: In Monroe’s 2nd inaugural speech, he speaks in favor of the admission of Missouri but states his firm opposition to any schemes of secession. Secretary of the Treasury William H. Crawford, who has already been passed over twice for the position of Secretary of State and is in favor of the southern position, announces his resignation.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]August 1821: Missouri, desperate to be admitted to the United States, revises the objectionable section of its constitution. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]November 1821: Newly inaugurated Governor Troup[8] of Georgia, a leader of the southern radicals, calls for a convention of southern states to meet in Milledgeville, Georgia, in an intentional repetition of the earlier Hartford Convention. All slave states with the exceptions of Maryland and Delaware attend. The southern states propose various measures to redress what has happened.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]November 1821: The Milledgeville Convention makes an ultimatum for the admission of Missouri and proposes several constitutional amendments, including a prohibition on banning slavery anywhere in the United States and most controversially an alteration of the 3/5ths compromise, to increase southern power in the House. Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina leave the proceedings after these extreme demands are made. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 3rd 1821: The 17th Congress meets. John Taylor is reelected Speaker of the House over Philip Barbour of Virginia to send a message to the radicals in the south. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 8th 1821[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Governor George M. Troup stood up as William Lowndes entered the room. Troup had a few Georgians with him who had already heard what he would suggest, but Lowndes was the person he was intending to confer with. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] “I am pleased to meet you, however much the necessity of us having to meet pains me. ”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “How so?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “My highest hope is that Congress will sensibly accept our proposals and apologize for the insult they have done to the south, as I am sure you agree. But if they do not see reason then I quite think that I shall need your help.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “I had rather suspected that was why you called me here.” Lowndes said, looking rather expectant. “You mean secession of course.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] “Yes. If I call for secession, will you be able to get Governor Bennett to back me? I know that he’s not as pro-states’ rights as could be liked, but I assume someone of your influence, might be able to persuade him.” [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] Lowndes looked unsurprised. “Yes. I think many of us in South Carolina would be glad to stand with you. Bennett and Calhoun[9] won’t have a chance.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] Troup was also unsurprised, but he had wanted to be absolutely sure before going ahead with this plan. “Very good. The two Holmes’ have promised me much the same thing in [FONT=&quot]Mississippi[/FONT] and North Carolina, and I believe we will also be able to get the rest of the southwest. None of them like this principle of denying the admission of slave states.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] Lowndes was too perceptive to be altogether pleased. “And Virginia? Surely my illustrious companion has not forgotten them?”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“They worry me…” said Troup grudgingly, “ the radicals there have been as pro states’ rights as we could hope for, but Governor Randolph is a lost cause. With him and Monroe conspiring against us, we’ll be lucky if we can win over even part of them.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot] Lowndes sighed resignedly. “Tis not as deep as a well, nor as wide as a church door, but tis enough, twill serve.” he recited, then turned to Troup, and with resolve shook his hands. “We’ve decided what we’re going to do. It’s all up to Monroe now.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 19th 1821[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Speaker of the House John Taylor was properly apologetic, thought President Monroe; indeed, had he been any more apologetic he would have practically been flagellating himself. “I had no idea that it would come to this-my god Mr. President, to think that there could be a civil war because of me!” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monroe, who thought exactly that, was diplomatic enough to hold his tongue, but Henry Clay, the third man at the meeting, and the one whom the other two pinned their hopes on, spoke up. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Let’s hope you can stop a civil war then. I at least see a way out of this. Just reject the extreme amendments-that should satisfy your angry northerners and frankly I doubt that any of the sane people in the south support them either, and agree to admit Missouri. Even the strongest of your firebrands hardly has anything to say about the new state constitution. That should be enough to make all the reasonable men happy.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 23rd 1821[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Governor Troup felt like a very reasonable man; but he had been far from happy with the compromise. This was exactly the sort of trap he had expected Henry Clay and his ilk to pull. Reject all of the important demands, make only the barest concession; and then try to paint Troup as the villain. That might have worked in much of the country, but it had backfired in Georgia. People had booed the news, and booed strongly. That had been yesterday however. Today everyone was cheering, and cheering him especially. Troup allowed himself a small smile. There had been one remaining thing to do and he had done it. And wasn’t it natural for an independent country to cheer its new head of state? [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 31st 1821[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]James Monroe had been looking forward to the New Year. With what had seemed to him like a reconciling of the north and south, the U.S. seemed to be heading into a bright new year. And to top it off the 24th state of Missouri was finally here, after its citizens had waited long and unjustly in his opinion. That happiness was before the messenger had arrived late at night, with bad news. In fact, the absolute worst news. Because now the U.S. of 1822 would have 23 states after all. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 15th 1821: The House admits Missouri as a state, with the Senate very quickly passing the bill also.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]December 22nd 1821: Georgia, led by Troup and Crawford, calls for secession, being the first state to do so. Governor Troup argues [/FONT]boldly on the behalf of a south-wide movement.

[FONT=&quot]December 27th 1821: South Carolina calls for secession with widespread popular support. Representative Lowndes gives a speech condemning the compromise measures as too little and too late.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]January 7th 1822: Mississippi secedes; President Monroe calls for a mobilization of U.S. forces and also pleads for the rest of the south to stay in the country.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]January 22nd 1822: Alabama approves secession while in North Carolina it is narrowly rejected by the legislature, becoming the first state to fail in its attempt to secede.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February 5th 1822: Louisiana secedes, the final southern state that will do so.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]February-May 1822: There are abortive attempts in the remainder of the slave states; only Virginia and Tennessee actually have some real internal division. At the same time, Monroe mobilizes the U.S. armies under the command of General Jacob Brown, while to the south the various states begin to organize their militias. In addition, several of the southern state governors propose to unify the south to create a nation out of the states that had seceded. Various skirmishes take place along the new southern border of the U.S.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]May 5th 1822: General Jacob Brown launches the U.S. invasion, choosing to go through northern South Carolina in an attempt to capture the state capitol of Columbia. In addition the U.S. also launches a western invasion into northern Georgia, led by Andrew Jackson[10].[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]May 17th 1822[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Spring Place, Georgia was only 10 miles south of the Tennessee border, but it already seemed like a foreign country to General Jackson. The liberator’s welcome that he and many of his troops had been expecting from north Georgia seemed illusive to say the least. Instead they had been treated like an invading army by the civilians. Government orders had been to try to reconcile the people to the United States, but the whole march south they had seen nothing from the citizens but resentment and icy stares directed at them. And then the Georgian army had arrived. Jackson’s scouts had sighted them earlier in the day and understandably he had decided to go on the attack. His gamble seemed to have paid off. The Georgian forces were simply smaller than the U.S. forces and less well trained. Jackson was personally rallying his troops in an attempt to go forwards and break the Georgian army. He reasonably assumed that the Georgian army was indeed about to break and the U.S. forces would be able to mop up the remainder. He was dead wrong. He was wrong because the Alabaman army had just arrived to reinforce the tired Georgians, bringing with them a multitude of new fresh troops. And dead because among those new troops was a sufficiently good, sufficiently lucky sniper. In death Jackson did what he had frequently done in life; which was to demoralize his troops.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]June 1st 1822[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]The war was not going too badly; that was the ironic thing. True, the rebels had taken much of Florida and Arkansas territory, but only because the U.S. had priorities elsewhere. Brown’s invasion into South Carolina had taken some ground, even if not as much as Monroe had hoped, and the U.S.’ blockade was proceeding reasonably well. Even with the U.S. defeat at the Battle of Spring Place, the army had quickly regrouped afterwards and again pushed the Georgians on the defensive. All of this success only made him bitter now. The strange political meeting he was having today was going to be a triumph for the defeatist wing of his party he suspected. And a very strange wing it was, as Monroe saw evidenced in the two people who were meeting with him.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]One of them was his own Vice President. John Quincy Adams hated the position almost as much as his predecessor had but he at least had a sense of duty and thus had chosen not to resign. That didn’t meant that he agreed with Monroe on the war though. Most of the last year in fact Monroe had been silently damning Henry Clay for forcing this political thorn upon the administration. Adams had opposed the opposition of Missouri and had opposed the war almost from the very beginning. Adams had almost all of the former Federalists and New England backing him; having flirted with disunion once they still had no strong belief in the necessity of preserving the country. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] John Randolph came from a very different political background from Adams, and from a very different region of the country as well, but for once the two seemed united in their opposition to Monroe. Randolph spoke first.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] “You told us that the lower south loved the country and that they were being misled by their leaders. But I think that the thousands of people who died know who was misleading who. This awful war must stop before it becomes more offensive against the people and the states. I’ve said all along that nothing good can come of this tyrannical war and for once the people believe me.” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]James Monroe frequently dismissed the feverish suggestions of Randolph’s opiate-addled mind, but Vice President Adams’ telling smile rattled him. Adams and Randolph knew something.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Adams promptly revealed it. “Congress has begun proceedings for impeachment.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Why? Why do you feel a need to tread on the executive branch even more than you have already? What grounds could you even have?”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“High crimes and misdemeanors; your abuse of the constitution, your decision to send soldiers to kill fellow Americans; need I go on? The free and slave states are finally united on this point I think. We’re tired of this senseless, illegal war.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“My god, gentleman, you are trying to destroy the administration and to destroy the country. We would win the war if it wasn’t for your idiocy. You cowards besmirch the proud heritage of the United States.”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Something in John Quincy Adams snapped.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“Slavery is the great and foul stain upon this country! And you want to violate the constitution to keep them in the country? Then we should be polluted by their influence forever! [/FONT][FONT=&quot]A dissolution, at least temporary, of the Union, as now constituted, would now be certainly necessary. Then we could purge the immoral darkness of slavery from this continent. The Union might then be reorganized on the fundamental principle of emancipation.”[11][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monroe couldn’t think of a response. And if he was impeached, this… person would become president. Undoubtedly he and Randolph would then imprint their vile disunionism upon the country until it could never be removed. He could only save the country in the long run; it seemed to him, in one way. [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]“I give in.” he said, the very words paining him. “You’ve won after all.” He hoped Adams and Randolph would not profit from their triumph.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]June 1822: There is an abortive attempt to have President Monroe impeached, however after the beginning of peace negotiations the movement quickly dies down.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]June 7th 1822: The Savannah Convention unifies the several southern states into the Republic of America[11]. The design is largely based on that of the U.S. constitution, although the right to slave property is enshrined in law, and in several ways the federal government is weakened. The presidential terms are set to be 5 years long, with the first election for a term occurring in November of that year.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]July 17th 1822: Treaty of New Orleans concluded. The U.S. recognizes the independence of the states of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. In addition, the U.S. cedes Florida Territory and all of Arkansaw territory south of the 35°30′ line, recognizing southern control of those territories.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]November 12th 1822: Thomas Cooper of South Carolina is elected as first president of the Republic. In a very contested election, he wins 17% of the vote overall and narrow pluralities in South Carolina and Louisiana, enough to give him a one electoral vote majority. His victory is largely due to the jealousies between all of the state governors and his creation of the theoretical underpinnings for secession.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]To the President of the United States (JAMES MONROE)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Monticello July 25th 1822[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]DEAR SIR,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]As to your questions about whether to proceed with reorganizing a new party; I fear that I must suggest not. The Republican [12] party had been a faithful instrument in the past and it seems a fearful prospect for the U.S. to dive back into the turbulent sea of faction. Can you be so sure that the reign of another Adams or of a westerner would be this tyranny you suggest? Indeed I must suggest that we first work to heal ourselves. Our confederacy has been so bruised and battered that I think we shall first need to show the world that we still stand. There is one nation, in particular, that could destroy us at their leisure now if they so dared. That is Great Britain. Against her, and we shall tremble in our own continent, afraid to even cross the Ohio. With her and it seems our commerce and our safety would be assured. We have lost the last opportunity for such friendship with them with this dreadful civil war I fear. They are too canny to ever side with the stronger of two nations when the weaker can do. They and the new republic to the south must encircle us I fear. Do we wish to acquire new territory in the west? Because I think that the path to that lies in acquiring old territory; the territory that we lost in the Treaty of Paris and the beloved southern states which, one must hope, can be returned to the confederacy that was so fond of them. I fear that I have been gone from the political scene too long to be of much help to someone in such troubled times as these. Accept my advice for what it is worth, and with it my eternal and friendly respect and goodwill.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sincerely,[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Thomas Jefferson[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Many U.S. politicians have suffered dramatic swings up and down in their reputations. President James Monroe is a case in point. At the end of his term he was widely reviled for having both lost the southern states and then for trying to retake them by force. In addition, with the 1824 election there were definite political advantages to opposing Monroe. As a result, unsurprisingly for the next two decades Monroe was seen as the failure of the founding fathers, and as largely responsible for the weakened state of the U.S. However, times changed, and with the resurgence of nationalism under the Webster administration in the 1840s, many of Monroe’s ideas about the unity of the country were again seen as prophetic; although his insistence on retaking the lower South was seen as a futile hope. By the turn of the century, Monroe had been fully rehabilitated in the U.S. as one of the creators of the idea of a strong central government; even though the U.S. had long abandoned his plans to retake the southern states. In the southern states themselves, attitudes underwent a dramatic shift shortly after the regime change…[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]-From “History throughout History: Historiography over Time”[/FONT]
The 2nd Party System largely arose from the chaotic end of the Democratic-Republican Party. Monroe’s administration had been practically repudiated by his own party, and with the coming of the congressional caucus Monroe’s attempt to have Secretary of State Henry Clay nominated as his successor- a practical extension of the Virginia dynasty westward- passed a virtually empty congressional caucus and would subsequently be ignored. Clay was anathema to the anti-administration forces, having all along been one of the strongest supporters of regaining the south and of Monroe’s governmental philosophy. In response to the nomination of the reasonably popular Clay, the opposition Republicans cast around for a popular candidate of their own. After briefly considering the candidacies of Vice President Adams and various Radicals[13] from the south, they quickly found their candidate. A war hero and anti-administration to boot, Stephen Decatur ticked all the right boxes for the opposition Republicans, except for one. But they overlooked his support of the federal government and staged a vigorous campaign in support. Monroe and Clay attacked Decatur both for his earlier surrender and for his association with the Federalists, but the failure Southern War had completely discredited the party in the South and New England. Decatur ultimately ran with Allen Trimble to gain the support of former federalists and the west, while Attorney General Richard Rush was nominated for the Clay ticket. Unsurprisingly, when the final results trickled in Clay had only won 3 western states and some loyal districts in Tennessee. In the aftermath of Clay’s defeat, his party organization, especially in the west, began to coalesce.

[FONT=&quot]-From “History throughout History: Historiography over Time”[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Clay shook hands with Decatur with trepidation. Decatur himself returned the handshake a bit uneasily; the President had a bullet in his side from a duel 3 years earlier [14]. Clay’s trepidation was motivated largely by bafflement; for he could see no reason why the president would urgently seek to meet with a man who was both the departing Secretary of State and the defeated candidate in the last election. Decatur promptly explained. “I approve of what you’ve been doing with Russian America.” Clay was dumbfounded. “Sir, we haven’t done anything with Russian America. The damnable tsar has preferred to negotiate with England instead.” [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]“Yes, but your policy is correct. We must push the tsar away from our borders. And I think now we’ll be able to. The new Russian government [1[FONT=&quot]5[/FONT]] is reversing some of Nicholas’ policies it seems. They’ve expressed a willingness to part with some of the territory for cash. Even more of the territory than we had initially anticipated. Can you help make sure this isn’t rejected as folly by Congress?” [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Clay smiled faintly. Even something as wretched as an assassination had good consequences for the United States it seemed. “A Pacific coast. That will recoup the loss of the quintet [1[FONT=&quot]6[/FONT]] a bit. I think with both of us working towards it, we can probably get something Mr. President.”[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]May 5th 1825: U.S. Congress narrowly passes the Treaty of St. Petersburg, giving the U.S. all Russian territory south of the 59th parallel in exchange for a cash payment of[FONT=&quot] 7 [/FONT]million dollars. Some compare it to the Louisiana Purchase and find it wanting, but the twin arguments of it giving America a Pacific base and fostering expansion into Canada ultimately prove persuasive enough-in conjunction with Decatur’s presidential honeymoon- that it passes. The land is dubbed Finlay Territory after the river that runs through it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]November 19th [1[FONT=&quot]7[/FONT]] 1827: President Cooper runs for reelection. He is opposed by John Clark, Governor of Georgia, David Williams, former Governor of South Carolina and General in the War of 1812, and Henry Johnson, Governor of Louisiana. Roman sweeps the 3 western states, with Clark winning Georgia and Williams winning South Carolina. President Cooper wins no states, despite getting a substantial amount of the popular vote. Johnson then easily wins the contingent house election. This is the beginning of the Republic’s infamous State Paradox[1[FONT=&quot]8[/FONT]].[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]November 1828: President Decatur runs against Henry Clay again. Decatur’s unpopular moves to strengthen the U.S. navy and army, as well as his attempts to negotiate some sort of alliance with Latin American countries, have decreased his popular standing, but only slightly. Clay betters his results from the previously election in gaining North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and the remainder of Tennessee, but still comes up short 97 to 131 electoral votes. Decatur’s appointment of Virginia Governor John Floyd as his new Secretary of State serves to indicate his choice of successor. This is largely notable for being the birth of the 2nd Party system in the United States; a dichotomy between Decatur’s Democrats and Clay’s National Republicans.

[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][1] The Bucktails were a state faction in New York that was opposed to Governor DeWitt Clinton. [/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][2]This incident actually occurred and for a while was a stain on Tayler’s reputation, in the ATL the voter’s are reminded of it shortly before the election.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][3] In OTL Clinton won very narrowly by 47,445 votes to 45,990 votes for Tompkins. Here Tompkins gains around 1000 votes and wins by 50.3% to 49.7%[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][4] In OTL they in fact didn’t actually name the people they were nominating, partly because so few people were there, merely saying that it was inexpedient to proceed at that time. In TTL, Clay gets word of Tompkins’ resignation and is able to persuade the caucus to change their plans and nominate Adams as Vice President.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
[5] William Plumer is slightly more agreeable to vote for the Monroe ticket now that it actually has Adams on it.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][6]Unlike in OTL, where Clay was chairman, neither Taylor nor Clay have the inclination to put Clay on the committee due to changed circumstances[/FONT].

[FONT=&quot][7]This was an OTL idea that most of the south supported. In this ATL, Clay has to rely more on his southern supporters so he goes with this proposal rather than just slightly revising earlier ideas as he did OTL.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][8]In this TL, due to more radicalization in the south the more extreme Troup is able to beat Governor Clark(who only won narrowly OTL). Due to his relative youth and extreme policies Troup quickly becomes the forefront of the states’ rights movement[/FONT].

[FONT=&quot][9] Hard as it may be to believe, at this point John C. Calhoun is actually one of the most nationalist politicians in the south, putting him quite out of the political mainstream in the secession movement.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][10] Monroe may not like Jackson too much after his escapades in Florida, but he is very politically connected and most importantly has support in the key state of Tennessee, a state that Monroe is desperately seeking to keep in the U.S.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][11] Most of this little speech is from an OTL letter by Adams.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][12]To clarify, the Democratic-Republicans were actually just called Republicans at the time.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][13]At this time in the U.S. Radical actually referred to extreme supporters of states’ rights and will continue to mean that TTL.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][14]The alert will realize that the duel was only a few days after the POD, as a result Decatur’s death was butterflied into a serious injury instead.

[FONT=&quot][15]Pyo[FONT=&quot]tr Kakhovsky has assasinated Tsar Nicholas. [/FONT][/FONT]

[FONT=&quot][16]The quintet is quickly becoming a nickname for the 5 seceded states in the [FONT=&quot]U[/FONT].S.

[FONT=&quot][17][FONT=&quot] [FONT=&quot]B[/FONT][/FONT]ecause of the warmer climate in the Re[FONT=&quot]public, it's constitution fixes a later date in the year for the elections, less of a need to avoid winter conditions.

[FONT=&quot][18]Namely, with every election going to the house, the smaller states are more important just by number than the[FONT=&quot] larger states are.[/FONT][/FONT]
[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

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I have sometimes wondered what would have happened if the South had simply been allowed to leave without a war. The most likely outcome, in my opinion, is that the present day would see a North country that is politically very similar to today's Western European states, well to the left of OTL, and a rump South country that is basically a third-world hellhole, or at best a recovering Latin-American style quasi-dictatorship.
 
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Hmm, an interesting thought comes to mind...

In OTL, the British Empire abolished slavery throughout the realm in 1833.

Will the division of America into an anti-slavery USA and a pro-slavery RoA in any way affect the anti-slavery movement in Britain?
 
Hmm, an interesting thought comes to mind...

In OTL, the British Empire abolished slavery throughout the realm in 1833.

Will the division of America into an anti-slavery USA and a pro-slavery RoA in any way affect the anti-slavery movement in Britain?

Probably not, though abolition in Britain might be a slap in the face for the Not!Confederacy (Republic of America). The British were already trying to suppress the Atlantic slave trade prior, with the West Africa Squadron, and with the help of the US navy. I'd imagine the Not!Confederacy would try to create a pro-slavery lobby that would delay worldwide abolition of slavery, while trying to suppress increasing slave revolts domestically.
 
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