So... will there be something like a Peterloo by the mid-1820s?See, IOTL (I apologize if you already know all this) when the Napoleonic Wars came to a sudden end, it started a recession. A lot of soldiers and sailors went back home and entered the work force while at the same time the government's need for everything from ammunition and uniforms to ships' biscuit and sailcloth went way down. The economy went into a slump that lasted for years and was pretty close to the bottom by 1819. Meanwhile, the Corn Law was keeping the price of bread high for anyone who wasn't personally growing wheat, and the landowning requirements for voting and the misallocation of seats in Parliament meant that the urban poor had no recourse within the system. So there were mass demonstrations, some of them very large and well-organized (rehearsed, even). The authorities were all like "ZOMG TEH JACOBINS ARE COMING TO CHOP OFF ALL THE HEADS" and sent in the army, and, well…
ITTL, the wars lasted longer and came to a slower end, so the economy is in a more gradual decline. But there is already dissatisfaction and the beginnings of unrest, and things will get worse before they get better.
I love what you're doing with Florida. Keep up the cool timeline.
So... will there be something like a Peterloo by the mid-1820s?
...and I can very clearly see that.Thank you. British Florida is one of my favorite parts of this.
The royals will be imbroiled somehow, right...?The worst of the economic troubles will be from 1820 through the end of 1822, but you'll have to wait and see about the political effects. (There will be a certain amount of drama to them, I promise.)
Hmm, the US navy is certainly going to get relevant a lot quicker then OTL.
say, what's the relationship between the Dead Roses and the French?
Actually, what's the public opinion in Louisiana towards the French?
say, what's the relationship between the Dead Roses and the French?
Actually, what's the public opinion in Louisiana towards the French?
So... what happens to Decatur and Oliver Hazard Perry in TTL's 1819 and '20? Better than OTL, I hope?![]()
I would like to know what the state of US and French relations are, and what is the status of the US army.
...my goodness, I just remember; does Frankenstein get written in this TL?![]()
Well, if I recall correctly, it was Byron who proposed the "let's write ghost stories" idea, on account of the miserable weather that year.It came from a meeting in Geneva — near the French border, but not a serious front line of the fighting. (Most of the fighting in 1816 was in the Low Countries and Italy.) The Shelleys could have gotten there and back again safely by way of the Germanies. So I'll say yeah. (If the Shelleys had stuck around in Switzerland much longer, they could have met some Italian refugees who would have told them real horror stories.)
His death was entirely a result of trying to squelch the feud.For Perry, the post-war years were marred by controversies. In 1815, he commanded the Java in the Mediterranean during the Second Barbary War. While moored in Naples, Perry was provoked into slapping the commander of the ship's Marines, John Heath. The ensuing court-martial found both men guilty but levied only mild reprimands. After the crew returned home, Heath challenged Perry to a pistol duel, which was fought on October 19, 1817, on the same Weehawken, New Jersey, field where Aaron Burr shot Alexander Hamilton. Heath fired first and missed. Perry refused to fire, satisfying the Marine's honor.
Perry's return from the Mediterranean also reignited the feud with Elliott. After an exchange of angry letters, Elliott challenged Perry to a duel, which Perry refused. He instead decided to file formal court-martial charges against Elliott, including "conduct unbecoming an officer," and failure to "do his utmost to take or destroy the vessel of the enemy which it was his duty to encounter." Wishing to avoid a scandal between two congressionally decorated naval heroes, Secretary of the Navy Smith Thompson and President James Monroe suppressed the matter by offering Perry the rank of Commodore and a diplomatic mission to South America in exchange for dropping his charges against Elliott (emphasis is mine). This put an official end to the controversy, though it would continue to be debated for another quarter century.
In 1819, after a successful expedition to Venezuela's Orinoco River to consult with Simon Bolivar about piracy in the Caribbean, Perry contracted yellow fever from mosquitoes while aboard the USS Nonsuch. Despite the crew's efforts to reach Trinidad for medical assistance, the Commodore died as the ship was nearing Port of Spain.
It seems that the personal-union between Great Britain and Hanover will last at least one generation longer.
People in those times had rather... shall we say, inflated senses of "honor".For such a small navy, the U.S. Navy at this point sure had a lot of top commanders who didn't play well with others.![]()
Well, only you can make it so... Number One!ITTL, Perry's service against the British outside Boston Harbor should give him a little more influence than he got fighting the Barbary pirates. Probably Elliott will be the one who gets sent on important assignments far, far away.
Not an ancestor of this Michael Todd, is he?Michael Todd, born July 3 in Frankfort, Ky., son of Charles Stewart and Letitia Todd. Although the son of the Kentucky Secretary of State, Michael’s primary interest will be the raising of horses. He and Will Shannon will meet at school, and, finding themselves similarly matched in age and interests, will become best frenemies and compete with each other at every opportunity.
Awwww... you gave Saartje Baartman a happy ending!Jeanne-Louise Bertin, born December 1 in Paris, second of the four daughters of Édouard and Sarah Bertin. The Bertin marriage is the culmination of one of the most remarkable romances in French history — a woman kidnapped from Africa and exhibited in Paris as a scientific curiosity on account of the size of her rump, and the art student who was assigned the task of drawing her accurately and astounded the world by falling in love with her. All the Bertin girls will grow up surrounded by the community of artists and scientists and will try their hands at various cultural pursuits, but Jeanne-Louise will distinguish herself as a singer.
Awwww... you gave Saartje Baartman a happy ending!Even if it is a weensy bit implausible, considering race relations of that era in Europe...
Also... are we finished 1819 already? You breezed through it quick!![]()
Right... but that was Britain, not France, and Baartman was seen as a "brute native". I hope Msr. Bertin saw something more than that in her... and I would've liked to read your account of it.Well, it wasn't unheard of. (William Davidson, for instance.)
Ooh... may I ask what it will be on?Well, it wasn't that eventful a year… although I do have one more post for it. It may take a little while, but it will be big.