Introductory Chapter
This is my first(second) Alt History. I hope it goes well. I want to improve, and I would appreciate if you would help me with that along the way.
The Silent Flag
The Clay Presidency: An appraisal by Ben Kroft
December 4th, 1844
Against all odds, it seemed, Henry Clay had beaten the hawkish James Polk at the polls. What made this victory the more startling was that Polk had campaigned on annexing yet more lands(Mainly Texas and the Pacific Northwest). Still, it seems that the voters thought differently.
It was not a question of sympathy towards abolitionism, as Polk would later charge. Indeed, historians have puzzled over this very question to this day. Why did Clay beat the bombastic Polk? No one knows for sure. Indeed, the electon of 1844 would be unremarkable if not for a significant trend after said election; The U.S has not intervened militarily, nor funded militaries, nor entered into military alliances, and perhaps most remarkably, has not expanded an inch of it's territory.
By the mid 1840s, tensions between Mexico and the U.S were at a fever pitch. Much of the dispute centered on Texas. The Mexicans were amenable to Texas joining the Union, but they disagreed with the Americans on where the border should be. The Mexican Government thought that the Texas-Mexico border should be on the neuces river, whereas Much of the American Government(Particularly the Democratic Party) wanted it to be on the rio grande river. This intractable problem was only intensified by the large scale(and generally illegal) anglo immigration into "The Republic of Texas" , a polity that had seceded from Mexico nearly ten years prior. Given these problems, it is still surprising that there was a peaceful outcome to the whole charade.
Henry Clay was not known for being a dove. Indeed, he was, after all, one of the
chief "war hawks" against the British in the 1812 war. Nevertheless, this hawk would trigger one of the greatest shifts in American foreign policy ever seen.
It did not look that way in early 1845, when Clay took office. His party, the Whigs, was hanging by a thread in both chambers of Congress. He faced a hostile and aggressive Democratic Party. To make matters worse, he had seemingly alienated both Southern Whigs(pro slavery, anti tariff) and Northerb Whigs(against slave state expansion, protectionist) with his flip flopping on Texas Annexation prior to the election of 1844. Earlier in 1844, he had declared his support for Annexation. After being heavily criticized by anti slavery groups, he backtracked and reversed his position September 1844. The reason why so many observers were shocked by Clay's victory over Polk was simple: Polk was firm on territorial expansion, acting aggressively towards both Mexico and British Canada. Clay, by contrast, looked timid. Ambiguity toward Annexation during election season would actually reflect back in much of President Clay's foreign policy.
On the 5th of May 1845, Clay sent a delegation to Mexico City, where they were to invite then President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to the White House. Santa Anna greeted them cautiously, knowing full well the weak position he was currently in. Nevertheless, the general accepted the offer. About two months later, Santa Anna arrived in Washington, where Clay greeted him stiffly. After brief pleasantries, the two of them got to work.
The most pressing issue, of course, was the Nueces. After some haggling, it was agreed:
-That Texas would divided into two: The Mexican State of Texas and the U.S State of Texas. Mexican Texas would be everything south of the nueces; Clay reasoned that few Anglos wanted to live there anyway, given the massive comanche and apache presence, which were a "nuisance", in Santa Anna's words.
-Mexican Texas(Tejas) would have freedom of religion, with amnesty granted to illegal immigrants from the United States, who would be given full citizenship, and subject to the jurisdiction of Mexican Law. Any further illegal settlers would be taken to a joint Mexican-American Headquarters(Which would come to be known as Solo Fortaleza, or "Just Fortress") where Mexican and American customs officials would work out what to do with them. Further, any legal citizen who also had American citizenship who committed a crime(Arson, Murder, etc) would also be taken Solo Fortaleza.
-American Texas(Or simply "Texas"), while certainly not abolishing slavery outright, in effect had it's hands tied on the issue. Because Mexico had abolished slavery, it would be of little suprise that many slaves would flee to it. Naturally, the slaveowners would demand their return. Yet, due to the aformentioned Solo Fortaleza, and the runaways falling into the categories of 'illegal settlers', they would be judged by both Mexican and American law. Coincidentally, at the moment, neither side was much keen at capturing the "property" of slave owners.
-Texas would have full citizenship for Tejanos.
Having cleared up the Texas Headache, they turned to the matter of the rest of the U.S-Mexican Border. It was agreed that(with the exception of American Texas) the border would be adjusted to the Colorado River. This would of course mean Mexico losing some land; However, it would clear up the border issue significantly. As compensation, Mexico would get tariff-free shipping and trading rights up to the 100th meridian. This Final land annexation by the U.S would be known as the Clay Adjustment, and the special economic zone is, to this very day, called tierra de oro, or land of gold, by the Mexicans.
All in all, the crisis had been averted. At least for a little while...
The Silent Flag
The Clay Presidency: An appraisal by Ben Kroft
December 4th, 1844
It was not a question of sympathy towards abolitionism, as Polk would later charge. Indeed, historians have puzzled over this very question to this day. Why did Clay beat the bombastic Polk? No one knows for sure. Indeed, the electon of 1844 would be unremarkable if not for a significant trend after said election; The U.S has not intervened militarily, nor funded militaries, nor entered into military alliances, and perhaps most remarkably, has not expanded an inch of it's territory.
The Nueces Crisis by Alejandro Torquilla
By the mid 1840s, tensions between Mexico and the U.S were at a fever pitch. Much of the dispute centered on Texas. The Mexicans were amenable to Texas joining the Union, but they disagreed with the Americans on where the border should be. The Mexican Government thought that the Texas-Mexico border should be on the neuces river, whereas Much of the American Government(Particularly the Democratic Party) wanted it to be on the rio grande river. This intractable problem was only intensified by the large scale(and generally illegal) anglo immigration into "The Republic of Texas" , a polity that had seceded from Mexico nearly ten years prior. Given these problems, it is still surprising that there was a peaceful outcome to the whole charade.
Henry Clay was not known for being a dove. Indeed, he was, after all, one of the
chief "war hawks" against the British in the 1812 war. Nevertheless, this hawk would trigger one of the greatest shifts in American foreign policy ever seen.
It did not look that way in early 1845, when Clay took office. His party, the Whigs, was hanging by a thread in both chambers of Congress. He faced a hostile and aggressive Democratic Party. To make matters worse, he had seemingly alienated both Southern Whigs(pro slavery, anti tariff) and Northerb Whigs(against slave state expansion, protectionist) with his flip flopping on Texas Annexation prior to the election of 1844. Earlier in 1844, he had declared his support for Annexation. After being heavily criticized by anti slavery groups, he backtracked and reversed his position September 1844. The reason why so many observers were shocked by Clay's victory over Polk was simple: Polk was firm on territorial expansion, acting aggressively towards both Mexico and British Canada. Clay, by contrast, looked timid. Ambiguity toward Annexation during election season would actually reflect back in much of President Clay's foreign policy.
On the 5th of May 1845, Clay sent a delegation to Mexico City, where they were to invite then President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna to the White House. Santa Anna greeted them cautiously, knowing full well the weak position he was currently in. Nevertheless, the general accepted the offer. About two months later, Santa Anna arrived in Washington, where Clay greeted him stiffly. After brief pleasantries, the two of them got to work.
The most pressing issue, of course, was the Nueces. After some haggling, it was agreed:
-That Texas would divided into two: The Mexican State of Texas and the U.S State of Texas. Mexican Texas would be everything south of the nueces; Clay reasoned that few Anglos wanted to live there anyway, given the massive comanche and apache presence, which were a "nuisance", in Santa Anna's words.
-Mexican Texas(Tejas) would have freedom of religion, with amnesty granted to illegal immigrants from the United States, who would be given full citizenship, and subject to the jurisdiction of Mexican Law. Any further illegal settlers would be taken to a joint Mexican-American Headquarters(Which would come to be known as Solo Fortaleza, or "Just Fortress") where Mexican and American customs officials would work out what to do with them. Further, any legal citizen who also had American citizenship who committed a crime(Arson, Murder, etc) would also be taken Solo Fortaleza.
-American Texas(Or simply "Texas"), while certainly not abolishing slavery outright, in effect had it's hands tied on the issue. Because Mexico had abolished slavery, it would be of little suprise that many slaves would flee to it. Naturally, the slaveowners would demand their return. Yet, due to the aformentioned Solo Fortaleza, and the runaways falling into the categories of 'illegal settlers', they would be judged by both Mexican and American law. Coincidentally, at the moment, neither side was much keen at capturing the "property" of slave owners.
-Texas would have full citizenship for Tejanos.
Having cleared up the Texas Headache, they turned to the matter of the rest of the U.S-Mexican Border. It was agreed that(with the exception of American Texas) the border would be adjusted to the Colorado River. This would of course mean Mexico losing some land; However, it would clear up the border issue significantly. As compensation, Mexico would get tariff-free shipping and trading rights up to the 100th meridian. This Final land annexation by the U.S would be known as the Clay Adjustment, and the special economic zone is, to this very day, called tierra de oro, or land of gold, by the Mexicans.
All in all, the crisis had been averted. At least for a little while...
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