Union and Liberty: An American TL
- Thread starter wilcoxchar
- Start date
Hehe, I'm not sure if Costa Rica will be expanding any more, but I doubt it.Ahh, another excellent update, and nothing about your post seemed to be too ASBish.
In any case, you have once more raised many possibilities for this TL. From what you posted inthe Map Thread, we would assume that Costa Rica would essentially remain the same, but perhaps with a Canal and be even richer then IOTL.
Still, what else could happen? Certainly, Nicaragua might want to reclaim its old territory in TTL's version of the World Wars. Or what about Panama? Maybe you could have the U.S. help Costa Rica annex the Panama region to prevent any other nation from building a Panama Canal. Still, this last part might be a little might be a little bit too ASBish.
Walker is only governor of San Juan province and thus doesn't have the authority to beg the US to annex the country. Also, why would he want to, he's got a nice job now.That's what I meant.
Indeed.
Thanks. And yep, it's about that time that people start getting into barfights over whether having people working long hours for shitty room and board is okay or not.
Ah, but you didn't predict everything that's going to happen. Only a few details.So... Slavery issue coming up and Houston's going to be President soon... yep, I called that one several pages ago.
Anyways, it's still an awesome timeline Wilcox. Eagerly awaiting the next installment.
Actually, I can't remember if I have Gran Colombia still existing. I'll have to check my notes.
Part Twenty-Two: A Divided Union
Time for another update!
Part Twenty-Two: A Divided Union
Election of 1856:
With attacks directed toward Douglas late in his presidency over his age and his handling of the violence in Kearny Territory, the Democrats dumped Douglas and Davis from their ticket at the convention in Baltimore. After a month of deliberation, the Democrats went with an even more moderate position with their nomination of former Tejas governor Samuel Houston and senator James Bayard Jr. of Delaware. The moderate stance of the Democrats would help them much in the Upper South and the Mid-Atlantic states where the general opinion on slavery was still in flux.
By 1856, the Whigs had disappeared from the political scene and the remnants were now tasked with building new parties from the ashes. Out of these ashes, the former Whigs generally split into two camps; the northerners who were against slavery and the pro-slavery southerners. These two groups formed the Republican Party and the Liberty Party. The first Republican convention in Miami, Michigan, the first to be held outside the original thirteen colonies, ended with the nomination of New York senator William Seward and Ohio senator Samuel P. Chase. The Republicans were ardently against slavery and used the rising tide of abolitionism in the north to great effect. The Republicans also derided the Democrats' measures regarding the violence in Kearny and desired harsh measures in the territory to make sure that such violence was not repeated.
The Liberty Party[1], on the other hand, ran primarily on a platform of upholding slavery in the south and the preservation of states' rights, although some went further and advocated the expansion of slavery in the territories and to other countires in the Gulf and the Caribbean. At the convention, the Liberty Party nominated Joesph Brown of Georgia and Charles Magill Conrad of Louisiana. The party gained much of its support in the southern states, and gained popularity in Cuba and with immigrants from Mexico after the endorsement of Jackson governor Felipe Trájano de la Vega[2].
The campaign was a bitter affair with slavery now the main issue for most Americans. Ironically, both the Republican and the Liberty parties appealed to the American sense of freedom, with the Republicans talking about the freedom of man while the Liberty Party pushing the freedom of the states from the federal government. The Democrats advocated a central and moderate path, desiring to heal the sectionalism that had afflicted the nation in the last decade. Douglas and Davis, now disgraced, formed their own minor party in a hope to retain some supporters. After the votes were counted, Houston and the Democrats achieved a very narrow majority in the electoral college. Seward gained over twice as many electoral votes as Brown despite winning about the same number of states, showing the population difference between the north and the south. Douglas's party only managed to win the home states of the president and vice president, and the party withered shortly afterward.
Houston/Bayard: 158
Seward/Chase: 91
Brown/Conrad: 45
Douglas/Davis: 16
[1] Yes, there is a Liberty Party in OTL. No, this isn't them. And I'm not putting an asterisk every time they get mentioned.
[2] Another fictional person worth mentioning in the timeline.
Part Twenty-Two: A Divided Union
Election of 1856:
With attacks directed toward Douglas late in his presidency over his age and his handling of the violence in Kearny Territory, the Democrats dumped Douglas and Davis from their ticket at the convention in Baltimore. After a month of deliberation, the Democrats went with an even more moderate position with their nomination of former Tejas governor Samuel Houston and senator James Bayard Jr. of Delaware. The moderate stance of the Democrats would help them much in the Upper South and the Mid-Atlantic states where the general opinion on slavery was still in flux.
By 1856, the Whigs had disappeared from the political scene and the remnants were now tasked with building new parties from the ashes. Out of these ashes, the former Whigs generally split into two camps; the northerners who were against slavery and the pro-slavery southerners. These two groups formed the Republican Party and the Liberty Party. The first Republican convention in Miami, Michigan, the first to be held outside the original thirteen colonies, ended with the nomination of New York senator William Seward and Ohio senator Samuel P. Chase. The Republicans were ardently against slavery and used the rising tide of abolitionism in the north to great effect. The Republicans also derided the Democrats' measures regarding the violence in Kearny and desired harsh measures in the territory to make sure that such violence was not repeated.
The Liberty Party[1], on the other hand, ran primarily on a platform of upholding slavery in the south and the preservation of states' rights, although some went further and advocated the expansion of slavery in the territories and to other countires in the Gulf and the Caribbean. At the convention, the Liberty Party nominated Joesph Brown of Georgia and Charles Magill Conrad of Louisiana. The party gained much of its support in the southern states, and gained popularity in Cuba and with immigrants from Mexico after the endorsement of Jackson governor Felipe Trájano de la Vega[2].
The campaign was a bitter affair with slavery now the main issue for most Americans. Ironically, both the Republican and the Liberty parties appealed to the American sense of freedom, with the Republicans talking about the freedom of man while the Liberty Party pushing the freedom of the states from the federal government. The Democrats advocated a central and moderate path, desiring to heal the sectionalism that had afflicted the nation in the last decade. Douglas and Davis, now disgraced, formed their own minor party in a hope to retain some supporters. After the votes were counted, Houston and the Democrats achieved a very narrow majority in the electoral college. Seward gained over twice as many electoral votes as Brown despite winning about the same number of states, showing the population difference between the north and the south. Douglas's party only managed to win the home states of the president and vice president, and the party withered shortly afterward.
Houston/Bayard: 158
Seward/Chase: 91
Brown/Conrad: 45
Douglas/Davis: 16
[1] Yes, there is a Liberty Party in OTL. No, this isn't them. And I'm not putting an asterisk every time they get mentioned.
[2] Another fictional person worth mentioning in the timeline.
Thanks! And now...le map! (The name of Douglas's party isn't really important, I just wanted to think of something better than ____ Democrats )
)Another great update.
President Sam Houston... now we see where this gets us and the reactions of both the Republicans and the Southerners.
Looks like, at least for now, the country has at least four more years of freedom to deal with the slavery issue.
You can just look at that map to see the sectionalism in the country. Why am I suddenly thinking the next election's going to be closer and get thrown to the House?
That very well could trigger a large reaction from either side depending on how the popular vote vs the house vote goes.
President Sam Houston... now we see where this gets us and the reactions of both the Republicans and the Southerners.
Looks like, at least for now, the country has at least four more years of freedom to deal with the slavery issue.
You can just look at that map to see the sectionalism in the country. Why am I suddenly thinking the next election's going to be closer and get thrown to the House?
That very well could trigger a large reaction from either side depending on how the popular vote vs the house vote goes.
You probably could get three states out of it easy. Along the lines of Oregon, Columbia and an Idaho equivelent.
Nice update Wilcoxchar Really looking forward to the Civil War.
I have one question dating way way back to the POD. I noticed that there is no "Indian Territory" on the map. In OTL it had been Jackson who first began the process of Indian Removal which continued from 1830 - 1842. The time that this TL has covered so far.
I do not remember if you covered it way back in the beginning but was there an Indian removal in this TL at any point? If so where is the territory located, I assume some where in the Kearny Territory. Or have they assimilated into white society?
I have one question dating way way back to the POD. I noticed that there is no "Indian Territory" on the map. In OTL it had been Jackson who first began the process of Indian Removal which continued from 1830 - 1842. The time that this TL has covered so far.
I do not remember if you covered it way back in the beginning but was there an Indian removal in this TL at any point? If so where is the territory located, I assume some where in the Kearny Territory. Or have they assimilated into white society?
Yeah, this election is really the first time the sectionalism in this US becomes apparently. But on the upside, this is also the first time (I think) that Michigan and Ohio have voted for the same party.
Oregon will get divided, but how many states, I'm not saying.
Looking back, I covered the Indian Removal in the second update. The gist of it was that the majority of the tribes either settled in lands futher west (f.e., the governor of Arkansaw allowed the Choctaw to purchase land and settle in the state) or were compensated for their lands. Can't remember if I did anything on these tribes after that, but I'll probably do another section about native Americans in the next update or two.
in 1856? Yes. That's true for OTL as well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:ElectoralCollege1856.svg
Like the thread. To me it is still up in the air if this is an Ameriwank thread or a Balkanised North America thread.
What are the citenship requirements for Cuba?
How are the native Cubans included in the US?
I say this because wouldn't Cuba have more than three electroal votes in 1856?
What are the citenship requirements for Cuba?
How are the native Cubans included in the US?
I say this because wouldn't Cuba have more than three electroal votes in 1856?
Shouldn't Oregon be a state by now?
I know in OTL its admission was not until 1859. But since California is independent and somewhat hispanic I am assuming there has been a heavier input of migration into Oregon particularly after the Oregon war.
I am sure you have it figured it out already and its coming soon. But it does make sense for Oregon to be a state by now or soon.
I know in OTL its admission was not until 1859. But since California is independent and somewhat hispanic I am assuming there has been a heavier input of migration into Oregon particularly after the Oregon war.
I am sure you have it figured it out already and its coming soon. But it does make sense for Oregon to be a state by now or soon.
Hmmm, I'd forgotten about Cuba's weight in the electoral college until now, but I suppose it could be justified by saying that the first official census with Cuba as a state would be 1860, so the votes wouldn't get reassessed until then. Also, all Cubans are now citizens of the United States.
While there has been more migration to Oregon, the population is still fairly spread out and there isn't much of a movement toward statehood in the locals for now.
Holy Cow!!! My namesake has made it all the way to the presidency. This is truly a momentous occasion. Perhaps it is time for me to say a few words..."four score years ago, our fathers brought forth a new nation, conceived in liberty...oh never mind." But this is just awesome man. I can't wait to see how he saves the union without a war.
I can tell you that Houston will certainly be focusing on averting a civil war.He only died in 1863 because he developed pneumonia.
Although I suppose he was 70 then, so his health probably wasn't doing so well anyway. We'll see how long he survives.