Washington Burns: A Story of Alternate America
- Thread starter Eckener
- Start date
Good! It's more enjoyable to write. But it sometimes takes longer to actually write. Like I said, hoping to have some new stuff to post this weekend.
Diligently working away this evening on the next update. Since I'm going to the new format, some updates will cover shorter periods of time (for instance, the current update will just cover 1863). One thing I am quickly discovering is that I am needing more and more new names for people that didn't exist OTL or were total unknowns. I have seen other timelines ask for name suggestions, either made up or the actual names of forum users. So I thought I'd do the same here.
You an suggest just a name or a few names, but if you'd like you can suggest what type of person they might be (and by type of person, that can mean either temperament or profession, etc).
Thanks!
You an suggest just a name or a few names, but if you'd like you can suggest what type of person they might be (and by type of person, that can mean either temperament or profession, etc).
Thanks!
Chapter 7: 1863 (new format)
--- 1863 ---
On December 11, 1862, the guns around embattled Atlanta fell silent. The Hawthorne Regime surrendered unconditionally to the Combined Allied Forces of North America. It was a truly varied force in the fields of Georgia that day. Men from the Confederation in New England, Federalists and abolitionists one and all. Soldiers fighting from the Democratic-dominated New Union in the North who heeded Hugo Brandt’s call to preserve the core values of the Founders against the tyranny of the Slaver government. Fighters from Britain and what would become Borealia, there to serve Queen and Country and further the cause of their Empire. Not to mention the newly self-emancipated militiamen fighting literally for their lives and their futures. All of them let out a collective sigh of relief as word was relayed that President James Hawthorne capitulated, smoke still rising from parts of the southern city that had been encircled for nearly a month.
The War Between the States, having dragged America to it’s lowest point since the War of 1812, leaving hundreds of thousands of young men dead or maimed and countless civilians homeless, was finally over. Having consumed the nation since the summer of 1859, the nation could now try and catch its breath. But only for a moment. Now, the shattered pieces had to be put back together. As 1862 drew to a close, the South was placed under martial law, and there were rumors of black reprisals against former white masters, something that the leaders of the New Africa Republic combatted fiercely, and something that terrified Democratic statesmen in Franklin. People wondered whether the Confederation would rejoin the Union, or if, with the backing of Great Britain, it would remain independent and become even more radical than it was already. And what would become of the Native Nations that had risen in defiance, or the former slaves? Could the United States repair itself after over three years of bloody civil war? Everyone waited with baited breath as January 7, 1863 approached, to see what would come from the Conference of Philadelphia
McCoy, Jace, Dr. Rebirth of Nation. Franklin, DW: UUS Press House, 1998.
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PEACE CONFERENCE BEGINS TODAY
PHILADELPHIA - Delegates from the United States, the Confederation of American States, the British Empire, the New Africa Republic, and the native state of Gigadohi, will gather in Philadelphia to begin the much anticipated American Peace Conference. After over three years of fighting, our leaders will finally sit down and try and pull together the pieces of the broken Republic. But will they succeed in their task? That is the question on everyone’s minds. Can it even be done. Here in our own Confederation, there is talk of maintaining independence and charting our own course, a sentiment that is very popular here in Boston. Others, President Portman rumored to be among them, believe we must rejoin the union of states now that the Slavers have been dethroned in Atlanta and the former slaves now walk free. It seems we are on the way to fulfill the requirements set down in the 1859 Proclamation of Restoration, and well before the 5 year deadline. But will the Northern union listen? Will they free all slaves, not just those who’ve emancipated themselves? Will they grant racial equality? Will they change the constitution to prevent another catastrophe like the election of 1858? Somethings may be likely, but others are far from guaranteed. And what of the native peoples of Gigadohi and Kanasaw? They have organized and defended their rights, and are asking for equality as well. Can the Democrats now occupying the city of Franklin agree to treat these people as equal to themselves? It remains to be seen, and the editorial staff here remain skeptical.
"Peace Conference Begins Today." Boston Eagle, January 7, 1863.
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The ceremonial opening of the Philadelphia Conference was held at Independence Hall, and both Acting US President Hugo Brandt, and Confederal President Ulysses Portman gave welcoming speeches to the delegates. They then nominated New York Governor Frank Wilbourn, a Democrat, as Conference Chairman, and he was elected by universal acclamation. Wilbourn had the dubious task of trying to get the varied interests of all those involved in coming to a consensus on nothing less than the future of the nation. Would the United States really survive? There were broadsheets calling for the South to rise against the occupiers, to form a new white nation out of the ashes of the United States and let the North go to their own devices. And there were some in the North, both in the New Union and in the Confederation, that were at least somewhat sympathetic to the idea.
Portman laid out the main requirements for the Confederation to rejoin the Union: A constitutional abolition of slavery; the establishment of birthright citizenship; the protection of the voting rights of all citizens; and the reformation of the Presidential election system to avoid a future repeat of the 1852 or 1858 elections, where the Republicans, despite receiving less than 40% of the vote, had captured the Presidency. Joshua Black, the self-proclaimed First Consul of the New Africa Republic, stated that unless racial equality was granted and protected, the former slaves he now commanded would seek independence, and likely carve their nation out of the ruined state of Mississippi, which at this point was seeing a flood of white citizens of biblical proportions fleeing west to Arkansas and even further, into Jefferson and the unorganized Upper Louisiana Territory. The Native Nations that populated what was now being called Gigadohi and also the Kanasw Territory were demanding statehood for their lands, but with special privileges to preserve their Tribes. This had been agreed to in the Native Nations District Statehood Act, passed in the heat of war in 1861, but it remained to be seen if the New Union government would follow through on its promise. And then there were the British. It could not be denied that if Great Britain had not gotten involved after Hawthorne’s forces sank the S.S. Bombay in 1861, that in all likelihood the war would still be ongoing, and possibly in the Slaver’s favor. Queen Victoria’s empire had to be compensated for its efforts.
After that optimistic and showy opening at Independence Hall, it would take months of negotiations to bring about the post-war order that helped create the modern North America we recognize today. The first and one of the most important would come on January 29th, when it was announced that key congressional leadership in the New Union had agreed in principle to the amendments that the Confederal government wanted as a prerequisite for the New England states to rejoin the Union. The first of these, the 18th and 19th amendments, which abolished slavery and established birthright citizenship, respectively, passed Congress on February 12th, and both would be ratified by the end of April.
McCoy, Jace, Dr. Rebirth of Nation. Franklin, DW: UUS Press House, 1998.
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MARTIAL LAW TO CONTINUE
PHILADELPHIA - The delegates in Philadelphia have announced that the states currently under military occupation will remain under Martial Law until such time as the states in question can draft new constitutions which reflect the new order being created in the North, that is to say, abolitionist in nature. The new 18th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, having passed Congress last week, must now be directly reflected into the constitutions of the Southern states before they will be “readmitted” into the so-called “New Union” being created in Philadelphia. Republican leaders in Colombia have stated that this is “the ultimate victory for the Democrat-Federalist alliance, and the utter humiliating defeat of the Republican South. Not only is our negro property being taken from us, but these former slaves are being elevated to the status of Equal in the eyes of Northern-mandated law.”
“Martial Law to Continue,” Charleston Examiner, February 19, 1863.
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Though the War Between the States did not start directly due to slavery, it was this so-called peculiar institution that ultimately became the primary issue by the time the guns fell silent around Atlanta. And nowhere was this more acutely felt than in Mississippi, where the so-called New Africa Republic came into being in early 1862, led by a former house slave named Joshua Black. Black received aid from the nearby Native Nations District, which was already in rebellion, and led thousands of slaves across Mississippi and parts of Alabama into full scale uprising against the white masters. And as the war progressed, more and more slaves flocked to his red banner with black fist and broken shackles. By the time the war ended, nearly all of the 400,000-plus slaves in Mississippi had joined the rebellion, and the whites in the state were fleeing en masse to Arkansas and points further west. In addition, hugh sections of Alabama and even part of Tennessee were in the nominal hands of the NAR and its commanders. And just before the war ended, a slave radicalized by the NAR assassinated Vice President Josiah Blankenship in his home in Atlanta. The power of the former enslaved was now on full display, something that both awed and terrified the North, and something that was celebrated in Confederal New England.
With the fighting over, the question now became, “what next?” And the answers varied widely. The most radical NAR leaders wanted to form their own nation, and expel the whites. But Black and most of his senior commanders knew that this would likely only lead to more war. Black called for the “New Union Congress” to grant full equality and help the newly emancipated blacks of the South to better themselves and start a new life as free men. This helped bring about the establishment of the Freedmen’s Improvement Office (FIO) at the end of February, 1863. FIO would be charged with setting up schools, helping to give out loans, and help secure land or employment for the newly Free. Once the 18th Amendment was ratified on March 20th, slavery was truly over, and there were mass celebrations throughout the territory controlled by the NAR. Between this and the passage of the 19th amendment, Black felt that the goals of New Africa were being met, and so he began to work with educated freedmen from the North who were immigrating to Mississippi to draft a new constitution for the state of Mississippi. Their new document would be approved in a statewide convention on July 4th of 1863, and on that day “Acting Governor Black” sent out an application for Mississippi to be admitted to the New Union. This was approved in August, and by the end of the year, Joshua Black became the first black governor in United States history, and also for the first time, the US House of Representatives and the US Senate welcomed in congressmen of color.
Cole, Benjamin, Dr. Land of the Freedmen: Mississippi after 1862. Joshuaville, MI: Freedmen’s Press, 2013.
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When the Native Nations District, followed by the Territory of Kanasaw, both rose up against the Slaver Union in the Winter of 1861-1862, it was done so with the promise of a new beginning for relations between the “Native Dependent Nations” of the United States and the Federal Government. The past several decades had been a story of declining privileges and loss of land and customs. The leaders of the many tribes, especially those in the Native Nations District in what had been Northeast Mississippi, decided for a gamble: support the Free State Alliance against the Slavers in return for as much autonomy at home and as much representation in Franklin as possible.
And in a surprise to many, the gamble paid off. In the Spring of 1863, as delegates from all the parties who had something at stake in the new peace gathered in Philadelphia, the Native Nations of the United States were able to turn their loyalty to the Northern cause into real political capital. Both the Native Nations District, now styling itself Gigadohi (coming from the Cherokee words for “red” and “land”), and Kanasaw would be granted “special statehood”: Both states would have normal representation in Congress, and the residents of those states, both White and Native, would be citizens of the United States and of their particular state of residence. In addition, the tribes that were recognized by the Federal government would be granted local jurisdiction over their land with near-complete autonomy (exceptions being made for Federal lawmen pursuing criminals and a few other “inter-state” issues). The tribes in both states would establish statewide governments with chief executives and legislatures, and White citizens could not be barred from living in the states or participating in statewide elections.
By the end of the April, 1863, both Gigadohi and Kanasaw had been granted statehood under new constitutions, each sending two Senators and three Representatives to Franklin.
Childers, Anthony, Dr. Native Rebirth: How the Native Nations Took Back their Land, New Echota, GG: Sequoyah Press, 2008.
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CONGRESS PASSES ELECTION AMENDMENT
FRANKLIN - As part of an agreement that was worked out between the United States and the Confederation, the US Congress today passed the 20th Amendment, which will reform how presidential elections are conducted. First, from now on all electors will be elected based on proportions. The number of electors from each state who vote for a particular candidate will be based on the proportion of the popular vote in that state that goes for each candidate. Secondly, the 17th amendment is now repealed, and a candidate must receive a majority of the electoral votes to win the presidency. And thirdly, it establishes the concept of “asset-elector voting,” a process whereby in the event that no candidate wins a majority of the electors outright, the candidate with the fewest electors can give their electors to another candidate to create a majority. This has been a contentions debate on how to solve the problems of the 1852 and 1858 elections, and it remains to be seen if this is the perfect fix. But most in Congress agree that it is better than the current messy system that helped contribute to the recent War. People are also hopeful that this will be another step towards bringing the still-wayward Confederation back into the fold of states.
“Congress Passes Election Amendment,” Franklin Observer, March 8, 1863.
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TREATY SIGNED WITH BRITAIN: TERRITORY AND MONEY TO BE GIVEN AWAY
PHILADELPHIA - The US Secretary of State has signed a treaty with the British Ambassador that will repay the British for their assistance in fighting the Slavers in the recent war. Britain is being leased the territory around the north side of Tampa Bay, in the State of Florida, for a period of at least 75 years, with the ability to renew. The British want a mainland base to help patrol their Caribbean colonies. Furthermore, the new treaty also states that the United States will help ffund several major infrastructure projects in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Upper Canada, to include but not limited to a railway linking Milwaukee with Upper Canada, a canal across the Michigan Peninsula, and a possible canal linking Milwaukee with the Mississippi River. And Finally, the United States promises not to interfere with or protest about any future territorial reorganizations that take place in British territories to our north, meaning Wisconsin, Michigan, the Canadas, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. There has been rumor coming from these territories that some sort of union may occur within the next decade, creating one large British domain north of the United States, instead of several small colonies.
It remains to be seen how the citizens of Florida will take to this news about Tampa Bay, but New Union officials made it clear that it didn’t matter. Florida, as a former slave state, had no say in the matter, and would just have to make do.
“Treaty Signed with Britain,” Boston Eagle, March 23, 1863.
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VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT PASSES CONGRESS
FRANKLIN - Amid great pomp, the last of the amendments requested by the Confederation has passed its final vote in Congress. The 21st Amendment states that the only requirement for voting rights in the United States is that the person be a male citizen, 21 years old or older, who has resided in his state for at least a year. This amendment was drafted to prevent states in the South from passing laws barring newly freed slaves from voting. It has been hailed a great success across the New Union, though some grumble that it goes too, putting an end to property requirements that were still the norm in many places.
In the occupied South, there is little support for the amendment, but also not much left in the way of fighting spirit to resist the changes coming from Franklin and the North in general. It also seems unlikely that some states in the South will be quick to adopt new constitutions that support these abolitionist measures any time soon, meaning that military occupation of the South could continue for a longer period than previously expected.
“Voting Rights Amendment Passes Congress,” Baltimore Gazette, March 30, 1863
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When President Portman received word via telegram that the New Union Congress in Franklin had passed the 21st Amendment, he immediately packed his bags in Philadelphia and got on the next train for Concord, New Hampshire, with instructions to his fellow Confederal delegates to vote to conclude the Conference now that the majority of goals had been achieved. Two days later, on April 1, Portman stood before the Confederal Congress and called for a vote to dissolve the Confederation of American States, and for the constituent states to rejoin the United States under the government currently operating in Franklin. The motion passed by nearly 80% (there were some radicals who thought that with British backing the Confederation should have struck out on its own, but they were in the clear minority). Shortly after the vote, Ulysses Portman stood on the steps of the State House in Concord, which had served as the Capitol of the Confederation for the past four years and proclaimed, “Citizens, our sojourn in the wilderness is over. Our fight over tyranny is won. We are now apart of the great Union of states started by our forefathers four score and seven years ago. We shall rejoice in the reformation and renewal of our Republic, and give thanks to those who sacrificed so much the past four years to make it happen. The evil scourge of Slavery is no more in this great land, and in its place Liberty and Equality reign supreme.”
A telegram was then sent to Acting President Brandt in Franklin and to Congress, which held an emergency session to approve the readmittance of the Confederal States. By the time the sun sets on April 1st, the Confederation ceases to exist, and the New Union is boosted with the admission of 7 new states.
Clemens, Victor. 100 Years of Confederation: Celebrating New England’s Rebellion Against Slavery, 1859-1863. Boston, MA: Kennedy Publishers, 1953
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MILITARY DISTRICTS ESTABLISHED
FRANKLIN - Secretary of War Rutherford Fraser announced today that the Army has established “districts of military governance” for the former states of the Slaver Union. These districts will be governed by a single military governor, and for the most part will consist of multiple states. These districts will remain in place until the former states draft new constitutions that support the new changes to the U.S. Constitution that have been passed this spring in the wake of the War. District 1 will consist of Jefferson, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and be headquartered in New Orleans. District 2 will consist of Mississippi, and is expected to be short lived, as the Negros of that state have been hard at work drafting a new constitution to bring a new, black dominated Mississippi into the New Union. District 3 will consist of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and be headquartered in Mobile. District 4 will consist of North and South Carolina, and be headquartered in Charleston. In these districts, regular law has been suspended, and citizens are subject to military justice.
Up until today, each state had been individually administered by Army officers in the state capitals. Military command wanted to break the hold of the old political class by creating multi-state jurisdictions and moving the headquarters to non-political cities.
“Military Districts Established,” Franklin Observer, May 12, 1863.
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HAMILTON III TO LEAD NEW YORK CITY
ALBANY - The New York State Legislature today appointed Alexander Hamilton III as “Special State Administrator for New York County,” and declared that the military administration of Manhattan to be at an end. Administrator Hamilton will take up offices at Castle Clinton, where he is to administer a city in ruin. It is estimated that during the past four years of war, nearly 90% of the structures on Manhattan were destroyed, and most of those surviving are on the north, rural end of the island and away from the city. For over a year, since the fall of Slaver forces in March of 1862, the island has been used as a defacto military base for Confederal and British troops. Much of the debris have been removed to the west side of the island (a more permanent fate yet to be found), and Lower Manhattan now “boasts” huge open spaces where a thriving city once stood. Majority of the citizens of New York City have fled to the cities of Brooklyn, Westchester, West Farms, and Yonkers, and various communities in Queens County. Hamilton has been tasked with overseeing the rebuilding of New York City, and has been given a mandate of authority that is not to exceed 15 years. The state leaders hope that, by 1878 the city can be on its own two feet again and on the road to recovery.
“Hamilton III to Lead New York City,” Brooklyn Standard, July 20. 1863.
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OUTRAGE! HAWTHORNE GIVEN ASYLUM IN BRITISH MICHIGAN!
FRANKLIN - In a special announcement given today at Washington House, Acting President Brandt declared that former Slaver leader James Hawthorne would be pardoned of all crimes, “real and alleged,” so long as he left the United States within thirty days. Brandt went on to explain that the Governor of British Michigan has offered asylum to Hawthorne in his territory, something that the British Ambassador has also confirmed has been approved of by Queen’s government in London.
Democrats in the capital are calling this a master stroke of diplomacy and peacekeeping, saying that a trial and punishment of Hawthorne would only turn him into a martyr for the South, and possibly lead to renewed unrest. However, many Federalist congressmen are crying foul, saying that Hawthorne needs to pay for the crimes committed by him and his government that led the nation into four years of war.
“Outrage! Hawthorne Given Asylum in British Michigan!” Boston Eagle, August 24, 1863.
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From the time Hugo Brandt became “Acting President” in May of 1860, there was no Presidential Guard for the “New Union.” What was left of the original Guard served “Old Union” President James Hawthorne, and when he and his administration fled Franklin in May of 1861, half the Guard went to Atlanta to protect the President, and the other half, some 2,000 men, remained to protect the city from the Free State Alliance under Brandt. Those soldiers would then vacate the city in March of 1862, when the Free States marched on the city. The last of the old Guard remained loyal to Hawthorne until his surrender in December of that year, afterwhich it was disbanded by order of the Allied Armies.
Once peace was established and order began to be restored in 1863, Brandt began the work of reestablishing the Guard. Working with Secretary of War Rutherford Fraser and General of the Armies Nathaniel Wilburn, the groundwork was laid for reviving the organization. It was decided that 100 men from each state would serve in the new Guard, and they had to prove they were among the best in the Army. Starting in April of 1863, Wilburn had his subordinates screen men throughout the country, and by the end of the summer, they had their men. In a grand celebration on September 1st, 1863, the Presidential Guard was reinstated. There was a grand parade on South Union Avenue in Franklin, and Acting President Brandt stood on the North Balcony of Washington House to review the troops. Red, White and Blue bunting adorned every building from President’s Square to the Ohio River.
The new guard would consist of 3,100 soldiers in 1863 (expanding as new states in the west were admitted as the 19th century wore on). Although their primary objective was the protection of the President, they also stood guard at the Federal Congress Hall, the Supreme Court, and the War Office. Part of the Guard would be assigned to ceremonial duties and be housed at the Guard Barracks located on President’s Square, while the rest would be housed at nearby Fort Washington where they would train and rotate out with the ceremonial positions. In addition, men from the guard were assigned to the Bank of the United States, and served as guards at the main facility in Franklin and also oversaw larger shipments of gold throughout the country as needed.
Sacks, Porter, Gen. 150 Years on Watch: The Presidential Guard, 1839-1988. Brooklyn, NY: Harper Brother’s, 1988.
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OHIO RIVER TO BE BRIDGED
FRANKLIN - In a ceremony on the South Bank of the Ohio River, Acting President Brandt announced that work would soon begin on a bridge that would link the north and south ends of Union Avenue in the nation’s capital. Ever since the plan for the city of Franklin was developed back in 1818, it had been understood that as soon as engineering know-how made it possible, the central thoroughfare of the capital city would be linked by a massive bridge across the mighty Ohio River. Recently, engineers from the firm Hawkins and Row of Pennsylvania have come up with a plan for a new type of bridge, called a “suspension bridge,” where large towers would be built on either side of the river to anchor giant metal cables, from which the roadway would be “suspended.” The firm approached Congress and President Brandt earlier this year about their plan, which has now been approved.
Construction on the bridge, to be named the George Washington Bridge, will start in the Spring of 1864, and is expected to take between seven and ten years to complete. It has been expressed that authorities in Franklin hope that the the new bridge will be open and fully operational by the time the nation celebrates its centennial in 1876.
“Ohio River to be Bridged,” Brooklyn Standard, September 27, 1863.
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GOVERNOR BLACK SHOT!
JEFFERSON CITY - Governor Joshua Black, who had just returned from a meeting in neighboring Alabama where he was helping the Freedmen’s Party in that state start organizing a convention to create a new state government in the next year, was shot at the central train station here in Jefferson City. The governor was rushed to a military hospital nearby, where he has been under constant care (and 24-hour guard, by both Federal soldiers and old NAR militiamen). Lt. Governor Thomas Newman has stated that he is assuming temporary control until Black’s condition becomes more clear. Thousands are expected to pack the cities churches tonight to pray for the recovery of “The Commander.”
Joshua Black has been the leader of the Freedmen’s community in Mississippi and much of the South since he started the uprising in 1862 that led to the establishment of the short-lived New Africa Republic. He has been Governor of Mississippi since July.
“Governor Black Shot!” The Freedmen’s Press (Jefferson City/Joshuaville, MI), October 3, 1863.
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MISSISSIPPI NEGRO GOVERNOR STEPS DOWN
JEFFERSON CITY, MISS - Two weeks after being shot by a Slaver sympathizer at the train station in Jefferson City, Mississippi, Joshua Black, the nation’s first Negro Governor of any state, has announced that he is stepping down to recover from the wound he received in his shoulder. There is still fear of infection, and his doctors and friends insisted that Black needed to step down and convalesce for the good of his health. Lt. Governor of Mississippi Thomas Newman, a compatriot of Black from the slave uprising of 1862, has been sworn in as Governor.
Military commanders across the South are reporting a noticeable uptick in violence between Whites and Negros across their jurisdictions since the October 3 shooting of Governor Black. Several times, soldiers have had to square off with mobs of Freedmen out for vengeance. One incident in Alabama resulted in 10 soldiers and 35 Freedmen dead in the streets of Mobile. There has been a steady uptick in whites that are moving West, a stream that has already been pretty constant since the Slaver’s capitulation in 1862.
“Mississippi Negro Governor Steps Down.” Franklin Observer, October 18, 1863.
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The modern holiday of Thanksgiving began the year after the War Between the States. It had been an on-again, off-again tradition dating back to the founding of the Republic, for government leaders to declare a day of thanksgiving to celebrate the end of the harvest season, the dates of which would vary from year to year and state to state, anywhere from mid-October to late November. Several times in the 1850s, Presidents Haines and Lee had called for national days of thanksgiving in the fall.
As Summer 1863 began to transition to autumn, there was a growing campaign for the nation to have a day of thanksgiving to properly celebrate the end of war and mourn those lost. President Brandt’s office was flooded with letters coming from all over the North and Midwest asking for such a day. So, on October 4th of that year, President Brandt signed a proclamation making the November 1st, the first Sunday in November, the official National Day of Thanksgiving and Remembrance. When the day arrived, President Brandt and members of the Federal government attended a special service held in the still incomplete National Chapel in Franklin. That afternoon, the President hosted the Cabinet Secretaries, the First Secretary and other senior members of Congress, along with various other officials and their families at Washington House for a Thanksgiving banquet that has since become a national tradition. After the feast, Brandt gave an address to crowds of people from the North Balcony of the executive residence that was reprinted over the following week across the country.
Across the country, families attended special Thanksgiving services in churches big and small, and then went home to a family feast. Many people wrote to newspapers and congressmen following the event, saying that they enjoyed this holiday and hoped that it would be repeated. And it would. The following year, Congress passed the National Day of Thanksgiving Act, declaring the first Sunday in November to be the holiday’s permanent date from then on.
Hampton, Sally, Dr. America’s Holiday: The Story of Thanksgiving Day. Boston, OR: Western Press House, 1997.
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PORTMAN DEAD OF FLU!
BOSTON - The Portman family announced today that Ulysses Portman, longtime Massachusetts statesman and former President of the Confederation of American States during the recent War, has passed away after contracting the flu shortly after the National Day of Thanksgiving last month. According to his widow, Sarah Portman, her husband had been bedridden for several weeks, and for the past three days had been in and out of consciousness. In her account, Mrs. Portman said that early this morning Mr. Portman awoke, looked at her and said, “we did it Sarah, the slaves are free,” and then went back to sleep, passing about an hour later at just after 6.
Governor Hamlin has already stated that a state of mourning will be declared throughout Massachusetts, and he suspects the rest of the New England states of the old Confederation will do the same.
“Portman Dead of Flu!” Boston Eagle, December 10, 1863.
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BRANDT TO ATTEND PORTMAN FUNERAL
FRANKLIN - Acting President Brandt proclaimed a national state of mourning for the whole of the United States for the next month in honor of the passing of Ulysses Portman, the former leader of the Confederal States during the War. Washington House and other government buldings are to be draped in black, and flags across the nation are to be flown at half mast. After the proclamation, Brandt announced that he was leaving for Boston soon, to attend the funeral that is to be held on the 17th.
“Brandt to Attend Portman Funeral,” Brooklyn Standard, December 12, 1863.
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Some notes:
- Terms for the war: by present day, "The War Between the States" is almost universal. Terms such as the "Abolitionist War," (enjoyed popularity among pro-Southern communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), the "War of Reformation," (popular in New England for a time), and the "Anti-Slaver War," (popular in Democratic-leaning states in the North and Midwest) have all fallen out of style for the more neutral "War Between the States."
- Terms for the two sides in the war: by present day, most people refer to the North as the "New Union," occasionally acknowledging the separate CAS as the "Confederal States." The South is usually referred to as the "Slaver Union," except in old pro-Southern communities, where is is usually called the "Old Union."
- The newspapers: All made up, as most OTL newspapers that are famous today got their start in the 1850s or later. The ones I'm using here will mostly continue into the 20th century as national papers of record. There will be a major competition between the Brooklyn Standard and soon-to-be-reconstituted New York Sentinel starting in the 1870s.
- Gigadohi: Looked up the Cherokee words for "red" (gige) and "land" (gadohi) and merged them, similar to how "Oklahoma" was created OTL. Postal abbreviation: GG
- Jefferson City/Joshuaville: OTL Jackson. In OTL, the city wasn't founded until 1821, and named after Andrew Jackson, who isn't known for anything ITTL. So, I had the city named Jefferson City instead in honor of Republican favorite Thomas Jefferson. In 1863, the city is still called Jefferson City, but after Joshua Black's death in the 1880s, the city will be renamed Joshuaville in his honor. ALSO, since Michigan isn't in the US ITTL, the postal code for Mississippi is MI.
EDIT, 4/29/17: Changed the British Treaty to include multiple infrastructure projects.
On December 11, 1862, the guns around embattled Atlanta fell silent. The Hawthorne Regime surrendered unconditionally to the Combined Allied Forces of North America. It was a truly varied force in the fields of Georgia that day. Men from the Confederation in New England, Federalists and abolitionists one and all. Soldiers fighting from the Democratic-dominated New Union in the North who heeded Hugo Brandt’s call to preserve the core values of the Founders against the tyranny of the Slaver government. Fighters from Britain and what would become Borealia, there to serve Queen and Country and further the cause of their Empire. Not to mention the newly self-emancipated militiamen fighting literally for their lives and their futures. All of them let out a collective sigh of relief as word was relayed that President James Hawthorne capitulated, smoke still rising from parts of the southern city that had been encircled for nearly a month.
The War Between the States, having dragged America to it’s lowest point since the War of 1812, leaving hundreds of thousands of young men dead or maimed and countless civilians homeless, was finally over. Having consumed the nation since the summer of 1859, the nation could now try and catch its breath. But only for a moment. Now, the shattered pieces had to be put back together. As 1862 drew to a close, the South was placed under martial law, and there were rumors of black reprisals against former white masters, something that the leaders of the New Africa Republic combatted fiercely, and something that terrified Democratic statesmen in Franklin. People wondered whether the Confederation would rejoin the Union, or if, with the backing of Great Britain, it would remain independent and become even more radical than it was already. And what would become of the Native Nations that had risen in defiance, or the former slaves? Could the United States repair itself after over three years of bloody civil war? Everyone waited with baited breath as January 7, 1863 approached, to see what would come from the Conference of Philadelphia
McCoy, Jace, Dr. Rebirth of Nation. Franklin, DW: UUS Press House, 1998.
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PEACE CONFERENCE BEGINS TODAY
PHILADELPHIA - Delegates from the United States, the Confederation of American States, the British Empire, the New Africa Republic, and the native state of Gigadohi, will gather in Philadelphia to begin the much anticipated American Peace Conference. After over three years of fighting, our leaders will finally sit down and try and pull together the pieces of the broken Republic. But will they succeed in their task? That is the question on everyone’s minds. Can it even be done. Here in our own Confederation, there is talk of maintaining independence and charting our own course, a sentiment that is very popular here in Boston. Others, President Portman rumored to be among them, believe we must rejoin the union of states now that the Slavers have been dethroned in Atlanta and the former slaves now walk free. It seems we are on the way to fulfill the requirements set down in the 1859 Proclamation of Restoration, and well before the 5 year deadline. But will the Northern union listen? Will they free all slaves, not just those who’ve emancipated themselves? Will they grant racial equality? Will they change the constitution to prevent another catastrophe like the election of 1858? Somethings may be likely, but others are far from guaranteed. And what of the native peoples of Gigadohi and Kanasaw? They have organized and defended their rights, and are asking for equality as well. Can the Democrats now occupying the city of Franklin agree to treat these people as equal to themselves? It remains to be seen, and the editorial staff here remain skeptical.
"Peace Conference Begins Today." Boston Eagle, January 7, 1863.
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The ceremonial opening of the Philadelphia Conference was held at Independence Hall, and both Acting US President Hugo Brandt, and Confederal President Ulysses Portman gave welcoming speeches to the delegates. They then nominated New York Governor Frank Wilbourn, a Democrat, as Conference Chairman, and he was elected by universal acclamation. Wilbourn had the dubious task of trying to get the varied interests of all those involved in coming to a consensus on nothing less than the future of the nation. Would the United States really survive? There were broadsheets calling for the South to rise against the occupiers, to form a new white nation out of the ashes of the United States and let the North go to their own devices. And there were some in the North, both in the New Union and in the Confederation, that were at least somewhat sympathetic to the idea.
Portman laid out the main requirements for the Confederation to rejoin the Union: A constitutional abolition of slavery; the establishment of birthright citizenship; the protection of the voting rights of all citizens; and the reformation of the Presidential election system to avoid a future repeat of the 1852 or 1858 elections, where the Republicans, despite receiving less than 40% of the vote, had captured the Presidency. Joshua Black, the self-proclaimed First Consul of the New Africa Republic, stated that unless racial equality was granted and protected, the former slaves he now commanded would seek independence, and likely carve their nation out of the ruined state of Mississippi, which at this point was seeing a flood of white citizens of biblical proportions fleeing west to Arkansas and even further, into Jefferson and the unorganized Upper Louisiana Territory. The Native Nations that populated what was now being called Gigadohi and also the Kanasw Territory were demanding statehood for their lands, but with special privileges to preserve their Tribes. This had been agreed to in the Native Nations District Statehood Act, passed in the heat of war in 1861, but it remained to be seen if the New Union government would follow through on its promise. And then there were the British. It could not be denied that if Great Britain had not gotten involved after Hawthorne’s forces sank the S.S. Bombay in 1861, that in all likelihood the war would still be ongoing, and possibly in the Slaver’s favor. Queen Victoria’s empire had to be compensated for its efforts.
After that optimistic and showy opening at Independence Hall, it would take months of negotiations to bring about the post-war order that helped create the modern North America we recognize today. The first and one of the most important would come on January 29th, when it was announced that key congressional leadership in the New Union had agreed in principle to the amendments that the Confederal government wanted as a prerequisite for the New England states to rejoin the Union. The first of these, the 18th and 19th amendments, which abolished slavery and established birthright citizenship, respectively, passed Congress on February 12th, and both would be ratified by the end of April.
McCoy, Jace, Dr. Rebirth of Nation. Franklin, DW: UUS Press House, 1998.
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MARTIAL LAW TO CONTINUE
PHILADELPHIA - The delegates in Philadelphia have announced that the states currently under military occupation will remain under Martial Law until such time as the states in question can draft new constitutions which reflect the new order being created in the North, that is to say, abolitionist in nature. The new 18th and 19th Amendments to the Constitution of the United States, having passed Congress last week, must now be directly reflected into the constitutions of the Southern states before they will be “readmitted” into the so-called “New Union” being created in Philadelphia. Republican leaders in Colombia have stated that this is “the ultimate victory for the Democrat-Federalist alliance, and the utter humiliating defeat of the Republican South. Not only is our negro property being taken from us, but these former slaves are being elevated to the status of Equal in the eyes of Northern-mandated law.”
“Martial Law to Continue,” Charleston Examiner, February 19, 1863.
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Though the War Between the States did not start directly due to slavery, it was this so-called peculiar institution that ultimately became the primary issue by the time the guns fell silent around Atlanta. And nowhere was this more acutely felt than in Mississippi, where the so-called New Africa Republic came into being in early 1862, led by a former house slave named Joshua Black. Black received aid from the nearby Native Nations District, which was already in rebellion, and led thousands of slaves across Mississippi and parts of Alabama into full scale uprising against the white masters. And as the war progressed, more and more slaves flocked to his red banner with black fist and broken shackles. By the time the war ended, nearly all of the 400,000-plus slaves in Mississippi had joined the rebellion, and the whites in the state were fleeing en masse to Arkansas and points further west. In addition, hugh sections of Alabama and even part of Tennessee were in the nominal hands of the NAR and its commanders. And just before the war ended, a slave radicalized by the NAR assassinated Vice President Josiah Blankenship in his home in Atlanta. The power of the former enslaved was now on full display, something that both awed and terrified the North, and something that was celebrated in Confederal New England.
With the fighting over, the question now became, “what next?” And the answers varied widely. The most radical NAR leaders wanted to form their own nation, and expel the whites. But Black and most of his senior commanders knew that this would likely only lead to more war. Black called for the “New Union Congress” to grant full equality and help the newly emancipated blacks of the South to better themselves and start a new life as free men. This helped bring about the establishment of the Freedmen’s Improvement Office (FIO) at the end of February, 1863. FIO would be charged with setting up schools, helping to give out loans, and help secure land or employment for the newly Free. Once the 18th Amendment was ratified on March 20th, slavery was truly over, and there were mass celebrations throughout the territory controlled by the NAR. Between this and the passage of the 19th amendment, Black felt that the goals of New Africa were being met, and so he began to work with educated freedmen from the North who were immigrating to Mississippi to draft a new constitution for the state of Mississippi. Their new document would be approved in a statewide convention on July 4th of 1863, and on that day “Acting Governor Black” sent out an application for Mississippi to be admitted to the New Union. This was approved in August, and by the end of the year, Joshua Black became the first black governor in United States history, and also for the first time, the US House of Representatives and the US Senate welcomed in congressmen of color.
Cole, Benjamin, Dr. Land of the Freedmen: Mississippi after 1862. Joshuaville, MI: Freedmen’s Press, 2013.
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When the Native Nations District, followed by the Territory of Kanasaw, both rose up against the Slaver Union in the Winter of 1861-1862, it was done so with the promise of a new beginning for relations between the “Native Dependent Nations” of the United States and the Federal Government. The past several decades had been a story of declining privileges and loss of land and customs. The leaders of the many tribes, especially those in the Native Nations District in what had been Northeast Mississippi, decided for a gamble: support the Free State Alliance against the Slavers in return for as much autonomy at home and as much representation in Franklin as possible.
And in a surprise to many, the gamble paid off. In the Spring of 1863, as delegates from all the parties who had something at stake in the new peace gathered in Philadelphia, the Native Nations of the United States were able to turn their loyalty to the Northern cause into real political capital. Both the Native Nations District, now styling itself Gigadohi (coming from the Cherokee words for “red” and “land”), and Kanasaw would be granted “special statehood”: Both states would have normal representation in Congress, and the residents of those states, both White and Native, would be citizens of the United States and of their particular state of residence. In addition, the tribes that were recognized by the Federal government would be granted local jurisdiction over their land with near-complete autonomy (exceptions being made for Federal lawmen pursuing criminals and a few other “inter-state” issues). The tribes in both states would establish statewide governments with chief executives and legislatures, and White citizens could not be barred from living in the states or participating in statewide elections.
By the end of the April, 1863, both Gigadohi and Kanasaw had been granted statehood under new constitutions, each sending two Senators and three Representatives to Franklin.
Childers, Anthony, Dr. Native Rebirth: How the Native Nations Took Back their Land, New Echota, GG: Sequoyah Press, 2008.
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CONGRESS PASSES ELECTION AMENDMENT
FRANKLIN - As part of an agreement that was worked out between the United States and the Confederation, the US Congress today passed the 20th Amendment, which will reform how presidential elections are conducted. First, from now on all electors will be elected based on proportions. The number of electors from each state who vote for a particular candidate will be based on the proportion of the popular vote in that state that goes for each candidate. Secondly, the 17th amendment is now repealed, and a candidate must receive a majority of the electoral votes to win the presidency. And thirdly, it establishes the concept of “asset-elector voting,” a process whereby in the event that no candidate wins a majority of the electors outright, the candidate with the fewest electors can give their electors to another candidate to create a majority. This has been a contentions debate on how to solve the problems of the 1852 and 1858 elections, and it remains to be seen if this is the perfect fix. But most in Congress agree that it is better than the current messy system that helped contribute to the recent War. People are also hopeful that this will be another step towards bringing the still-wayward Confederation back into the fold of states.
“Congress Passes Election Amendment,” Franklin Observer, March 8, 1863.
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TREATY SIGNED WITH BRITAIN: TERRITORY AND MONEY TO BE GIVEN AWAY
PHILADELPHIA - The US Secretary of State has signed a treaty with the British Ambassador that will repay the British for their assistance in fighting the Slavers in the recent war. Britain is being leased the territory around the north side of Tampa Bay, in the State of Florida, for a period of at least 75 years, with the ability to renew. The British want a mainland base to help patrol their Caribbean colonies. Furthermore, the new treaty also states that the United States will help ffund several major infrastructure projects in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Upper Canada, to include but not limited to a railway linking Milwaukee with Upper Canada, a canal across the Michigan Peninsula, and a possible canal linking Milwaukee with the Mississippi River. And Finally, the United States promises not to interfere with or protest about any future territorial reorganizations that take place in British territories to our north, meaning Wisconsin, Michigan, the Canadas, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. There has been rumor coming from these territories that some sort of union may occur within the next decade, creating one large British domain north of the United States, instead of several small colonies.
It remains to be seen how the citizens of Florida will take to this news about Tampa Bay, but New Union officials made it clear that it didn’t matter. Florida, as a former slave state, had no say in the matter, and would just have to make do.
“Treaty Signed with Britain,” Boston Eagle, March 23, 1863.
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VOTING RIGHTS AMENDMENT PASSES CONGRESS
FRANKLIN - Amid great pomp, the last of the amendments requested by the Confederation has passed its final vote in Congress. The 21st Amendment states that the only requirement for voting rights in the United States is that the person be a male citizen, 21 years old or older, who has resided in his state for at least a year. This amendment was drafted to prevent states in the South from passing laws barring newly freed slaves from voting. It has been hailed a great success across the New Union, though some grumble that it goes too, putting an end to property requirements that were still the norm in many places.
In the occupied South, there is little support for the amendment, but also not much left in the way of fighting spirit to resist the changes coming from Franklin and the North in general. It also seems unlikely that some states in the South will be quick to adopt new constitutions that support these abolitionist measures any time soon, meaning that military occupation of the South could continue for a longer period than previously expected.
“Voting Rights Amendment Passes Congress,” Baltimore Gazette, March 30, 1863
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When President Portman received word via telegram that the New Union Congress in Franklin had passed the 21st Amendment, he immediately packed his bags in Philadelphia and got on the next train for Concord, New Hampshire, with instructions to his fellow Confederal delegates to vote to conclude the Conference now that the majority of goals had been achieved. Two days later, on April 1, Portman stood before the Confederal Congress and called for a vote to dissolve the Confederation of American States, and for the constituent states to rejoin the United States under the government currently operating in Franklin. The motion passed by nearly 80% (there were some radicals who thought that with British backing the Confederation should have struck out on its own, but they were in the clear minority). Shortly after the vote, Ulysses Portman stood on the steps of the State House in Concord, which had served as the Capitol of the Confederation for the past four years and proclaimed, “Citizens, our sojourn in the wilderness is over. Our fight over tyranny is won. We are now apart of the great Union of states started by our forefathers four score and seven years ago. We shall rejoice in the reformation and renewal of our Republic, and give thanks to those who sacrificed so much the past four years to make it happen. The evil scourge of Slavery is no more in this great land, and in its place Liberty and Equality reign supreme.”
A telegram was then sent to Acting President Brandt in Franklin and to Congress, which held an emergency session to approve the readmittance of the Confederal States. By the time the sun sets on April 1st, the Confederation ceases to exist, and the New Union is boosted with the admission of 7 new states.
Clemens, Victor. 100 Years of Confederation: Celebrating New England’s Rebellion Against Slavery, 1859-1863. Boston, MA: Kennedy Publishers, 1953
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MILITARY DISTRICTS ESTABLISHED
FRANKLIN - Secretary of War Rutherford Fraser announced today that the Army has established “districts of military governance” for the former states of the Slaver Union. These districts will be governed by a single military governor, and for the most part will consist of multiple states. These districts will remain in place until the former states draft new constitutions that support the new changes to the U.S. Constitution that have been passed this spring in the wake of the War. District 1 will consist of Jefferson, Arkansas, and Louisiana, and be headquartered in New Orleans. District 2 will consist of Mississippi, and is expected to be short lived, as the Negros of that state have been hard at work drafting a new constitution to bring a new, black dominated Mississippi into the New Union. District 3 will consist of Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and be headquartered in Mobile. District 4 will consist of North and South Carolina, and be headquartered in Charleston. In these districts, regular law has been suspended, and citizens are subject to military justice.
Up until today, each state had been individually administered by Army officers in the state capitals. Military command wanted to break the hold of the old political class by creating multi-state jurisdictions and moving the headquarters to non-political cities.
“Military Districts Established,” Franklin Observer, May 12, 1863.
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HAMILTON III TO LEAD NEW YORK CITY
ALBANY - The New York State Legislature today appointed Alexander Hamilton III as “Special State Administrator for New York County,” and declared that the military administration of Manhattan to be at an end. Administrator Hamilton will take up offices at Castle Clinton, where he is to administer a city in ruin. It is estimated that during the past four years of war, nearly 90% of the structures on Manhattan were destroyed, and most of those surviving are on the north, rural end of the island and away from the city. For over a year, since the fall of Slaver forces in March of 1862, the island has been used as a defacto military base for Confederal and British troops. Much of the debris have been removed to the west side of the island (a more permanent fate yet to be found), and Lower Manhattan now “boasts” huge open spaces where a thriving city once stood. Majority of the citizens of New York City have fled to the cities of Brooklyn, Westchester, West Farms, and Yonkers, and various communities in Queens County. Hamilton has been tasked with overseeing the rebuilding of New York City, and has been given a mandate of authority that is not to exceed 15 years. The state leaders hope that, by 1878 the city can be on its own two feet again and on the road to recovery.
“Hamilton III to Lead New York City,” Brooklyn Standard, July 20. 1863.
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OUTRAGE! HAWTHORNE GIVEN ASYLUM IN BRITISH MICHIGAN!
FRANKLIN - In a special announcement given today at Washington House, Acting President Brandt declared that former Slaver leader James Hawthorne would be pardoned of all crimes, “real and alleged,” so long as he left the United States within thirty days. Brandt went on to explain that the Governor of British Michigan has offered asylum to Hawthorne in his territory, something that the British Ambassador has also confirmed has been approved of by Queen’s government in London.
Democrats in the capital are calling this a master stroke of diplomacy and peacekeeping, saying that a trial and punishment of Hawthorne would only turn him into a martyr for the South, and possibly lead to renewed unrest. However, many Federalist congressmen are crying foul, saying that Hawthorne needs to pay for the crimes committed by him and his government that led the nation into four years of war.
“Outrage! Hawthorne Given Asylum in British Michigan!” Boston Eagle, August 24, 1863.
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From the time Hugo Brandt became “Acting President” in May of 1860, there was no Presidential Guard for the “New Union.” What was left of the original Guard served “Old Union” President James Hawthorne, and when he and his administration fled Franklin in May of 1861, half the Guard went to Atlanta to protect the President, and the other half, some 2,000 men, remained to protect the city from the Free State Alliance under Brandt. Those soldiers would then vacate the city in March of 1862, when the Free States marched on the city. The last of the old Guard remained loyal to Hawthorne until his surrender in December of that year, afterwhich it was disbanded by order of the Allied Armies.
Once peace was established and order began to be restored in 1863, Brandt began the work of reestablishing the Guard. Working with Secretary of War Rutherford Fraser and General of the Armies Nathaniel Wilburn, the groundwork was laid for reviving the organization. It was decided that 100 men from each state would serve in the new Guard, and they had to prove they were among the best in the Army. Starting in April of 1863, Wilburn had his subordinates screen men throughout the country, and by the end of the summer, they had their men. In a grand celebration on September 1st, 1863, the Presidential Guard was reinstated. There was a grand parade on South Union Avenue in Franklin, and Acting President Brandt stood on the North Balcony of Washington House to review the troops. Red, White and Blue bunting adorned every building from President’s Square to the Ohio River.
The new guard would consist of 3,100 soldiers in 1863 (expanding as new states in the west were admitted as the 19th century wore on). Although their primary objective was the protection of the President, they also stood guard at the Federal Congress Hall, the Supreme Court, and the War Office. Part of the Guard would be assigned to ceremonial duties and be housed at the Guard Barracks located on President’s Square, while the rest would be housed at nearby Fort Washington where they would train and rotate out with the ceremonial positions. In addition, men from the guard were assigned to the Bank of the United States, and served as guards at the main facility in Franklin and also oversaw larger shipments of gold throughout the country as needed.
Sacks, Porter, Gen. 150 Years on Watch: The Presidential Guard, 1839-1988. Brooklyn, NY: Harper Brother’s, 1988.
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OHIO RIVER TO BE BRIDGED
FRANKLIN - In a ceremony on the South Bank of the Ohio River, Acting President Brandt announced that work would soon begin on a bridge that would link the north and south ends of Union Avenue in the nation’s capital. Ever since the plan for the city of Franklin was developed back in 1818, it had been understood that as soon as engineering know-how made it possible, the central thoroughfare of the capital city would be linked by a massive bridge across the mighty Ohio River. Recently, engineers from the firm Hawkins and Row of Pennsylvania have come up with a plan for a new type of bridge, called a “suspension bridge,” where large towers would be built on either side of the river to anchor giant metal cables, from which the roadway would be “suspended.” The firm approached Congress and President Brandt earlier this year about their plan, which has now been approved.
Construction on the bridge, to be named the George Washington Bridge, will start in the Spring of 1864, and is expected to take between seven and ten years to complete. It has been expressed that authorities in Franklin hope that the the new bridge will be open and fully operational by the time the nation celebrates its centennial in 1876.
“Ohio River to be Bridged,” Brooklyn Standard, September 27, 1863.
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GOVERNOR BLACK SHOT!
JEFFERSON CITY - Governor Joshua Black, who had just returned from a meeting in neighboring Alabama where he was helping the Freedmen’s Party in that state start organizing a convention to create a new state government in the next year, was shot at the central train station here in Jefferson City. The governor was rushed to a military hospital nearby, where he has been under constant care (and 24-hour guard, by both Federal soldiers and old NAR militiamen). Lt. Governor Thomas Newman has stated that he is assuming temporary control until Black’s condition becomes more clear. Thousands are expected to pack the cities churches tonight to pray for the recovery of “The Commander.”
Joshua Black has been the leader of the Freedmen’s community in Mississippi and much of the South since he started the uprising in 1862 that led to the establishment of the short-lived New Africa Republic. He has been Governor of Mississippi since July.
“Governor Black Shot!” The Freedmen’s Press (Jefferson City/Joshuaville, MI), October 3, 1863.
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MISSISSIPPI NEGRO GOVERNOR STEPS DOWN
JEFFERSON CITY, MISS - Two weeks after being shot by a Slaver sympathizer at the train station in Jefferson City, Mississippi, Joshua Black, the nation’s first Negro Governor of any state, has announced that he is stepping down to recover from the wound he received in his shoulder. There is still fear of infection, and his doctors and friends insisted that Black needed to step down and convalesce for the good of his health. Lt. Governor of Mississippi Thomas Newman, a compatriot of Black from the slave uprising of 1862, has been sworn in as Governor.
Military commanders across the South are reporting a noticeable uptick in violence between Whites and Negros across their jurisdictions since the October 3 shooting of Governor Black. Several times, soldiers have had to square off with mobs of Freedmen out for vengeance. One incident in Alabama resulted in 10 soldiers and 35 Freedmen dead in the streets of Mobile. There has been a steady uptick in whites that are moving West, a stream that has already been pretty constant since the Slaver’s capitulation in 1862.
“Mississippi Negro Governor Steps Down.” Franklin Observer, October 18, 1863.
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The modern holiday of Thanksgiving began the year after the War Between the States. It had been an on-again, off-again tradition dating back to the founding of the Republic, for government leaders to declare a day of thanksgiving to celebrate the end of the harvest season, the dates of which would vary from year to year and state to state, anywhere from mid-October to late November. Several times in the 1850s, Presidents Haines and Lee had called for national days of thanksgiving in the fall.
As Summer 1863 began to transition to autumn, there was a growing campaign for the nation to have a day of thanksgiving to properly celebrate the end of war and mourn those lost. President Brandt’s office was flooded with letters coming from all over the North and Midwest asking for such a day. So, on October 4th of that year, President Brandt signed a proclamation making the November 1st, the first Sunday in November, the official National Day of Thanksgiving and Remembrance. When the day arrived, President Brandt and members of the Federal government attended a special service held in the still incomplete National Chapel in Franklin. That afternoon, the President hosted the Cabinet Secretaries, the First Secretary and other senior members of Congress, along with various other officials and their families at Washington House for a Thanksgiving banquet that has since become a national tradition. After the feast, Brandt gave an address to crowds of people from the North Balcony of the executive residence that was reprinted over the following week across the country.
Across the country, families attended special Thanksgiving services in churches big and small, and then went home to a family feast. Many people wrote to newspapers and congressmen following the event, saying that they enjoyed this holiday and hoped that it would be repeated. And it would. The following year, Congress passed the National Day of Thanksgiving Act, declaring the first Sunday in November to be the holiday’s permanent date from then on.
Hampton, Sally, Dr. America’s Holiday: The Story of Thanksgiving Day. Boston, OR: Western Press House, 1997.
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PORTMAN DEAD OF FLU!
BOSTON - The Portman family announced today that Ulysses Portman, longtime Massachusetts statesman and former President of the Confederation of American States during the recent War, has passed away after contracting the flu shortly after the National Day of Thanksgiving last month. According to his widow, Sarah Portman, her husband had been bedridden for several weeks, and for the past three days had been in and out of consciousness. In her account, Mrs. Portman said that early this morning Mr. Portman awoke, looked at her and said, “we did it Sarah, the slaves are free,” and then went back to sleep, passing about an hour later at just after 6.
Governor Hamlin has already stated that a state of mourning will be declared throughout Massachusetts, and he suspects the rest of the New England states of the old Confederation will do the same.
“Portman Dead of Flu!” Boston Eagle, December 10, 1863.
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BRANDT TO ATTEND PORTMAN FUNERAL
FRANKLIN - Acting President Brandt proclaimed a national state of mourning for the whole of the United States for the next month in honor of the passing of Ulysses Portman, the former leader of the Confederal States during the War. Washington House and other government buldings are to be draped in black, and flags across the nation are to be flown at half mast. After the proclamation, Brandt announced that he was leaving for Boston soon, to attend the funeral that is to be held on the 17th.
“Brandt to Attend Portman Funeral,” Brooklyn Standard, December 12, 1863.
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Some notes:
- Terms for the war: by present day, "The War Between the States" is almost universal. Terms such as the "Abolitionist War," (enjoyed popularity among pro-Southern communities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), the "War of Reformation," (popular in New England for a time), and the "Anti-Slaver War," (popular in Democratic-leaning states in the North and Midwest) have all fallen out of style for the more neutral "War Between the States."
- Terms for the two sides in the war: by present day, most people refer to the North as the "New Union," occasionally acknowledging the separate CAS as the "Confederal States." The South is usually referred to as the "Slaver Union," except in old pro-Southern communities, where is is usually called the "Old Union."
- The newspapers: All made up, as most OTL newspapers that are famous today got their start in the 1850s or later. The ones I'm using here will mostly continue into the 20th century as national papers of record. There will be a major competition between the Brooklyn Standard and soon-to-be-reconstituted New York Sentinel starting in the 1870s.
- Gigadohi: Looked up the Cherokee words for "red" (gige) and "land" (gadohi) and merged them, similar to how "Oklahoma" was created OTL. Postal abbreviation: GG
- Jefferson City/Joshuaville: OTL Jackson. In OTL, the city wasn't founded until 1821, and named after Andrew Jackson, who isn't known for anything ITTL. So, I had the city named Jefferson City instead in honor of Republican favorite Thomas Jefferson. In 1863, the city is still called Jefferson City, but after Joshua Black's death in the 1880s, the city will be renamed Joshuaville in his honor. ALSO, since Michigan isn't in the US ITTL, the postal code for Mississippi is MI.
EDIT, 4/29/17: Changed the British Treaty to include multiple infrastructure projects.
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Why does Britain want a canal from Milwaukee to the Caribbean? The Canadians will scream blue murder about it. They'll want going east-west, not north-south. All of that trade going to New Orleans does the Great Lakes no good. Milwaukee might want it, but nobody on the east side of Lake Michigan does.
My thought process there was to lure more people out to British Wisconsin and the West in general. You make a good point though. As originally written in the old format, I mentioned something about this project having languished for some time without funding. I was also trying to think of things that Britain could ask for that wasn't more land concessions.
I would think they'd ask far greater access to the American economy through a reduction in tariffs, expanded fishing rights, etc or just straight cash Right now virtually all of American iron and copper is imported from Canada (via the Upper Peninsula) as well as a great deal of manufactured goods from the UK. Canadians were mad for canals, but only certain canals (anything in Upper or Lower Canada that strengthened east - west trade). The Canadians might use the cash for a railroad to Milwaukee or a better canal at Sault Ste. Marie instead of a canal that doesn't net them any gain.
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Greater access via fewer tariffs makes sense. However, while I get that people in Upper and Lower Canada wouldn't be thrilled about anything other than East-West trade, for the last 50 years people have been moving into Michigan and Wisconsin in fairly large numbers, so it isn't as if they have no clout. And Detroit in particular is on the verge of blooming into a great Northern city. A railway as an alternative at first sounds great, until you look at the map and realize that the only practical way to do that would be building a railway all the way around the great lakes and back down to Milwaukee. I suppose a railway from Detroit to the west coast of Michigan might work. Or a canal that cuts across Michigan to achieve the same thing.
To make a case for the Milwaukee-Mississippi Canal in the interest of East-West Trade, such a canal would link Iowa, in the US, with Canadian markets, and all that food from the farms could be quickly sent across the Great Lakes into the Canadas, or back to the US in New York and Pennsylvania and Ohio, more quickly than it could going down the Mississippi River southwards. Such new trade might also prove beneficial for further westward settlement in Wisconsin and other areas.
You just skip Lake Superior and use a bridge at Sault St. Marie. By 1850 there will be a railhead all the way to Detroit and beyond. In fact, you could probably find some corporate synergy and do the canal with the railway at the same time.
True, a canal from Detroit to Muskegon, along with a railway from Sault St. Marie to Green Bay and Milwaukee would be very beneficial. It could be that those two projects, along with a Milwaukee-Mississippi Canal might as a package deal be more palatable to all involved.
Also of note, within 10 years the separate provinces will be unified, and there will be greater interest in pushing farther west, linking in Colombia with the rest of the eastern settlements.
Chapter 8: 1864
---1864---
BRANDT ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY
FRANKLIN - Acting President Brandt has announced that he will be running for the Presidency in this November’s election. Some had wondered if he would step aside, and others questioned whether he should even be allowed to run, since he has been holding that office as Acting President since 1860 already, the bulk of what had been Hawthorne’s term. However, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was consulted, and after conferring with his colleagues, stated that Mr. Brandt was technically never elected, he should be eligible to run in the 1864 election. The Acting President stated that he feels honor bound to see to it that the nation is rebuilt as soon as possible, and feels that the best way to do that is with continuing stable leadership, not changing who is at the helm at this critical time.
It remains to be seen who, if anyone, will be challenging Brandt come November. It is possible that some Democrats might try to challenge him for the party nomination, but it seems doubtful. Furthermore, the Federalists are in a real state trying to figure out who might replace Ulysses Portman as party forerunner. Portman might have been able to give Brandt a run for his money, but few other Federalists have as much of a national following as he did. And the Republicans...it will be some time before a Republican once again occupies Washington House, if ever. There have been rumors circulating constantly since the War ended that the party may collapse completely.
“Brand Announces Candidacy,” Franklin Observer, January 9, 1864.
Today, Americans take for granted the single entity that is the Kingdom of Borealia for granted as their only northern neighbor. But prior to the 1860s, it was anything but decided upon. British North America had been a going concern since the 1780s, and especially so after territory was ceded to Britain following the War of 1812, in particular the loss of both Michigan and Wisconsin and parts of New York. But these territories were never viewed as a single entity in and of themselves, just several more colonies that made up the Crown that rested on the head of the British Monarch. Michiganians and Wisconsonites were far different from Upper and Lower Canadians.
But things started to change in the 1840s and 1850s, as America expanded and settled farther and farther west. It became clear that the United States would stretch from sea to sea and potentially become a great power one day. This made many in the British North nervous, fearful that America might one day try and reclaim lost land. Anthony Martin, born in 1799 in Upper Canada, and as a young man having made his fortune in Detroit, felt in particular that the provinces of British North America should be combined into a single nation to balance the growing power of the United States. Martin, a merchant, went into business in the 1850s with Wisconsin born businessman-turned-railwayman Joseph Criswell, who also supported this scheme. The two men set up the Western British Railway Company in 1851, working to connect the western end of the Great Lakes with the Canadas, and also looking at the feasibility of linking with Columbia and Vancouver Colonies on the West Coast. Then, in 1860, as the American War Between the States raged to the South, the two began to grow increasingly vocal that British North America needed to unite and work together. They pointed out that when the conflict to the south ended, America will have thousands of men under arms. Maybe a way to reunite the country will be to go and reconquer old territories lost in 1815. To that end, the two men and several of their followers established the Federation Party, with branches in both the Canadas, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They hoped to win enough seats in each Provincial legislature to convince the territories of the need for unification, and to convince the mother country of this as well.
In 1861, Criswell published the book “Vesperia, Land of the North,” as a pamphlet to drum up support for his cause. The book sold rather well, and many people from Milwaukee to Montreal were talking about it. However, most agreed that his name proposal needed work. In 1863, Federation Party candidates made up a majority of the Michigan legislature, and began to call for a “trans-provincial conference” to discuss the idea of creating a single nation out of the British North American provinces. Such a conference would be agreed to, and held in York (now Victoria), in April and May of 1864. What came from that conference was the York Manifesto, which called for the creation of a single nation that would have local autonomy but recognize the British Monarch as its sovereign, and defer to the mother country in areas of international and military affairs, and would stand as a counterbalance to the United States. The British government, for their part, already approved of such an idea, and had included it into the negotiations with the Americans after their war had ended with British assistance in 1863.
Bingham, Christopher, Dr. Birth of Borealia: 1864-1874. Victoria, BCD: Vesperia Press, 2011.
MICHIGAN BUSINESSMAN SEEKS UNIFIED BRITISH KINGDOM IN BNA
DETROIT - Michiganian businessman Anthony Martin, who together with his business partner Joseph Criswell of Wisconsin is one of the wealthiest men in British North America, and possibly all of North America, is going on the campaign trail throughout the British provinces to our north, seeking support for the so-called “York Manifesto,” a document adopted last month in York, Upper Canada, which calls for the creation of a single British Kingdom to be created out of the various independent provinces of British North America. The delegates at York agreed that once all of the provinces sign on to the Manifesto, Martin and others will go to London to make a formal proposal to the Queen’s government.
“Michigan Businessman Seeks Unified British Kingdom in BNA,” Boston Eagle, May 21, 1864.
HAMILTON ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR NEW YORK CITY
MANHATTAN - Special State Administrator Alexander Hamilton III announced today from his headquarters at Clinton Castle that a plan for the reconstruction and revitalization of New York City has been approved by his office and the State government. Hamilton unveiled the plan to politicians, businessmen, and the press at an event this morning. Showing off drawings and models of what he calls the “rebirth of New York.” The plan calls for the creation of a large, central avenue that will be the spine of the island, with several other major thoroughfares connecting different parts of the city, along with the creation of at least two large parks, one in the middle of the island, the other at the southernmost tip, near the approximate location of Clinton Castle. There are places included for public squares, schools, churches, hospitals, museums, and theaters.
“The New York of old,” Hamilton told those gathered to hear the announcement, “was a city of haphazard growth and development. The New York of tomorrow, however, will be one that has been planned, developed, and nurtured into greatness.” Much applause was given to his remarks. Construction on the new avenues is expected to start soon, and Hamilton’s office is already looking for new investors to start private construction of homes and businesses across the island. Of the more than 600,000 people that once lived in New York before the war, most have now emigrated either to Brooklyn, Queens County, or Bronxland, and it remains to be seen how many of them would like to venture back to Manhattan. There is the Friends of New York Society that was established in 1863 in Westchester, and that group’s president, Horace McKnight, spoke highly of the new plan from Hamilton.
“Hamilton Announces Plan for New York City,” Brooklyn Standard, July 4, 1864.
FEDERALISTS NOMINATE ROLAND
CONCORD, NH - Members of the Federalist Party gathered this week in the former capital of the Confederation to have their party convention to decide who would run against Acting President Brandt in November. Several candidates had put their name forward, including Boston Mayor Neil Smart, and New Hampshire Governor Charles Olmstead. In the end, however, Governor of Connecticut Victor Roland received the nomination, with New York Senator Charles Dickson being nominated for Vice President. Many are skeptical of Roland’s chances against Hugo Brandt in the coming election. Brandt has national name recognition and has been leading the New Union since 1860. Many outside of New England also see just about any Federalist as too radical for their tastes. The late Ulysses Portman likely could have defeated Brandt, but we will never know that for certain now.
“Federalists Nominate Roland,” Boston Eagle, July 20, 1864.
The election of 1864 could have been quite explosive had Ulysses Portman lived to see it. However, with his premature death from the flu in December of 1863, the Federalists were unable to come up with a challenger truly suitable to match Acting President Hugo Brandt on a national stage. Brandt was a household name, and Victor Roland was a virtual unknown outside of his native Connecticut. The third challenger, Republican Horace Keeting, Governor of Virginia, and his running-mate Jacob Fillmore, Senator from Maryland, were non-issues. Keeting would only end up carrying his home state of Virginia, and only barely, and only receiving a few electors from one other state, Maryland.
No, the big showdown, if you could call it that, was between Brandt and Roland. And the two had very different visions for the country. Roland wanted to see southern plantations broken up and given to the Freedmen’s Improvement Office to be redistributed. Roland also did not support dividing up the Upper Louisiana Territory, especially since it had seen a rush of former Slavers heading out west. Brandt, on the other hand, did not want to widen the power and purview of the FIO, and he was all about westward expansion. Brandt also hoped that most of the South could be readmitted into the Union by the end of the next presidential term, whereas Victor Roland felt that a good decade or more out in the political wilderness would be the perfect way to purge unwanted elements from the South.
McCoy, Jace, Dr. Rebirth of Nation. Franklin, DW: UUS Press House, 1998.
BRANDT WINS!
FRANKLIN - Hugo Brandt has won the most electoral votes in the nation’s first postwar election, taking 181 electors to Roland’s 160. Mr. Keeting of the Republican party took only 11 electors, a historic low for the party, but unsurprising since most of the “Republican heartland” remains under military occupation and unable to vote. Still, Brandt is three votes shy of an absolute majority required since the passage of the 20th amendment, and so will have to convince Keeting to give him his 11 electors. This seems a foregone conclusion, since the Republicans, while not liking everything supported by the Democrats, have far more in common with that party than they do with the Federalists, who clearly have it out for the South. At any rate, there is no way Roland could win with only 11 more electors, so this seems to be the inevitable outcome.
“Brandt Wins!” Brooklyn Standard, November 9, 1864.
DEMS TAKE PRESIDENCY, FEDERALISTS CONGRESS
FRANKLIN - While Democrats across the country congratulate themselves on retaining Washington House and guaranteeing Hugo Brandt’s continued rule until 1871, the Federalists have won a worthwhile consolation prize: control of both houses of Congress. Returns show that Federalists will now have 173 seats in the new House, compared to the Democrats’ 144 or Republicans’ meager 11. So while the President will be a Democrat, his First Secretary will be a Federalist. And in the Senate, Federalists now control 22 seats, versus Democrats’ 13 seats and Republicans’ 3 seats. Not a bad turnout for a party that only lost the Presidency by 24 electoral votes.
“Dems Take Presidency, Federalists Congress,” Boston Eagle, November 20, 1864
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some notes:
- Borealia vs. Vesperia: Both names are popular in the initial debate. Enough non-Canadians speak up that, although proposed, Canada is dropped as the national name. In the end, British officials will end up liking how Borealia matches with Australia, and that tips the scales. However, Vesperia never totally fades away, as referenced in the title of the publishing company, Vesperia Press.
- Brandt's win here was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Name recognition, plus success as a leader in the war years and immediately afterwards, leads to a "don't rock the boat," mentality. However, it will lead to a movement to create a system where by if a person becomes "Acting President," or a VP takes over a President's slot early in the original president's term, that that person will not be eligible to run for office.
ALSO, after the discussion with The Gunslinger, I'm going to go back and edit that the US will help out with an infrastructure package that includes several projects, not just the Milwaukee-Mississippi Canal.
BRANDT ANNOUNCES CANDIDACY
FRANKLIN - Acting President Brandt has announced that he will be running for the Presidency in this November’s election. Some had wondered if he would step aside, and others questioned whether he should even be allowed to run, since he has been holding that office as Acting President since 1860 already, the bulk of what had been Hawthorne’s term. However, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court was consulted, and after conferring with his colleagues, stated that Mr. Brandt was technically never elected, he should be eligible to run in the 1864 election. The Acting President stated that he feels honor bound to see to it that the nation is rebuilt as soon as possible, and feels that the best way to do that is with continuing stable leadership, not changing who is at the helm at this critical time.
It remains to be seen who, if anyone, will be challenging Brandt come November. It is possible that some Democrats might try to challenge him for the party nomination, but it seems doubtful. Furthermore, the Federalists are in a real state trying to figure out who might replace Ulysses Portman as party forerunner. Portman might have been able to give Brandt a run for his money, but few other Federalists have as much of a national following as he did. And the Republicans...it will be some time before a Republican once again occupies Washington House, if ever. There have been rumors circulating constantly since the War ended that the party may collapse completely.
“Brand Announces Candidacy,” Franklin Observer, January 9, 1864.
Today, Americans take for granted the single entity that is the Kingdom of Borealia for granted as their only northern neighbor. But prior to the 1860s, it was anything but decided upon. British North America had been a going concern since the 1780s, and especially so after territory was ceded to Britain following the War of 1812, in particular the loss of both Michigan and Wisconsin and parts of New York. But these territories were never viewed as a single entity in and of themselves, just several more colonies that made up the Crown that rested on the head of the British Monarch. Michiganians and Wisconsonites were far different from Upper and Lower Canadians.
But things started to change in the 1840s and 1850s, as America expanded and settled farther and farther west. It became clear that the United States would stretch from sea to sea and potentially become a great power one day. This made many in the British North nervous, fearful that America might one day try and reclaim lost land. Anthony Martin, born in 1799 in Upper Canada, and as a young man having made his fortune in Detroit, felt in particular that the provinces of British North America should be combined into a single nation to balance the growing power of the United States. Martin, a merchant, went into business in the 1850s with Wisconsin born businessman-turned-railwayman Joseph Criswell, who also supported this scheme. The two men set up the Western British Railway Company in 1851, working to connect the western end of the Great Lakes with the Canadas, and also looking at the feasibility of linking with Columbia and Vancouver Colonies on the West Coast. Then, in 1860, as the American War Between the States raged to the South, the two began to grow increasingly vocal that British North America needed to unite and work together. They pointed out that when the conflict to the south ended, America will have thousands of men under arms. Maybe a way to reunite the country will be to go and reconquer old territories lost in 1815. To that end, the two men and several of their followers established the Federation Party, with branches in both the Canadas, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They hoped to win enough seats in each Provincial legislature to convince the territories of the need for unification, and to convince the mother country of this as well.
In 1861, Criswell published the book “Vesperia, Land of the North,” as a pamphlet to drum up support for his cause. The book sold rather well, and many people from Milwaukee to Montreal were talking about it. However, most agreed that his name proposal needed work. In 1863, Federation Party candidates made up a majority of the Michigan legislature, and began to call for a “trans-provincial conference” to discuss the idea of creating a single nation out of the British North American provinces. Such a conference would be agreed to, and held in York (now Victoria), in April and May of 1864. What came from that conference was the York Manifesto, which called for the creation of a single nation that would have local autonomy but recognize the British Monarch as its sovereign, and defer to the mother country in areas of international and military affairs, and would stand as a counterbalance to the United States. The British government, for their part, already approved of such an idea, and had included it into the negotiations with the Americans after their war had ended with British assistance in 1863.
Bingham, Christopher, Dr. Birth of Borealia: 1864-1874. Victoria, BCD: Vesperia Press, 2011.
MICHIGAN BUSINESSMAN SEEKS UNIFIED BRITISH KINGDOM IN BNA
DETROIT - Michiganian businessman Anthony Martin, who together with his business partner Joseph Criswell of Wisconsin is one of the wealthiest men in British North America, and possibly all of North America, is going on the campaign trail throughout the British provinces to our north, seeking support for the so-called “York Manifesto,” a document adopted last month in York, Upper Canada, which calls for the creation of a single British Kingdom to be created out of the various independent provinces of British North America. The delegates at York agreed that once all of the provinces sign on to the Manifesto, Martin and others will go to London to make a formal proposal to the Queen’s government.
“Michigan Businessman Seeks Unified British Kingdom in BNA,” Boston Eagle, May 21, 1864.
HAMILTON ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR NEW YORK CITY
MANHATTAN - Special State Administrator Alexander Hamilton III announced today from his headquarters at Clinton Castle that a plan for the reconstruction and revitalization of New York City has been approved by his office and the State government. Hamilton unveiled the plan to politicians, businessmen, and the press at an event this morning. Showing off drawings and models of what he calls the “rebirth of New York.” The plan calls for the creation of a large, central avenue that will be the spine of the island, with several other major thoroughfares connecting different parts of the city, along with the creation of at least two large parks, one in the middle of the island, the other at the southernmost tip, near the approximate location of Clinton Castle. There are places included for public squares, schools, churches, hospitals, museums, and theaters.
“The New York of old,” Hamilton told those gathered to hear the announcement, “was a city of haphazard growth and development. The New York of tomorrow, however, will be one that has been planned, developed, and nurtured into greatness.” Much applause was given to his remarks. Construction on the new avenues is expected to start soon, and Hamilton’s office is already looking for new investors to start private construction of homes and businesses across the island. Of the more than 600,000 people that once lived in New York before the war, most have now emigrated either to Brooklyn, Queens County, or Bronxland, and it remains to be seen how many of them would like to venture back to Manhattan. There is the Friends of New York Society that was established in 1863 in Westchester, and that group’s president, Horace McKnight, spoke highly of the new plan from Hamilton.
“Hamilton Announces Plan for New York City,” Brooklyn Standard, July 4, 1864.
FEDERALISTS NOMINATE ROLAND
CONCORD, NH - Members of the Federalist Party gathered this week in the former capital of the Confederation to have their party convention to decide who would run against Acting President Brandt in November. Several candidates had put their name forward, including Boston Mayor Neil Smart, and New Hampshire Governor Charles Olmstead. In the end, however, Governor of Connecticut Victor Roland received the nomination, with New York Senator Charles Dickson being nominated for Vice President. Many are skeptical of Roland’s chances against Hugo Brandt in the coming election. Brandt has national name recognition and has been leading the New Union since 1860. Many outside of New England also see just about any Federalist as too radical for their tastes. The late Ulysses Portman likely could have defeated Brandt, but we will never know that for certain now.
“Federalists Nominate Roland,” Boston Eagle, July 20, 1864.
The election of 1864 could have been quite explosive had Ulysses Portman lived to see it. However, with his premature death from the flu in December of 1863, the Federalists were unable to come up with a challenger truly suitable to match Acting President Hugo Brandt on a national stage. Brandt was a household name, and Victor Roland was a virtual unknown outside of his native Connecticut. The third challenger, Republican Horace Keeting, Governor of Virginia, and his running-mate Jacob Fillmore, Senator from Maryland, were non-issues. Keeting would only end up carrying his home state of Virginia, and only barely, and only receiving a few electors from one other state, Maryland.
No, the big showdown, if you could call it that, was between Brandt and Roland. And the two had very different visions for the country. Roland wanted to see southern plantations broken up and given to the Freedmen’s Improvement Office to be redistributed. Roland also did not support dividing up the Upper Louisiana Territory, especially since it had seen a rush of former Slavers heading out west. Brandt, on the other hand, did not want to widen the power and purview of the FIO, and he was all about westward expansion. Brandt also hoped that most of the South could be readmitted into the Union by the end of the next presidential term, whereas Victor Roland felt that a good decade or more out in the political wilderness would be the perfect way to purge unwanted elements from the South.
McCoy, Jace, Dr. Rebirth of Nation. Franklin, DW: UUS Press House, 1998.
BRANDT WINS!
FRANKLIN - Hugo Brandt has won the most electoral votes in the nation’s first postwar election, taking 181 electors to Roland’s 160. Mr. Keeting of the Republican party took only 11 electors, a historic low for the party, but unsurprising since most of the “Republican heartland” remains under military occupation and unable to vote. Still, Brandt is three votes shy of an absolute majority required since the passage of the 20th amendment, and so will have to convince Keeting to give him his 11 electors. This seems a foregone conclusion, since the Republicans, while not liking everything supported by the Democrats, have far more in common with that party than they do with the Federalists, who clearly have it out for the South. At any rate, there is no way Roland could win with only 11 more electors, so this seems to be the inevitable outcome.
“Brandt Wins!” Brooklyn Standard, November 9, 1864.
DEMS TAKE PRESIDENCY, FEDERALISTS CONGRESS
FRANKLIN - While Democrats across the country congratulate themselves on retaining Washington House and guaranteeing Hugo Brandt’s continued rule until 1871, the Federalists have won a worthwhile consolation prize: control of both houses of Congress. Returns show that Federalists will now have 173 seats in the new House, compared to the Democrats’ 144 or Republicans’ meager 11. So while the President will be a Democrat, his First Secretary will be a Federalist. And in the Senate, Federalists now control 22 seats, versus Democrats’ 13 seats and Republicans’ 3 seats. Not a bad turnout for a party that only lost the Presidency by 24 electoral votes.
“Dems Take Presidency, Federalists Congress,” Boston Eagle, November 20, 1864
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Some notes:
- Borealia vs. Vesperia: Both names are popular in the initial debate. Enough non-Canadians speak up that, although proposed, Canada is dropped as the national name. In the end, British officials will end up liking how Borealia matches with Australia, and that tips the scales. However, Vesperia never totally fades away, as referenced in the title of the publishing company, Vesperia Press.
- Brandt's win here was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Name recognition, plus success as a leader in the war years and immediately afterwards, leads to a "don't rock the boat," mentality. However, it will lead to a movement to create a system where by if a person becomes "Acting President," or a VP takes over a President's slot early in the original president's term, that that person will not be eligible to run for office.
ALSO, after the discussion with The Gunslinger, I'm going to go back and edit that the US will help out with an infrastructure package that includes several projects, not just the Milwaukee-Mississippi Canal.
Last edited:
So I decided I'm going to work on an update to get the wider world caught up with what's going in in America. I have a few ideas, but would love suggestions.
- The Bourbon restoration. Happens, but with Charles X dying before Louis XVIII, with no other heirs the Duke of Orleans becomes King, putting an end to the rising tide of conservatism. This will butterfly the 1830 revolution and likely the 1848 revolution away.
- Germany: Obviously as stated, 1848 doesn't happen. But I'd like to see some sort of event or events occur that keep things a little less stable for awhile longer than OTL, so that more German immigrants go to America (both the US and Texas
). Open to suggestions here as I'm not sure what the best way to bring this about would be.
- Victoria: Already established that her father doesn't die so soon after her birth, and has a heavy hand in raising her, as a strong, independent woman who would be queen some day. She becomes queen a few years later than OTL, and may or may not marry Albert.
Beyond that, I'm pretty open to suggestions.
- The Bourbon restoration. Happens, but with Charles X dying before Louis XVIII, with no other heirs the Duke of Orleans becomes King, putting an end to the rising tide of conservatism. This will butterfly the 1830 revolution and likely the 1848 revolution away.
- Germany: Obviously as stated, 1848 doesn't happen. But I'd like to see some sort of event or events occur that keep things a little less stable for awhile longer than OTL, so that more German immigrants go to America (both the US and Texas
). Open to suggestions here as I'm not sure what the best way to bring this about would be. - Victoria: Already established that her father doesn't die so soon after her birth, and has a heavy hand in raising her, as a strong, independent woman who would be queen some day. She becomes queen a few years later than OTL, and may or may not marry Albert.
Beyond that, I'm pretty open to suggestions.
*bump*
I've added threadmarks, for the reader's convenience.
Also, working on an international update piece to get us caught up on some highlights around the world. Have a question. ITTL, Queen Victoria will marry Prince Alexander of the Netherlands. What would that union change the name of the British Royal House to?
I've added threadmarks, for the reader's convenience.
Also, working on an international update piece to get us caught up on some highlights around the world. Have a question. ITTL, Queen Victoria will marry Prince Alexander of the Netherlands. What would that union change the name of the British Royal House to?
It will become Orange Nassau just as it became Saxe Coburg and Gotha when Victoria married Albert.
Ah I see where I got my mixup. I'd noticed that Victoria's mother was from House Sale-Coburg-Saalfeld and didn't dig deeper like I normally do, and somehow got the impression that only "Gotha" was added at the wedding. My mistake.
Chapter 9: Wider World Gazette, Edition 1: 1815-1865 Europe
Wider World Gazett
Edition 1, 1815-1865 in Europe
The WWG will be issued periodically to catch the readers of AH.com up with what is going in the rest of the world of Washington Lost, which is going to remain fairly American focused. It will be written “out of timeline,” meaning it will make references to OTL and making comparisons between ITTL events and real events.
The United Kingdom - The future Queen Victoria was born os per OTL on May 24, 1819. However, unlike in our world, her father, Prince Edward the Duke of Kent, did not die in 1820, leaving her to the care of her mother. Instead, Prince Edward took a keen interest in his daughter and her upbringing. He said many times that, “my daughter will be the Queen, and I will make sure she is the best Queen England has ever had.” Private tutors, professors, no expense was spared. The young Princess learned German and French, philosophy and mathematics, and politics too. In 1820, King George III died, and his brother the Duke of York became King George IV. He died in 1831, and his brother, William the Duke of Clarence, became King William IV. In 1836, William IV passed away as well, making Victoria’s father the sovereign, King Edward VII. At that point, Victoria and her family moved into the nearly completed Buckingham Palace, the project of Kings George IV and William IV. Edward VII’s health was not well by this point, so the King instructed that his daugher be made ready and aware of the affairs of the Kingdom before his death. Edward died on July 9, 1841, making the 22 year old Victoria ruler of the kingdom, Britain’s first sovereign Queen in generations. Following arrangements made by her father and uncles, Victoria married Prince Alexander of the Netherlands on May 2, 1843. Victoria and Alexander’s first child, Princess Victoria Alexandra Maria, was born on October 1, 1844. Her second child, Princess Elizabeth Gloria, was born on April 19, 1846. A third daugher came along in 1849, Princess Juliana Francesca. In 1856, a surprise son was born on September 9, Prince Edward Alexander Michael.
Queen Victoria is often called the Reformer Queen, and this moniker came about rather early in her reign. Upon visiting a mining town in Wales in 1844, she saw the conditions of the worker’s villages, and was appalled. “No British subject, no subject of mine, should live in such squalor.” She began to work with members of the government to pass laws requiring better working conditions and living conditions for workers across Britain. By 1850, a slew of new labor laws mandating safety, better water, more space for housing, and other regulations were enacted. Victoria, whose father had ensured she had the best education possible, and one far better than those most women received in that day and age, championed establishing proper public education for all children in Britain, something achieved by the end of the 1870s. Her biggest, often called most radical reform, came after her son was born in 1856. She loved her son, and was overjoyed at his birth. However, by that time she had already begun to prepare her daughter, Princess Victoria Alexandra, to become the next queen, as she was 12 by the time her brother came along. Soon after his birth, the government reminded their sovereign that her son was now heir. The queen balked at this idea, that her daughter suddenly lost her place because of her brother. She told the government that her heir would remain her daughter. The government ministers balked, and the fight was on. It would take 6 years, but finally the laws were changed, and not just for the Royals, but for all British women. Daughters, if they were first born, could inherit their father’s titles and fortunes.
Victoria was also an early champion of British support for the northern rebels in the American War Between the States, long before intervention was even possible. Victoria detested slavery, and made sure that, even though the British government could not act on the requests made by the Northerners at first, the representatives of the two rebel groups were welcomed and taken care of while in London, much to the chagrin of the “official” American ambassador representing the Hawthorne government. When, in the Summer of 1861 the Bombay Incident finally dragged Britain into the fight, the queen was reportedly elated at the chance to help in the fight against slavery.
France - The Bourbon Restoration occurred as per OTL. However, Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, died in 1822, so his brother King Louis XVIII outlived him. During a bout of illness where it looked like King Louis XVIII looked close to death in 1824, the heir, Charles Philippe’s son Louis Antoine, attempted to prematurely take the reigns of control to “alleviate” the stresses on his ailing Uncle. Both liberals and supporters of Louis were appalled, and thousands took to the street in protest. Unfortunately for Antoine, Louis XVIII rebounded, and had his”power hungry ingrate of a nephew,” expelled from the country, and declared Henri, son of Louis Antoine, would become king when he died, and set up an regency since the boy was only 4 years old at the time. In 1825, Louis XVIII died, and Henri became King Henry V at 5 years old. Louis made sure that his heir was surrounded by a wide variety of men, both liberal and conservative, to bring him up. The Duke of Orleans became the regent until Henry would come of age in 1838. While not as reform minded or liberal as Queen Victoria gained the reputation for being, Henry was considered a fair, moderate monarch, and helped strengthen the durability and stability of the restored French Monarchy. Henry supported the free press, and more often than not the Prime Minister of France was a moderate liberal under Henry’s reign. In 1840, due in part to mounting liberal pressures thanks to the revolts gripping the German states, King Henry V signed a new Constitution granting many more powers to the people and the legislature, and greatly expanding the electorate. One major act in the 1840 constitution was restoring a modified version of of the Tricolor Flag as the national flag. This modified version added a gold fleur de lis in the white center stripe.
When the short-lived liberal-leaning German Republic collapsed and was overrun by the Prussians, Bavarians, and Austrians, in 1841, tens of thousands of German liberals of all walks of life flooded over the border into France seeking refuge. And for a short while, most were allowed to stay. However, by 1845, political pressure from Austria and Prussia forced Henry to require the majority of the emigres to seek a new life in the Americas or England. This created the “45ers,” tens of thousands of German immigrants that fled to the United States and Texas.
Germany - King Frederick William III of Prussia died in 1839, a year earlier than OTL. His son was very ill at the time, and so the liberal opposition in Berlin went to work. The new King is too ill to rule, they claimed. Prussia must modernize, adopt a new constitution, allow freedom of the Press like in France, etc. Protests spread across the northern German states and into Bavaria throughout 1839, especially as it seemed that the liberals would be successful. Then, King Frederick William IV recovered and rallied his conservative supporters, and began to “put the liberals back in their place.” Hundreds fled Berlin. But instead of going into hiding, they coalesced around the city of Frankfurt, where on October 3, 1839, the so-called German Republic was proclaimed, becoming a magnet and haven for liberals all over the German states.
For nearly three years, the Republic flourished. Frederick William IV was reportedly okay with the whole thing, as he would rather the liberals in Prussia leave and go somewhere else. However, Austria felt differently. Austria and Bavaria launched an invasion of the “German Republic” in early 1841. Prussia jumped on board, worried that Austria would gain too much power if it crushed the liberal enclave on its own. The Republican Army put up quite a defense, but was overwhelmed. Tens of thousands fled to France, and after the Germans put pressure on France, those emigres found themselves bound for the United States and the Texas Federation. In the US, the 45ers mostly made their way to Ohio and points westward. Some joined the already sizeable Germantown district in Franklin. In Texas, about two thirds of the Germans settle in “Mexican Texas,” settling not too far from Franklin-on-the-Bravos, establishing the town of New Frankfurt, the remainder settling in the Republic of Texas, establishing the community of New Koln. During the Second Mexican War, Germans were quick to defend both Texases, and several of the liberal leaders helped create the constitution for the new Texas Federation that was established in 1848. Back in Europe, Prussia solidifies control over the northern German states, and Austria and Bavaria grow closer together and control the south of Germany. Liberalism is strictly monitored and suppressed wherever possible.
In 1861, King Frederick William IV died, and his son took the throne as King Frederick William V (OTL, FWIV was childless, not so here, his son being born in 1827). The 34 year old King is a political moderate, and believes reforms must come to Prussia if it is every to become the most dominant German state. Tensions are starting to flare on the frontiers with Austria and Bavaria (which are now looking seriously at a dynastic union).
Edition 1, 1815-1865 in Europe
The WWG will be issued periodically to catch the readers of AH.com up with what is going in the rest of the world of Washington Lost, which is going to remain fairly American focused. It will be written “out of timeline,” meaning it will make references to OTL and making comparisons between ITTL events and real events.
The United Kingdom - The future Queen Victoria was born os per OTL on May 24, 1819. However, unlike in our world, her father, Prince Edward the Duke of Kent, did not die in 1820, leaving her to the care of her mother. Instead, Prince Edward took a keen interest in his daughter and her upbringing. He said many times that, “my daughter will be the Queen, and I will make sure she is the best Queen England has ever had.” Private tutors, professors, no expense was spared. The young Princess learned German and French, philosophy and mathematics, and politics too. In 1820, King George III died, and his brother the Duke of York became King George IV. He died in 1831, and his brother, William the Duke of Clarence, became King William IV. In 1836, William IV passed away as well, making Victoria’s father the sovereign, King Edward VII. At that point, Victoria and her family moved into the nearly completed Buckingham Palace, the project of Kings George IV and William IV. Edward VII’s health was not well by this point, so the King instructed that his daugher be made ready and aware of the affairs of the Kingdom before his death. Edward died on July 9, 1841, making the 22 year old Victoria ruler of the kingdom, Britain’s first sovereign Queen in generations. Following arrangements made by her father and uncles, Victoria married Prince Alexander of the Netherlands on May 2, 1843. Victoria and Alexander’s first child, Princess Victoria Alexandra Maria, was born on October 1, 1844. Her second child, Princess Elizabeth Gloria, was born on April 19, 1846. A third daugher came along in 1849, Princess Juliana Francesca. In 1856, a surprise son was born on September 9, Prince Edward Alexander Michael.
Queen Victoria is often called the Reformer Queen, and this moniker came about rather early in her reign. Upon visiting a mining town in Wales in 1844, she saw the conditions of the worker’s villages, and was appalled. “No British subject, no subject of mine, should live in such squalor.” She began to work with members of the government to pass laws requiring better working conditions and living conditions for workers across Britain. By 1850, a slew of new labor laws mandating safety, better water, more space for housing, and other regulations were enacted. Victoria, whose father had ensured she had the best education possible, and one far better than those most women received in that day and age, championed establishing proper public education for all children in Britain, something achieved by the end of the 1870s. Her biggest, often called most radical reform, came after her son was born in 1856. She loved her son, and was overjoyed at his birth. However, by that time she had already begun to prepare her daughter, Princess Victoria Alexandra, to become the next queen, as she was 12 by the time her brother came along. Soon after his birth, the government reminded their sovereign that her son was now heir. The queen balked at this idea, that her daughter suddenly lost her place because of her brother. She told the government that her heir would remain her daughter. The government ministers balked, and the fight was on. It would take 6 years, but finally the laws were changed, and not just for the Royals, but for all British women. Daughters, if they were first born, could inherit their father’s titles and fortunes.
Victoria was also an early champion of British support for the northern rebels in the American War Between the States, long before intervention was even possible. Victoria detested slavery, and made sure that, even though the British government could not act on the requests made by the Northerners at first, the representatives of the two rebel groups were welcomed and taken care of while in London, much to the chagrin of the “official” American ambassador representing the Hawthorne government. When, in the Summer of 1861 the Bombay Incident finally dragged Britain into the fight, the queen was reportedly elated at the chance to help in the fight against slavery.
France - The Bourbon Restoration occurred as per OTL. However, Charles Philippe, Count of Artois, died in 1822, so his brother King Louis XVIII outlived him. During a bout of illness where it looked like King Louis XVIII looked close to death in 1824, the heir, Charles Philippe’s son Louis Antoine, attempted to prematurely take the reigns of control to “alleviate” the stresses on his ailing Uncle. Both liberals and supporters of Louis were appalled, and thousands took to the street in protest. Unfortunately for Antoine, Louis XVIII rebounded, and had his”power hungry ingrate of a nephew,” expelled from the country, and declared Henri, son of Louis Antoine, would become king when he died, and set up an regency since the boy was only 4 years old at the time. In 1825, Louis XVIII died, and Henri became King Henry V at 5 years old. Louis made sure that his heir was surrounded by a wide variety of men, both liberal and conservative, to bring him up. The Duke of Orleans became the regent until Henry would come of age in 1838. While not as reform minded or liberal as Queen Victoria gained the reputation for being, Henry was considered a fair, moderate monarch, and helped strengthen the durability and stability of the restored French Monarchy. Henry supported the free press, and more often than not the Prime Minister of France was a moderate liberal under Henry’s reign. In 1840, due in part to mounting liberal pressures thanks to the revolts gripping the German states, King Henry V signed a new Constitution granting many more powers to the people and the legislature, and greatly expanding the electorate. One major act in the 1840 constitution was restoring a modified version of of the Tricolor Flag as the national flag. This modified version added a gold fleur de lis in the white center stripe.
When the short-lived liberal-leaning German Republic collapsed and was overrun by the Prussians, Bavarians, and Austrians, in 1841, tens of thousands of German liberals of all walks of life flooded over the border into France seeking refuge. And for a short while, most were allowed to stay. However, by 1845, political pressure from Austria and Prussia forced Henry to require the majority of the emigres to seek a new life in the Americas or England. This created the “45ers,” tens of thousands of German immigrants that fled to the United States and Texas.
Germany - King Frederick William III of Prussia died in 1839, a year earlier than OTL. His son was very ill at the time, and so the liberal opposition in Berlin went to work. The new King is too ill to rule, they claimed. Prussia must modernize, adopt a new constitution, allow freedom of the Press like in France, etc. Protests spread across the northern German states and into Bavaria throughout 1839, especially as it seemed that the liberals would be successful. Then, King Frederick William IV recovered and rallied his conservative supporters, and began to “put the liberals back in their place.” Hundreds fled Berlin. But instead of going into hiding, they coalesced around the city of Frankfurt, where on October 3, 1839, the so-called German Republic was proclaimed, becoming a magnet and haven for liberals all over the German states.
For nearly three years, the Republic flourished. Frederick William IV was reportedly okay with the whole thing, as he would rather the liberals in Prussia leave and go somewhere else. However, Austria felt differently. Austria and Bavaria launched an invasion of the “German Republic” in early 1841. Prussia jumped on board, worried that Austria would gain too much power if it crushed the liberal enclave on its own. The Republican Army put up quite a defense, but was overwhelmed. Tens of thousands fled to France, and after the Germans put pressure on France, those emigres found themselves bound for the United States and the Texas Federation. In the US, the 45ers mostly made their way to Ohio and points westward. Some joined the already sizeable Germantown district in Franklin. In Texas, about two thirds of the Germans settle in “Mexican Texas,” settling not too far from Franklin-on-the-Bravos, establishing the town of New Frankfurt, the remainder settling in the Republic of Texas, establishing the community of New Koln. During the Second Mexican War, Germans were quick to defend both Texases, and several of the liberal leaders helped create the constitution for the new Texas Federation that was established in 1848. Back in Europe, Prussia solidifies control over the northern German states, and Austria and Bavaria grow closer together and control the south of Germany. Liberalism is strictly monitored and suppressed wherever possible.
In 1861, King Frederick William IV died, and his son took the throne as King Frederick William V (OTL, FWIV was childless, not so here, his son being born in 1827). The 34 year old King is a political moderate, and believes reforms must come to Prussia if it is every to become the most dominant German state. Tensions are starting to flare on the frontiers with Austria and Bavaria (which are now looking seriously at a dynastic union).
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*bump*
Any thoughts/comments/suggestions/criticisms about what's going on in the wider world? Or back in the US as of 1865?
My plan for the next update is that it will incorporate all of Brandt's presidency, from 1865-1871, and I may do each consecutive update from there on out based on who's in office. That said, it may take a bit longer to write, especially in the new format (which I do like better stylistically).
Any thoughts/comments/suggestions/criticisms about what's going on in the wider world? Or back in the US as of 1865?
My plan for the next update is that it will incorporate all of Brandt's presidency, from 1865-1871, and I may do each consecutive update from there on out based on who's in office. That said, it may take a bit longer to write, especially in the new format (which I do like better stylistically).
What is happening in Central and Eastern Europe? Will Austria/Hungary, Russia try to reform like the French to stem liberalism?
How will the British fighting to end slavery affect Africa and the Caribbean?
Will the post-war US begin to make its presence felt in Central and South America?
Will the British try to reform or modify its policies in India and the Far East? Will China or Korea try to modernize?