Building A Better America - A TL

[loneranger]

So; I was keeping all my updates for this TL in my PMs over at AH.com (so that I wouldn't have to format when posting). When the site went down I was scared that I lost all my work. All of that is to say that you guys get to have a sneak preview: I'm going to dump everything I have on this TL here first and then continue slowly updating it at AH.com (to give myself breathing room there to write updates). Here's the first one. 

The Scandal of 1800

There are two names for the Election of 1800 - the Revolution of 1800... And the Scandal of 1800. It was remarkable for two things. Firstly it was the first peaceful transfer of power between two parties (hence the Revolution) as the Federalists lost over a wave of discontent regarding the Alien and Sedition Acts. The second part (the Scandal) involves two of America's most (in)famous men.



"I hold no illusions that the two are friends; they are rather two snakes who believe the other is fairly in their grasp." - Adams/Jefferson letters (dated July 1805).



Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton had indeed been friends during the Revolution as is well known. However by the time of the Election of 1800 they were bitter enemies - worse even than Jefferson and Adams. Burr had defeated Hamilton's father-in-law Phillip Schuyler for a position in New York.



Hamilton and Burr were very similar, both men controlled vast political machines in New York and both were men who intensely craved power. Hamilton and Burr had served together in the army and thus had a bit of a history together. Hamilton had been very influential in the Washington administration and in the Election of 1796 had tried to get Pickney elected over Adams as he thought that the inexperienced Pickney would be more amenable to "advice" from Hamilton. When this didn't work Hamilton was virtually shut out of the Adams administration, frustrating him greatly.



In 1800 Hamilton tried a different tactic, striking a deal with his sworn enemy Aaron Burr. Rather than looking for an ignorant sop to play, Hamilton instead looked to a fellow player to make a deal. When Aaron Burr was elected by the (Federalist) House of Representatives over Thomas Jefferson, many declared it a "Corrupt Bargain". Thanks to getting second place (again) Thomas Jefferson was now Vice President again despite actually winning the election this time. He was understandably frustrated and refused the position, never technically getting inaugurated under Burr. The second-in-line for the Vice Presidency was the Federalist president pro temporare of the Senate James Hillhouse who also declined, leading to the appointment of Massachussetts Democratic-Republican Samuel Adams - who was also the relative of the just defeated former President John Adams.



As a reward for his "help" in winning the election, Hamilton was offered his old role as Secretary of the Treasury in the Burr administration. Ever the social climber, Hamilton adamantly refused and demanded a more high profile position. The seat was thus allowed to continue under Wolcott whom had served in the Washington and Adams administration. Hamilton was then promoted to Secretary of State which had previously been held by Hamilton's own Washington adminstration rival - Thomas Jefferson. The move was seen as a further slap in the face to Jefferson whom decried the whole election as a fraud in private.



Thus Aaron Burr became President under very dubious circumstances (the Scandal of 1800).

[loneranger]

#3.) Aaron Burr - Republican

(1801-1809)



Vice-President: Samuel Adams (1801-1803); Alexander Hamilton (1803-1809)

Aaron Burr was not exactly popular when he was elected President. Many members of his own party (the Democratic-Republicans) saw him as a puppet of the Federalists who had helped put him into office. One Federalist even famously remarked that "Aaron Burr is a man that we can do business with". Though Hamilton had attained a position as Secretary of State, this position would soon put him directly at odds with the President.



Things were good at first, with Burr and Hamilton overseeing the First Barbary War. The United States was able to successfully capture and confiscate two Tripolian ships, bringing them back to America and adding it to their fledgling Navy. The two former army men also helped establish West Point. They avoided controversery by agreeing to sit all of John Adams "midnight judges" which had been appointed right before he left office. Thomas Jefferson was understandably frustrated at the election's results, but at the time he felt that it would undermine the democratic process to contest the election openly. Still, he wrote many letters expressing his discontent.



Things really came to a head in 1803 when Hamilton bungled negotiations with France over the purchase of New Orleans. What should have been a simple diplomatic mission was purposely sabotaged by Hamilton, who as a Federalist did not think that the United States should associate with Revolutionary France. There was a brief skirmish in New Orleans and Saint Louis as American troops invaded, alleged against President Burr's direct orders (which were to "guard the border") and Hamilton also sent American support to Haiti. Thankfully, Napoleon was not particularly concerned with the Americas and the issue was quickly resolved. America paid France for the Louisiana territory - they only lost one ship at New Orleans, but that alone was enough to convince Burr that perhaps the Navy was not up to snuff.



The untimely death of Samuel Adams in 1803 gave Burr the perfect out and his Cabinet was quickly shifted around. Hamilton was appointed to the Vice Presidency (after much arm twisting), former ambassador to France James Monroe was appointed to Secretary of State, and Oliver Wolcott (allegedly a Hamilton pawn) was replaced by Albert Gallatin who was famous for his part in ending the Whiskey Rebellion and was seen as a strong Democratic-Republican.



Aaron Burr had to do a lot of political manuevering to regain the White House in 1804; this involved changing his address to Washington D.C. (to avoid conflict with his Vice President being from the same state as him), heavy use of his and Hamilton's New York political machines, and pandering to both Democratic-Republicans and Quids (moderate Federalists). He was also subject to a primary challenge from fellow New Yorker George Clinton, but Clinton got just as much flack from the Federalist candidate (Pickney, possibly influenced by Hamilton) that Aaron Burr was able to paint himself as a Washington-esque moderate figure governing strongly despite political partisanship across the nation.



The second Burr term had some achievements as well. Himself inspired by his own daughter's intelligence and Hamilton inspired by his wife's intelligence, the men collaborated in a bi-partisan effort to establish three women's colleges in the northeast: Rush College of Pennsylvania, Schuyler College of New York, and Adams College of Massachussetts.



While Eli Whitney's cotton gin had briefly brought economic power back to slavery (which had been slowly dying in the 1790s), the dreaded Boll Weevil found it's way from French plantations in Louisiana into Southern plantations. The bug was one that aggressively ate cotton, making it totally useless to it's owners. It would become a bane to slave owners over the years.



Aaron Burr heavily considered running for a third term in 1808; but the Scandal of 1800 still hung over his head. He thought it best to not push his luck any farther. He had one last important act in 1808 as an influx of American settlers into Spanish Florida led to the unfortunate sinking of the USS Marietta. Cries of "Remember the Marietta" were shouted across the nation and war was declared on Spain.



Alexander Hamilton then attempted to run for the Federalist nomination for President to succeed Aaron Burr. However, he was shut out by Edmund Randolph (who perhaps entered at the behest of Aaron Burr) and John Marshall who claimed to represent "John Adams' Federalism". However, none of these men would become the next President.

[loneranger]

#4.) George Clinton - Whig
(1809-1811)

Vice-President: James Madison (1809-1811)

With the absence of Thomas Jefferson from the Democratic-Republican Party; George Clinton became the leading figure for the group whom had first been Anti-Administration and later Democratic-Republicans. Their main focus was on small government, which they believed Aaron Burr (an alleged Democratic-Republican himself) had trampled on through things like his purchase of the Louisiana Territory.

After the failed primary attempt against Burr in 1804, Clinton had taken many Democratic-Republicans with him and formed the Whig Party (named for it's opposition to the sitting government). Though he had been slandered as being "just another corrupt New Yorker" in 1804, Clinton was able to distance himself and take advantage of the four way election between the Federalists (led by John Marshall), the Quid Republicans (led by Thomas McKean), and Alexander Hamilton (who as an independent won Clinton's own home state of New York).

This election is why many name George Clinton as "the astutest politician of New York" over even Hamilton and Burr (the Two Snakes). Clinton was himself a member of the Society of Cincinatti; which had been run by Alexander Hamilton. However, Clinton was able to convince them to betray Hamilton in the election ending the short-lived alliance with Burr's Tammany Hall. "Well shall not become slaves of Tammany Hall" was the cry as the unanimously turned against their own former leader in order to support Clinton. Meanwhile the Federalists were divided and marginalized thanks to Aaron Burr taking many of their platform points - many thought the likes of McKean would be just as good as Marshall. Thus Clinton made a deal with McKean to back out of the race and support him once again through Cincinatti-esque connections.

It was unforuntate that Clinton was elected on such a domestically focused platform when the nation was involved in so many foreign conflicts. The Spanish-American War was not as expansive as it could have been due to the ongoing Peninsular War between France and Spain. Still, it was enough to wreck American shipping which mainly came from Europe.

This meant that when the United Kingdom began impressing American sailors into the Royal Navy; the United States government was not able to do much. Having burnt bridges with both France (through the Louisiana Conflict and support of Haiti) and Spain (Florida and Spanish-American War), the United States had no other major trading partners outside of the United Kingdom.

Of course, this didn't stop Clinton from being a hothead. This was, of course why he was elected in the first place - taking advantage of discontent over the perceived "dirty politics" which had gotten Aaron Burr elected (and ironically got Clinton himself elected). When the United Kingdom began harrassing American shipping, Clinton was quick to call for an American policy of "nonintervention" in Europe politics and declared a total embargo on the entire continent. While the embargo did not last, the "Clinton Doctrine" would remain an important factor in American diplomacy.

The embargo itself did much to turn the people against Clinton quickly; without European trade the economy of almost the entire nation nearly collapsed and along with Clinton's opposition to the National Bank led many to oppose him as an idealogue.

It is for the best that Clinton died just a few weeks after he signed the final peace treaty with Spain; the stress of the Presidency and the war was too much for him and if he had lived he would perhaps have been tarred even further.

Thus his Vice President James Madison ascended to the Presidency in 1811.

[loneranger]

#5.) James Madison - Whig
(1811-1813)

Vice-President: None (1811-1813)

[/QUOTE]

James Madison was a more flexible man than George Clinton and as President he had the blessing of not having to deal with a foreign war which the young nation was not equipped to handle. Indeed, though he was Clinton's vice president, James Madison reversed almost all of the President's policies which had done a great damage to the nation.

First to happen was Madison's re-chartering of the First National Bank. It's charter had just expired and Clinton had been planning on vetoing it's renewal by Congress. However the war had shown Madison (and the country) that the bank was vitally necessary in paying for any wars that should come up. This was one of many actions that alienated Madison from his own party - the Whigs.

Next Madison began the arduous process of re-establishing relations with the British. The reversal was a bit humiliating on the national stage and even though trade was established Britain continued it's impressment of American shipping. Madison more or less just had to let this go for the sake of the economy. Despite this, America was on thin ice with the United Kingdom as it's agressiveness towards France and Spain and it's support of Haiti made America look like a "revolutionary state" not unlike France itself.

The Indians were a group whom had been largely ignored by Clinton, although he said he would have liked to move them. He never got the chance, and when Madison came into office he switched to a policy of appeasement. The Indians in the American Northwest had good ties with the British in Canada - it could be disastrous if they teamed up to fight America which at this point simply could not afford another war despite doubling in size. Madison sent William Henry Harrison to negotiate a new peace treaty with Indian chief Tecumseh. America largely acceded to all of their demands, not wishing to have another war. Indeed, American troops under Harrison actually protected Indian land from encroachement by American settlers. Madison attempted to release some of the pressure by passing various Land Acts to increase incentive to move to places besides the Midwest.

Perhaps one of the most lasting effects of Madison's presidency was contributed not by James, but by his wife Dolly Madison. Though she had never traditionally considered herself a feminist, Dolly had been intrigued by the opening of female-only schools during the Burr presidencies. She was more popular than even her husband, a renowned entertainer of the Washington elite even from the days when James Madison was only a Representative. As such, it was through her influence that funding was given to the establishment of a fourth women only school this one in Virginia and named Thomas Jefferson University.

Finally, Madison appointed Thomas McKean to the Supreme Court. McKean had opposed the Clinton/Madison ticket in 1808 and Clinton had apparently "come to an agreement" with McKean so that he dropped out of the race and endorsed Clinton.

Madison's term as President was short and as the Panic of 1813 began in ernest he decided that he would not run for his own term as President. This was perhaps for the best as Clinton nephew DeWitt Clinton challenged him for the Whig nomination as President.

[loneranger]

#6.) Albert Gallatin - Republican
(1813-1821)

Vice-President: William Crawford (1813-1821)

The Republican nomination convention was the first to see a new class of politicians entering, including many ex-Federalists and Democratic-Republicans and marks one of the dates commonly used for the start of the "Second Party System". There were multiple candidates including Alexander Hamilton (who dropped after doing poorly on the first ballot), Henry Clay (a young man who was championing the "American System"), Albert Gallatin (strongly opposed to Hamilton but still very Republican), and James Monroe of Virginia.

Gallatin and Clay were neck and neck throughout the first twelve ballots with lots of mudslinging going back and forth. James Monroe was suggested as a compromise candidate early on in the 12th ballot, but he declined as he felt that politics was too dirty for his tastes. Thus support swung to Albert Gallatin on the 13th ballot. He offered Clay the vice presidential spot as a reward for his hard work, but Clay declined. Besides John Adams, the Vice Presidency had never been elected to office and in most cases was seen as a dead end politically. Thus Gallatin chose Georgia Senator William Crawford as his running mate and went on to win the election less on personality and more on opposition to "another New Yorker" and more Whig attempts to ruin the country.

Gallatin had gained quite a reputation for himself during the Burr presidency and was seen by many as the only possible "savior" of the crashing economy of the United States at the time he entered office. He had also largely removed his French accent after getting teased about it during the Burr administration.

Gallatin was one of the strongest Presidents to date (in line with Republican tradition, of course). He re-enacted many Federalist taxes which he had decried in the late 1700s, gave more power to the Federal bank, and enacted a $20 million dollar program for internal improvement (the so-called "American System" championed by Henry Clay). While to people who had known him twenty years ago would have called this a betrayal of the Democratic-Republican and his own ideals, this sort of blend with Federalism was perfectly in line with what had been developed throughout and since the Aaron Burr administration.

Gallatin also continued Madison policies regarding British appeasement - while he came from the notedly pro-war Republican Party (which under Burr had antagonized not one but three European Great Powers) he was a man fundamentally focused on the economy. As such, he was perhaps the best man to run for the Republican Party at the time. The nation was so weary of war and a candidate like Henry Clay might have ruined the Republican's second shot at the Presidency. Indeed, Gallatin's competent admistrating of the countries affairs did a lot to dispel bad feelings regarding the Aaron Burr presidency (a specifically the "scandal" that got him elected). The Republican Party's reputation grew even more with the release of Aaron Burr's autobiography The Life of Aaron Burr in 1815.

Gallatin was also one the most openly pro-Native American presidents to date. Even before his Presidency he had shown a great interest in Native American languages. As such, he sent men into the Northwest Indians and also to the Cherokee nation to both learn the Native language and teach English in order to facilitate better relations between the Native Americans and the United States. The resulting preferential (over the British) trade between them was a great boon that helped the economy recover faster from the Panic of 1813. Gallatin also worked with Supreme Court Justice to protect Indian rights in the Southeast where white settlers had begun encroaching. This had an effect of bottlenecking American settlement into the Tenneseee* and Kentucky* areas before migrating south - some even following Moses Austin all the way to an area known as Texas (an area disputed as being part of the Louisiana grant or part of Spanish North America).

Ultimately Gallatin left the Presidential Office tired but satisfied - he had not gotten the United States into any foreign wars, he had improved the economy, and the nation was feeling pretty good about the Republican Party.

[loneranger]

#7.) John Q. Adams - Republican
(1821-1825)

Vice-President: John C. Calhoun (1821-1825)

After his excellent showing the Republican Convention of 1812, Henry Clay thought he would have the 1820 election in the bag. However lots had changed in since 1812. For one, the "American System" that Clay had run on in 1812 had been enacted by President Gallatin. Clay had yet to find another issue to clearly define himself to voters in 1820; additionally he did not have a political machine (made popular by the Burr/Hamilton years). Thus he was defeated by John Quincy Adams; a man whom had watched the Scandal of 1800 and learned very important lessons - his American Society (a political machine based in New England) was almost identical to Burr's Tamany Hall. This machine worked very well with Calhoun's own South Carolina politcal machine when the two teamed up to win the Presidency in 1820.

However an easy election did not mean an easy term. Native Americans in the Northwest and the Southeast were getting antsy as they were surrounded more and more by white settlers. Concern grew as their brethren layed down their arrows and picked up the white man's plow. So a widespread rebellion took place.

Adams at first tried to placate the Indians (building on the policies of three of the last four presidents) but this proved unhelpful - those who could be placated were not in rebellion; he was dealing with radicals. So Adams switched tactics; William Henry Harrison was dispatched to the Northwest and contact was quickly made with British forces in Canada to also put pressure on the Indians in the Northwest. The dual pressure helped end the war in the Northwest with virtually no bloodshed - Tecumseh and his ilk did not want to take on the United States and the British Empire which left the fight mainly in the Southeast (lower Georgia and Alabama, and upper Florida).

Andrew Jackson was dispatched to deal with the Red Sticks (Upper River Creek Indians) and Seminoles. While they fought hard and caused lots of fear and property damage these Indians were not particularly harmful. They had between the hundreds of them perhaps fifty guns all smuggled from wherever they could. Thus Andrew Jackson left what was known as the "Trail of Blood" as he massacred almost a thousand Indians Creek and Seminole alike. While some (particularly Southerners who had actually dealt with hostile Indians) thought this was the best thing ever, most of the nation was shocked at the news - the United States had been building friendship with the Indians for almost two decades.

Thus Jackson was taken out of command before he could do worse - there was an attempted court martial although it barely didn't pass. Still, Jackson was relocated in favor of a younger, calmer commander named Winfield Scott taking charge. He then made a deal which was friendly to the Native Americans whom had not rebelled; they were rewarded with federal promises that they would see no more encroachment on their lands. This greatly angered the state government of Georgia and South Carolina (and in particular turned Calhoun against the President - in private) but they were more or less forced to deal with it as Adams ruled the country with an Iron Fist.

Finally, Adams turned his (and the country's) eyes onto Spanish America which was going up in flames thanks to various Wars of Independence. Various European countries looked on like snakes waiting to strike - any one of them could take over parts of the former Spanish colonies. Adams argued that only America could properly intervene - they would do so to protect liberty and not to take over the colonies for themselves. Others pointed out the petition from the small American colony in Texas asking for American intervention and annexation.


This rhetoric was a bit much for the nation which still remembered the Republican Conflicts of 1803 and 1808. At the same time, Adams seemed to be cozying up to the British a little too closely for comfort (despite mainly just continuing the policies of his predecessors). The final nail in the coffin was when Adam's Vice President John C. Calhoun declared his own candidacy for the Presidency in 1824... as part of a joint ticket with the Whig party.

Adams was ultimately not re-elected; he is remembered more for the various wars which he was apart of rather than the various domestic reforms he enacted (like continuing the American System of internal improvements or re-charting the National Bank).

[silentrunner]

Keep it going.

[loneranger]

State of the South Interlude

For a time Calhoun was perhaps the most well liked Vice President to do. He had frequently gone on speaking tours about the South to promote the cause of the war and drum up support for the Adams Presidency... allegedly. Calhoun actually met a lot of people and learned a lot - like the fact that the South felt like they were being ignored by the rest of the country.



As the Boll Weevil marched inexorably across the Southern part of the United States over the course of two decades, the would-be cash crop of cotton was made virtually useless. Various preachers (Methodist and others) across the South preached fiery sermons against the evils of slavery, leading to a Great Awakening across the South. Indians were quickly becoming too powerful of a competition to the white farmers and their slaves as they ruined the soil with failed cotton crops and tobacco.



Calhoun himself knew the troubles of the Boll Weevil (called "God's Wrath against Slavery" by Great Awakening preachers). He had been raised to believe that part of a man's worth was based on how many slaves he owned. But when his father died in 1799 Calhoun suddenly found himself running a plantation with no crops. In order to keep the land he was soon forced to sell the lionshare of the slaves and downsize significantly, a great blow to his pride which might have contributed to his more relaxed demeanor and charm by the time he became President.



The only problem now was that the South was truly running out of places to sell their slaves to. One could not make a market solely out of sellers. Thus despite being apart of the nascent Southern Industrialisation Society (SIS); Calhoun was very connected and in tune with the largely disatisfied planter class and other poor whites of the South.



It also speaks a lot to the state of the Whig Party that the best candidate they could find was a Southern ex-Republican. The Whigs had been largely nullified by the succeses of the Gallatin administration and was now dominated by grumpy Southern ex-planters with no real goal. The Whigs were a little weary of having a Republican on the ticket, even if he was a Southerner. They were placated by the placing of John Randolph of Virginia onto the ticket. Randolph was the cousin of Thomas Jefferson; the originator of the anti-administration policy that was a staple of the current Whigs. While he greatly detested the idea of political machines, even Randolph has his own Virginian "anti-political machine" political machine (not hypocritical at all, okay?).



Randolph and Calhoun's two political machines matched well and perhaps even more organically than the Adams/Calhoun combination. They were additionally able to tap into the aforementioned Southern discontent over the State of the Union and ultimately made John Quincy the second one-term Adams family member. JQA went back home to Massachussetts, and another costly foreign war was narrowly avoided.