The American Monarchy

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1821 - 1826 Continued

The new Senate met for the first time in March of 1825. James Monroe’s health was failing, after nearly twenty years in the Senate, five grueling years as opposition leader, and another four as Prime Minister. Nevertheless, he put his name up for Prime Minister and won easily. The Royalists and Nationals supported Henry Clay for Prime Minister, and after the vote, Clay once again took on the mantle of Opposition Leader.

Two months after Monroe’s second term began, the Battle of Lake Nipigon took place in Canada. Lake Nipigon lay a few miles west of the Ontario state border, in land belonging to the Hudson’s Bay Company. About 500 American settlers from Ontario and Michigan territory had crossed the border into the area around Lake Nipigon in April of 1825. As they had begun to set up trade posts and cabins, they were attacked by Ojibwe Indians and Hudson’s Bay Co. troops. In the ensuing battle, fifty American settlers and 89 of the attackers were killed. Monroe was wary of extending further into Canada (despite the calls of many Nationals), and ordered all the surviving settlers arrested for invading British territory. Henry Clay called Monroe a traitor, and said that the arrested American settlers were “heroes, truly embodying the spirit of Americanism.” The settlers resisted their arrest, killing and capturing the small military detachment sent to take them. Hearing this news, Monroe was furious. He ordered two-thousand troops sent across the border to bring the settlers to justice. Days after making this order, he suffered a stroke on the Senate floor. He was rushed to a hospital, but on October 7th, 1825, Prime Minister James Monroe died in the Royal District of Washington.


Prime Minister Daniel D. Tompkins

Daniel D. Tompkins, as Deputy Prime Minister, immediately became acting Prime Minister, and on October 8th, the Senate confirmed him as Prime Minister. But Tompkin’s health was also poor, and it was well known that he was an alcoholic. Tompkin’s, aware of this (and not fully wanting the job of Prime Minister anyway), to only serve as long as he needed to end the situation in Canada. On January 7th, 1826, while the Senate was still in recess, the incident at Lake Nipigon had been completely settled. Fifteen Americans would be sentenced to death for murder; another fifty would go to jail. When the Senate reconvened in March, Tompkins resigned. Andrew Jackson and Presley O’Bannon both made it clear that they would stand for Prime Minister. Both men were popular and charismatic, and both had large followings in the chamber. O’Bannon represented the moderate wing of the Whig-Republican party: he favored a low tariff, a halt on westward expansion, and was not completely opposed to some government intervention in the economy. Andrew Jackson was a hardline Whig-Republican: he was against the majority of tariffs, called for further expansion west, into the Louisiana Purchase territory, sparely populated Tejas, and Rupert’s Land, and supported a complete laissez-faire system. Henry Clay was supported by the National Party and the Royalist Party.

First Ballot:
Henry Clay (N-KY): 88 votes
Andrew Jackson (WR-KY): 70 votes
Presley O’Bannon (WR-KY): 65 votes
Votes needed: 112

Balloting similar to the first occurred for five straight days, and on the 28th ballot, neither of the three candidates were willing to budge. Over the weekend, O’Bannon met with Clay, and asked him for National and Royalist support. Clay had to refuse O’Bannon’s offer, worried that his party propping up another party once again would only hurt the Nationals in the next election. Aaron Burr, former Prime Minister and the respected elder “leader” of the Whig-Republicans, met with Jackson and O’Bannon before the 29th ballot. Burr told the two that, for the sake of party unity, he would run for Prime Minister. Jackson and O’Bannon, unwilling to continue the deadlock, agreed with Burr’s plan, and Aaron Burr began his second term the next day, twenty-three years after the end of his first.

Twenty-Ninth Ballot:
Aaron Burr (WR-NY): 135 votes
Henry Clay (N-KY): 88 votes


Prime Minister Aaron Burr

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1826-1829

Prime Minister Aaron Burr stated from the beginning of the term that he would work to bring both factions of the Whig-Republican party together. But the older Aaron Burr had moderated many of his older positions, and there was already some mumbling from Jacksonians within the party that they had voted for a Prime Minister with the same views as O’Bannon. The first thing Aaron Burr did as Prime Minister was to approve the sending of a ten-man delegation to the Congress of Panama, organized by Simon Bolivar. The republics of North, Central and South American would meet that summer to discuss forming a league of friendship. Andrew Jackson and many southern Nationals were against American participation in the Congress, as the Latin American countries attending the Congress had all outlawed slavery.

The participation of the United States, a revolutionary Republic that had survived for nearly half a century by that point, gave the Congress a degree of credibility. The United States was able to sign trade deals with Gran Colombia, Peru, the United Provinces of Central America, and Mexico. The Treaty of American Union and Federation was drafted during the Congress, calling for a military defense pact between the nations and recognizing the need for all American republics to defend the hemisphere from European, colonial interests. Bolivar had envisioned the creation of supranational legislature and military, but the United States delegation had refused.

The treaty returned to the United States for ratification. Aaron Burr (and Presley O’Bannon) supported the treaty; Jackson alleged that it surrendered the American people’s sovereignty. Henry Clay came out in support of the treaty, while Royalists were soundly against diluting George II’s power. Debate raged for months, culminating in a vote in late November of 1826. The National party voted nearly unanimously for the treaty. The Royalist party was wholly against it. Aaron Burr saw 73 of his party support the treaty, while Jackson led the remaining 62 Whig-Republicans to vote against the treaty. In the end, the treaty passed 144-79. Aaron Burr presented the bill to George II for the King’s signature, and the Senate then adjourned for the winter, confident that the monarch would sign the treaty before they returned.

Surprising to all, however, was George II’s veto in December. His letter to the Senate stated that he did not believe it would be prudent to surrender the United State’s sovereign authority to a collection of revolutionary, Spanish-speaking governments. When the Senate reconvened in March of 1827, Aaron Burr made it clear that he would work to over-turn the King’s veto. Aaron Burr, the compromise candidate who many thought would lead five quiet and non-confrontational years, surprised much of the nation when he rallied his party and the National party to support the veto-overturn. Burr stated that it was the United State’s destiny to cooperate with the republics of the hemisphere to extend to all peoples “liberty, justice and freedom.” Andrew Jackson took to the floor after Burr and remarked that the treaty would do no more than “surrender the American crown to Simon Bolivar and the lands of the Mississippi to the faux Emperor in Mexico!” To over-turn the treaty, Burr needed just five more votes. As the Senators cast their votes, it became clear that it would be close. In the end though, Andrew Jackson and George II preserved the veto, by a vote of 147 to 76.

Andrew Jackson called for Aaron Burr to resign after the treaty had been defeated, as his government had been struck a major blow. Jackson also resigned as Secretary of War. When Aaron Burr refused to resign, Andrew Jackson threatened a vote of no confidence. On the advice of George II, however, Jackson decided against it. The King argued that yet another Prime Minister in the decade (a decade which had already seen five Prime Ministers) would just serve to destabilize the country. When the treaty failed in the United States, the Mexican and Gran Colombian legislatures also voted against it, dashing Bolivar’s hopes of a united Americas.

Aaron Burr’s shaky government regained partial command of the Senate after the failure of the treaty, though Andrew Jackson’s supporters voted down nearly everything Burr tried to pass. By the beginning of 1828, the Senate was deadlocked and Burr’s government had collapsed in all but name. Finally, in September 1828, in an historic speech, Aaron Burr took to the floor of the Senate and announced that he would be requesting King George II dissolve the Senate. “I am an old man,” Burr began, “and at the age of 72, I fear that I no longer have use in this Senate. Nor am I able to successfully command it. If that stubborn Jackson wants my office, then he can win it with the people’s ballots. My choice, of course, is Mr. Presley [O’Bannon].” Hearing this news, an outraged Jackson formally split from the Whig-Republicans, and hastily formed the Jacksonian party. In December of 1828, two months before the election, the Whig-Republicans held the first ever political convention. They wrote and voted on a platform, elected Presley O’Bannon as leader of the party, formally expelled Jackson and his supporters from the party, and renamed themselves the Whig party. All four parties campaigned throughout the United States. Jackson focused his efforts throughout the South; the National Party campaigned from Louisiana in the South to Quebec in the North; O’Bannon’s Whigs conceded many of their turn-coat Southern seats to Jackson, but campaigned throughout the country nonetheless; and even the Royalists, relegated to New England for the past few election cycles, ran candidates throughout the country (popular New York Governor, Philip Hamilton, campaigned endlessly for the Royalist party in his state).

In February of 1829, the National Party saw a surprising victory throughout the country. Many Americans had grown tired of the squabbling between Jackson and O’Bannon and went with Henry Clay, the “third option.”

The Senate in 1828:
Whig Party: 79 Seats
Jacksonian Party: 56 Seats
National Party: 71 Seats
Royalist Party: 17 Seats
Total Seats: 223


State delegations after the election of 1829

The Senate after the Election of 1829:
Whig Party: 39 Seats (-40)
Jacksonian Party: 44 Seats (-12)
National Party: 103 Seats (+32)
Royalist Party: 37 Seats (+20)
Total Seats: 223

The Senate met again in April 1829. Henry Clay’s National Party, while hugely successful, had failed by nine seats to gain an out-right majority. Clay, aware of this, had met with the Royalists in July, and formed another coalition. Henry Clay would achieve his lifelong dream of becoming Prime Minister and appoint his own Deputy Prime Minister, Whip and Secretary of State. The Royalists would gain a say in the government, and Josiah Quincy (R-MA), Royalist leader, would become Secretary of the Treasury. A Royalist would also become Attorney General. Henry Clay became Prime Minister on the first ballot, with the support of the entire National and Royalist parties. O’Bannon and Jackson received the votes of the Whig and Jacksonian parties, respectively.


Prime Minister Henry Clay

The Government as of April 1829:
Prime Minister: Henry Clay (N-KY)
Deputy Prime Minister: Daniel Webster (N-MA)
Majority Whip:  John Sergeant (N-PA)
Secretary of State: John C. Calhoun (N-SC)
Secretary of the Treasury: Josiah Quincy III (R-MA)
Secretary of War: William H. Harrison (N-IN)
Attorney General: Richard Rush (R-PA)

In the next update: a royal marriage, an heir to the throne, and more...

[Lief 🗽]

That's what I hope to do. I already have a couple of ideas in my head about how the history of this timeline would play out. Hopefully I'm able to finish it all the way through.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1829 - 1833

Henry Clay had been after the position of Prime Minister for twenty-one years, and when he finally attained it, he wasted no time in enacting policies. He sent John Calhoun to Mexico City to negotiate the purchase of Texas for $2 million. Calhoun was to also secretly meet with Stephen F. Austin, a leader of many American settlers in Texas, and promise Austin arms and money if the American settlers fought for independence. Calhoun returned to the United States in 1830, with news that both the Mexicans and Texians had rebuked Clay’s offers. Henry Clay sent Calhoun back to Mexico again with an offer of $10 million, but the Mexicans once again refused.

Determined to pass the three tenets of his “National Plan”, Clay and his party re-chartered the National bank in mid-1829, raised the tariff to pre-Monroe levels in early 1830, and passed a flurry of bills in early 1831 funding internal improvements. The bulk of these improvements were focused on states and territories in the northwest, especially to strengthen developing industry and trade around the Great Lakes. Another bill was passed funding internal improvements in Arkansas territory and western Louisiana, specifically roads and forts. The bill was intended to make it easier for settlers to settle this sparsely populated region, as well as increase immigration rates into Tejas. Clay believed that if the Mexicans were unwilling to sell him Tejas, he could gain the territory within ten to twenty years by filling it with Anglo, protestant, slave-owning Americans.

The remaining years of Clay’s term were very successful. In 1832, support grew in Maine for statehood, independent from Massachusetts. Jacksonians and a number of southern Nationals were against the addition of Maine, another free state. They worried that political and economic power was being strengthened in the North and around the Great Lakes. Many southerners feared that the country would continue to expand north, into Canada, eventually completely marginalizing the South. Despite this, Clay passed a resolution in 1832 allowing Maine to vote, through a plebiscite, on its statehood. The plebiscite passed in November of 1832 by 81% to 19%. With the approval of Maine’s populace, the Royal Council approved Maine’s entry into the Union, 17 to 8, with only the councilors of the deep southern states and Massachusetts dissenting.

In 1825, George II had funded Robert Lee’s education in the United States Royal Military Academy at Westpoint. George II had met the young man through his sister’s (Princess Eleanor) husband (William Fitzhugh). Robert Lee and Princess Maria, George II’s daughter, had been childhood companions and good friends. When Lee graduated from the Royal Academy in 1829, first in his class, George II suggested that Lee ask his daughter’s hand in marriage. Princess Maria happily accepted Lee’s offer of marriage when he returned to Virginia. In April of 1830, Princess Maria Rachel Custis Washington and Prince Robert Edward Lee were wed at Arlington palace. While Queen Consort Eleanor, George II’s wife, had given him two daughters (Ellen Paulina Custis Washington, b. 1825 and Martha Parke Custis Washington, b. 1828), George II still had no male heirs and, as he was by this point 49 years old, decided that it would be prudent to adopt Robert Lee as heir. In early 1831, he officially declared Lee heir apparent, and Lee was thereafter known as Prince Robert.


Prince Robert Edward Lee-Washington in 1833, at age 26

When the Senate recessed in the fall of 1832, Henry Clay called for elections in the spring of 1833. Following the Whig party’s lead, the four political parties held conventions in the months before the election (with the Royalists and Nationals holding a joint convention). The Whig and Jacksonian conventions were uneventful, with O’Bannon and Jackson winning re-election as party leader and platforms largely unchanged (though the Jacksonians did strengthen their stance against tariffs and added a plank in support of Indian removal in the South). The Royalists and Nationals, however, decided to merge their two parties into a combined National Party. Henry Clay was re-elected unanimously as leader of the now-colossal party. After the election in March of 1833, the National Party saw modest gains throughout the United States, mostly at the Whig’s expense. The Whigs picked up a few seats in the middle-Atlantic States and Canadian states, off-setting their losses slightly. Jackson’s party strengthened their hold on the south, mostly due to Clay’s tariffs which were unpopular in the region.²

The Senate before the Election of 1833:
Whig Party: 39 Seats
Jacksonian Party: 44 Seats
National Party: 140 Seats
Total Seats: 223


State Delegations after the Election of 1833

The Senate after the Election of 1833:
Whig Party: 46 Seats (+7)
Jacksonian Party: 52 Seats (+8)
National Party: 161 Seats (+21)
Total Seats: 259<sup>1

1</sup>The size of the Senate was increased to 259 after the 1830 census.
²Historians and political scientists mark this election as the end of the First Party System, a period dominated by the Royalist and Whig-Republican parties. Indeed, the election of 1833 was the first in the nation's history without any of the two parties (though they were represented in spirit by the successor parties of the Nationals and Whigs).

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1833 - 1836

When the Senate reconvened in April of 1833, Henry Clay and his party had a clear mandate from the Kingdom to continue their policies. However, in late 1833, Andrew Jackson called for the removal of Indians from Southern states. The Jacksonian party strongly supported this (with a few exceptions, such as Shadow Secretary of State David Crockett of Tennessee). Northern Nationals came out strongly against it. Many Nationals and Whigs were left undecided. Jackson’s planned called for the encouragement of migration of the “Five Civilized Tribes” to an unspecified “Indian Territory.” The bill saw weeks of debate and negotiation. Henry Clay was conflicted over the issue, personally against what he predicted would surely be an inhumane endeavor but at the same time wary of voting against something the public clearly supported.  In the end, however, he came out against the bill, and in a close vote, had it tabled until the Senate reconvened in 1834.

When the Senate met again in 1834, Indian removal was once again on the table. The Whig Party and Jacksonian parties had by this time mostly come out in support of the Jackson’s Indian Removal Act. Henry Clay, however, vowed to defeat it. In the end, the vote was incredibly close. The Indian Removal Act passed 133 to 124. George II made it clear that he would veto the bill hours after his passage. The King, now 53 years of age, had come to see himself as removed from the political squabbling of the Senate; instead, he saw himself as a protector of the nation’s legacy. As such, he refused to support an effort that he saw as abhorrent.¹ The veto over-ride failed by 132 to 126. Nonetheless, Presley O’Bannon, leader of the Whig party, and Andrew Jackson threatened Henry Clay with a no confidence vote. Henry Clay famously remarked that “if [Jackson and O’Bannon] want to prove their foolishness in front of the Senate, then let them have at it.” In the fall of 1834, the no confidence motion was voted upon. Unfortunately for Jackson and O’Bannon, support for Indian Removal did not translate into votes against Clay. Splitting largely along party lines, the no confidence resolution failed 149 to 102.

In 1835, Henry Clay called for the admittance of Arkansas and Michigan as states. The Royal Council voted to admit both states later that year. Both states were admitted with one Senator. Arkansas territory was admitted as the state of Arkansas, while the state of Michigan was carved out of Michigan Territory (Michigan Territory was renamed Wisconsin Territory). The admittance of both states represented a halt, for the time-being at least, in the widening of the gap between free and slave states. However, the admittance of Michigan reflected the growing significance of the Great Lakes region, both politically and economically.

After the fight over the Indian Removal Act, Clay’s term progressed swimmingly, until war broke out in Texas. The Texan Revolution began in 1835, continuing into 1836. In the spring of 1836, Texas officially declared independence. Clay, while once intrigued with annexing Texas, was, by 1836, in no way inclined to help the Texians. The Jacksonians, however, saw Texas as an opportunity to gain political favor with the American populace and expand slave territories further South. Many southerners had become worried that the United States would expand further North into Canada, carving out more free states and eventually marginalizing the entire region; annexing Texas was seen as an opportunity to prevent that.

In the March of 1836, as war continued to rage in Texas, and the rebels slowly lost ground, Sam Houston (J-TN), the second-highest ranking Jacksonian and Andrew Jackson’s trusted friend, advisor and protégée, encouraged the Senate to appropriate funds for the invasion of Texas and Mexico, to secure Texian independence. George II met with Henry Clay days after Houston’s speech, and asked Clay whether the Senate would support a war effort. Clay responded that he would do his best to prevent a single cent from paying for an invasion of Texas or Mexico. The King, realizing that the war had no chance, did not ask the Royal Council for a declaration of war. Jackson was seemingly at an impasse; it seemed apparent to all that the idea of American intervention in the Texian Revolution was dead. However, surprisingly to all, in April of 1836, Secretary of State John C. Calhoun (N-SC), broke with Henry Clay over the Texas issue. Calhoun called for a vote of no confidence in his own party leader, unless Clay approved the funds for intervention in Texas. Clay refused, confident that he could survive another no-confidence motion. Following Clay’s refusal to appropriate funds, his government was brought down on April 23rd, 1836, by a close vote of 134 to 124. George II scheduled the elections to take place in June. John C. Calhoun, and his bloc of anti-Clay National Party Senators, did not stand for re-election, as they had no place in the National party, but were loathe to join the Jacksonians.

The Senate before the Election of 1836:
Whig Party: 46 Seats
Jacksonian Party: 52 Seats
National Party: 161 Seats
Total Seats: 259


State Delegations following the Election of 1836

The Senate after the Election of 1836:
Whig Party: 72 Seats (+26)
Jacksonian Party: 90 Seats (+38)
National Party: 102 Seats (-59)
Total Seats: 264

Henry Clay’s party took a beating throughout the country, as the Whigs and Jacksonians both claimed that the National Party was weak and unwilling to protect Americans in Texas. But when the Senate reconvened for an emergency session in July, the National Party still had a plurality of seats. Andrew Jackson and Presley O’Bannon, though bitter enemies, agreed to form a coalition government. The two parties were divided on most issues, but they both agreed that aiding the Texians in their struggle for independence was the most pressing issue before the country. Andrew Jackson, as leader of the larger party, became Prime Minister on the first ballot, at the age of 69. The next day, George II had the Royal Council declare war on Mexico.

The Government as of July 1836:
Prime Minister: Andrew Jackson (J-TN)
Deputy Prime Minister: Presley O’Bannon (W-KY)
Majority Whip:  Sam Houston (J-TN)
Secretary of State: David Crockett (J-TN)
Secretary of the Treasury: Martin Van Buren (W-NY)
Secretary of War: Lewis Cass (W-MI)
Attorney General: Roger B. Taney (J-MD)

¹King George II had also used this argument to forbid the owning of slaves by the Royal Family, in 1829. He had also used his considerable authority and social rank to push for the abolishment of slavery in the state of Virginia throughout the 1830s (though he was unsuccessful). The King’s enlightened position towards slavery swayed many wavering Americans throughout the nation.

[Lief 🗽]

List of American Prime Ministers:
Alexander Hamilton (R-NY): 1791-1803
James Madison (WR-VA): 1803-1811
Aaron Burr (WR-NY): 1811-1815
John Q. Adams (R-MA): 1815-1820
William H. Crawford (R-GA): 1820
James Monroe (WR-VA): 1820-1825
Daniel D. Tompkins (WR-NY): 1825-1826
Aaron Burr (WR-NY): 1826-1829
Henry Clay (N-KY): 1829-1836
Andrew Jackson (J-TN): 1836- ??

List of Opposition Leaders:
Thomas Jefferson (WR-VA): 1791-1799
Aaron Burr (WR-NY): 1799-1803
George Clinton (R-NY): 1803-1805
John Q. Adams (R-MA): 1805-1811
DeWitt Clinton (R-NY): 1811-1812
Rufus King (R-NY): 1812-1815
James Monroe (WR-VA): 1815-1820
Henry Clay (N-KY): 1820-1829
Andrew Jackson (J-TN): 1829-1836
Henry Clay (N-KY): 1836- ??

List of American Monarchs:
King George I: 1791-1799
    Prince George: 1791-1799
King George II: 1799- ??
    No heir: 1799-1831
    Prince Robert: 1831- ??

[Lief 🗽]

Probably Friday. Too much school stuff to write anything during the week this week.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1836 - 1841


Prime Minister Andrew Jackson

When Andrew Jackson came to power the country was unprepared for war. Henry Clay had cut military budgets in 1835, unwilling to possibly equip Jackson with an army able enough to conquer Mexico. At the same time, the few available American forces were busy fighting Seminoles in Florida and fighting Indians in the west. At the behest of King George II, Jackson’s party passed a number of bills calling for an increase in the size of the army. Two armies were created:  the Army of the West and the Army of the South. Prince Robert would lead the Army of the West, while veteran General Winfield Scott, hero of the Battle of York 30 years earlier, would lead the Army of the South. George II, Robert, and Gen. Scott decided on a two-pronged attack strategy: Scott would move south, into Texas, and reinforce the Texian Army, with an eventual goal of defeating Santa Anna. Robert would move west, into Nuevo Mexico and Alta California, conquering the vast, sparsely-defended expanses of northern Mexico.

The Texans were on the verge of defeat when Winfield Scott’s army of 3000 arrived in Texas in spring of 1837. The Texian army numbered at about 800, while Santa Anna’s forces in Texas numbered 5000. Scott first met up with about half of the Texian army, commanded by William B. Travis, in April of 1837, and immediately moved on San Antonio. Santa Anna had left 1000 soldiers in the city to defend and put down Texian and Tejano insurgents. The Mexican defensive force marched out of the city and met Scott in a field battle outside of San Antonio. After a day long battle, The Battle of San Antonio ended in a decisive American-Texian victory, with a large majority of Mexican troops captured or killed. Meanwhile, Juan Seguín, a Tejano fighting for independence, led 400 troops in southern Texas, harassing the marching columns of Santa Anna’s army. Santa Anna and Scott would meet in Southern Texas later that year, but their battles proved to be stalemates. Scott’s troops were of higher quality, but Santa Anna had a clear numerical advantage.

As all of this was going on, Prince Robert’s 1,500 man army had crossed into Nuevo Mexico and taken the city of Santa Fe, setting up a military government in the city. Robert then moved further west, into California. He was met with strong resistance from Mexican settlers, and the harsh desert environment forced him to retreat to Santa Fe. Prince Robert called for more volunteers; he contended that his small army was not enough to properly advance across the vast territory of the Mexican west. Hearing this, Jackson’s party passed a bill calling for the increase of the Army to a size of 70,000. Volunteers and regulars would soon cause the army’s size to swell to 30,000 by mid-1838 and 70,000 by the end of 1840. In 1838, twenty thousand soldiers were sent into Texas, and another five thousand met up with Prince Robert in Nuevo Mexico.

In August of 1838, Winfield Scott and Santa Anna met after months of skirmishes and delaying actions. Scott controlled all land north of the Guadalupe, and Santa Anna needed to break through the American lines. Their two armies clashed in the Battle of Victoria. Santa Anna’s forces had been reinforced, and numbered at about 20,000, while Scott’s forces numbered near 25,000, with roughly 2000 Texians used to screen his flanks and harass the Mexican line. Scott set up a defensive position and was able to easily repulse the first Mexican advances. But by mid-day, a detachment of Mexican troops had forded the Guadalupe a mile to the east, overwhelmed Texian defenders, and hit Scott’s left flank. The Mexican army gained the initiative and pushed the Americans back into the town of Victoria. There Scott regrouped, and repulsed the Mexican attack. Both armies rested for the day, and the battle resumed the next morning. This time, Scott took the offensive, using his better-equipped soldiers and numeric advantage to retake lost ground. By mid-day though, the two armies were once again at a standstill. The American army had incurred heavy losses, and the heat and weather had sent morale plunging, as many American soldiers were not used to the extreme temperatures of southern Texas. Realizing that the American army would not last another day of battle, William Travis and Juan Seguín led roughly 1500 Texians and 2000 Americans in a daring night-time raid on the Mexican camp. Nearly the entire Mexican army was caught sleeping, and was soon surrounded. In the ensuing chaos, over two-thousand Mexican soldiers were killed, and another five-thousand surrendered. Santa Anna escaped, and his army broke. Scott awoke the next morning with the realization that Santa Anna’s army had been crushed.

The Battle of Victoria was the turning point in the war, and the Mexican army enjoyed few successes thereafter. Political turmoil reigned in Mexico City, and after Santa Anna regrouped, he was forced to take most of his army south to quell a rebellion. In 1839, Prince Robert once again invaded California, this time with the support of the United States Royal Navy. He quickly defeated the Mexican army, and took the city of San Diego. General Zachary Taylor, fresh from success fighting the Seminoles in Florida, was dispatched to Nuevo Mexico, so as to invade Chihuahua and Sonora. Zachary Taylor won a number of battles in Sonora throughout 1839, and finished the year besieging the capital at Hermosillo. Hermosillo fell in the Spring of 1840, and with it the state of Sonora. After the fall of Hermosillo, the remaining Mexican forces in the region largely surrendered. A month earlier, Prince Robert had seized Tijuana, routing the Mexican forces in Baja California.

By summer of 1840, Winfield Scott had also pushed further south into Mexico. Santa Anna had quashed rebellions during 1839, and moved back north to fight Winfield Scott, who had crossed the Rio Grande. Santa Anna led a few thousand troops to the west, to defend Sonora, and left his remaining troops under the command of General Manuel Fernández Castrillón. The Mexican forces reinforced their position in the city of Monterrey. About 10,000 Mexican soldiers took their positions inside the fortifications of the city, with General Scott commanding an American army of 15,000¹. American artillery was unable to break through the Mexican fortifications, and the Americans took heavy losses for a full week. On the 8th day of the Battle of Monterrey, the Americans broke through Gen. Castrillón’s western flank, and entered into the city. The battle devolved into chaotic hand to hand combat, with both sides taking heavy losses. The battle raged on into the night, though an unofficial armistice ended fighting by midnight. The Americans pushed forward into the city center the next morning, surrounding the Mexicans and forcing their surrender. With Scott’s victory at the Battle of Monterrey, the Mexican army had been all but eliminated. Rebellion tore through the country later that year, and by the time Scott reached Mexico City in 1841, after months of fighting rag-tag Mexican militias in various skirmishes, the country was in total anarchy. Santa Anna has escaped  to Cuba sometime in 1840, and General Miguel Barragán took control of the capital city. With over half of the country under American control and Mexican armies crushed, Barragán negotiated a ceasefire with Winfield Scott. The Mexican-Texan War was over.


Extent of American Forces by Year

¹With the Mexican retreat from Texas, the Texians had gained de facto independence, and William B. Travis had disbanded the army and remained in San Antonio to create a government with Stephen F. Austin and other Texians.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1841 - 1845
Backtracking a bit here, to look at domestic policy during the war.

As the war raged in 1837, Andrew Jackson quietly passed his Indian Removal Act. Jackson also labored to have the National Bank once again defunded, but his coalition partners, the Whigs, as well as the National Party were firmly against it, especially in a time of high-spending during the war. The Whig Party was very wary to support any of Jackson’s radical plans, especially during a time of war. As the war persisted into 1838, it became apparent to the leaders of Congress that the conflict would not be resolved speedily, and the possibility that it would last past the five-year maximum Senate term was very real. Andrew Jackson and Presley O’Bannon both agreed that it would be improper to possibly change government in the middle of the war. Realizing this, they proposed a constitutional amendment allowing the King to extend the Senate’s term “during periods of warfare or national distress, with the condition that the Senate be speedily dissolved when such crisis has subsided.” Henry Clay saw this move as a power-grab by Andrew Jackson, but he nonetheless agreed with amendment. With support from all three parties, the amendment passed overwhelmingly, and was ratified as the 13th Amendment by 1840.

In 1838, the United States officially recognized the Kingdom of Texas as a state. The nation’s constitution had been modeled almost exactly on the American one, and Stephen F. Austin had been crowned King Stephen I.  William B. Travis was elected as the first Prime Minister. Eager to solidify ties between the two nations, George II arranged the marriage of Cornelia Jefferson Randolph (granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson, sister of Queen Consort Eleanor, and adopted into the Royal Family by Royal Decree) to King Stephen I, who was unmarried at the time.

When Gen. Winfield Scott reported the Mexican surrender in 1841, the country and the Senate were ecstatic. But when the time came to write a formal treaty, the country was much divided. Andrew Jackson and many in his party called for the complete annexation of Mexico. The Whigs saw this as an impossible endeavor, due to the huge cultural differences between the population of Mexico and the United States. The prospect of such a large influx of Spanish-speaking, Catholics angered many Americans. There was a small number of Americans who wanted no annexation; the freedom of Texas, they argued, had been the war’s only goal. Finally, Henry Clay proposed a compromise: the United States would annex Nuevo Mexico, both Californias, Sonora and Chihuahua, and return the remainder of occupied Mexican land to Mexico.

David Crockett returned to the United States in 1841 with the Crockett-Bravo Treaty, in which Mexico surrendered the land to the United States and recognized fully Texas’s independence, in return for $20 million from the United States. As the Senate debated the treaty, Henry Clay suggested an amendment, banning slavery in the new newly admitted territories. Jackson and his supporters were livid:  Jacksonian James K. Polk, of Tennessee, chided Clay for using the treaty for political posturing. The Whigs were also opposed to slavery in the new territories, though not wholly to the degree that Henry Clay’s Nationals were. Matters became worse for Jackson when a small banking crisis hit numerous banks in the Mid-Atlantic States at the close of the year 1841. George II had promised to not dissolve parliament until the treaty had been signed, but in 1842, Clay led a no-confidence vote against Jackson, which passed by a vote of 150-114. Elections were to be held in April of 1842.

Andrew Jackson, with failing health, declined to run again, and in a long and divisive convention, dark-horse James K. Polk of Tennessee beat David Crockett to become Jacksonian Party leader¹. A furious Crockett walked out of the convention with his supporters. With Jackson gone, some suggested the party be renamed, but Polk thought it disrespectful. Presley O’Bannon also stepped down as Whig Party leader, and in an un-surprising vote, Martin Van Buren took control of the party and delivered a rousing speech at the convention in New York City. Henry Clay, still wildly popular, promised his party that they would retake the Senate in a confident and triumphant convention.

The election turned out to be a rout for the National Party. Polk’s hard-line pro-slavery chances hurt his party in some states, but more damaging was the Banking Crisis of 1842, which Americans feared would spread to the entire country, and which Henry Clay blamed chiefly on the Jacksonian’s anti-bank policies. The Whig party came out of the election largely unscathed, with a net loss of only 1 seat. When the Senate reconvened in May 1842, Henry Clay was elected Prime Minister was the second time.

The Senate before the Election of 1842:
Whig Party: 72 Seats
Jacksonian Party: 90 Seats
National Party: 102 Seats
Total Seats: 264



The Senate after the Election of 1842:
Whig Party: 71 Seats (-1)
Jacksonian Party: 41 seats (-49)
National Party: 144 Seats (+42)
Total Seats: 256²

The Government as of May 1842:
Prime Minister: Henry Clay (N-KY)
Deputy Prime Minister: Daniel Webster (N-MA)
Majority Whip:  Millard Fillmore (N-NY)
Secretary of State: William H. Harrison (N-IN)
Secretary of the Treasury: John White (N-KY)
Secretary of War: George Edmund Badger (N-NC)
Attorney General: Theodore Frelinghuysen (N-NJ)

With his majority, Henry Clay was able to pass the Clay Amendment in the summer of 1842, banning slavery in the newly annexed territory. With the passage of this amendment, the Crockett-Bravo Treaty was ratified in late 1842. In 1843, Henry Clay set about do “undo the damage done by Jackson”, in his own words. The National Bank was once again re-chartered in 1843, and there was some talk within the National Party of passing a constitutional amendment to prevent the future abolition of the bank, though Daniel Webster advised Clay against it.

In January 1844, Prince Robert and Princess Maria had their third child (two daughters had been born in 1832 and 1834, but only the second, Martha Anne Lee-Washington, had survived), a boy, who was named William Henry George Custis Lee-Washington. The King was growing older and his health was declining, so much of the nation was relieved that the future monarch, Prince Robert, would have an heir. George, following the conclusion of the war, had invested himself heavily in ending slavery in the United States. In a letter to his daughter, Maria, in 1844, he remarked that if slavery still existed in the kingdom when he died, he would regard his reign as a failure. George II had used his considerable influence to convince the governments in Maryland and Missouri to ban slavery in 1844 and 1846 respectively. While not a supporter of rapid abolition, George II during the 1840s still advocated a gradual abolition of slavery, and was committed to working towards that goal. Abolitionists rallied around George II, though his popularity in the South steadily plunged.

¹Polk represented the pro-slavery bloc of the party, and vehemently supported the expansion of slave territory into the west. Crockett was much more moderate, and favored Clay’s compromise.
²The size of the Senate became 256 following the 1840 census.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1845 - 1847

The year 1845 saw the admission of two more states: Iowa (three Senators) and Florida (one Senator). It also saw the discovery of vast deposits of iron and copper in the Upper Peninsula, part of Wisconsin territory. Clay’s National Party passed legislation encouraging settlement of the area and internal improvements to improve transportation and mining infrastructure in the region. The National Party was determined to re-focus American growth in the North after the vast expansion following the war in Mexico. Daniel Webster, in particular, was adamant about expanding north into Canada, even if it meant eventual conflict with the British.

Conflict did break out in late 1845. American settlers in Oregon country had crossed the 49th parallel earlier in the year to set up a fur trading post. They met a group of British fur traders and battle ensued. The British settlers pushed back the Americans, but a month later American settlers, armed with rifles, once again crossed the border and burned Fort Langley to the ground. British diplomats in the Royal District of Washington were furious, and demanded American action. Many Senators demanded war against Great Britain; “50th or war!” was a popular anti-British slogan, the 50th parallel being one degree above the official border at the 49th parallel, as well as a border that would encompass the burnt Fort Langley. James K. Polk denounced the conflict as yet another trick to expand further North, to further marginalize the South. He challenged that the National and Whig parties wanted nothing more than to turn the kingdom into the “United States of Canada.”

As tensions increased, Henry Clay sent Daniel Webster and William H. Harrison to the British colonial government in the Maritimes to prevent war. The British demanded that the border between American and British Oregon be pushed down to the 42nd parallel after the attack on Fort Langley. Webster flat-out refused, as a border at the 42nd parallel would put the entirety of the Columbia River in British territory. Webster and Harrison, in turn, demanded the annexation of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The British refused. Daniel Webster and William H. Harrison left Halifax in spring 1846 without a resolution to the conflict. With the possibility of war looming, Henry Clay dissolved the Senate after the summer recess in 1846, with elections scheduled for September.

At the National Party convention, sixty-nine-year-old Henry Clay was once again confirmed as party leader. He gave a fiery speech, defending the values of the National Party and promising to defend American interests. The retiring William Henry Harrison also gave a stirring speech. At the Whig Party convention, Martin Van Buren lost in an upset to freshman Senator Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois. The young Senator demanded that his party take a stronger stance against the expansion of slavery. Senator Lincoln had been one of the major opponents of the Texan war, calling it imperialist aggression, and was against any coming conflict with Britain. At the Jacksonian convention, James K. Polk was once again renominated, though Samuel Houston, a moderate from Tennessee, nearly beat him. Polk again denounced Northern expansion, and called for a repeal of the Clay Amendment banning slavery in the Mexican territories. Finally, a new party emerged, styling themselves the Liberation Party. Compromised of abolitionists, the party, led by William Lloyd Garrison of Massachusetts, called for, principally, the abolition of slavery, as well as temperance and woman’s suffrage. Their members had chiefly been inspired by the actions of King George II.

The Senate before the Election of 1846:
Whig Party: 71 Seats
Jacksonian Party: 41 seats
National Party: 144 Seats
Total Seats: 256



The Senate after the Election of 1846
Whig Party: 67 Seats (-4)
Jacksonian Party: 49 seats (+8)
National Party: 122 Seats (-22)
Liberation: 22 Seats (+22)
Total Seats: 260

Polk’s party gained a few seats in the Upper South, but was still far below the Whig Party. The Whigs were decimated in New England, a region that was very pro-expansion, but gained heavily in other regions of the country. The Liberation party, as expected, gained only a few seats, mostly in the Canadian states and New England. The National Party was attacked by the three other parties, only gaining seats in the pro-expansion New England states. When the Senate reconvened in November, Clay’s party had lost their majority, so every party leader set out looking for a coalition. While there was talk of a grand Whig-Jacksonian-Liberation coalition, it quickly became apparent that such a coalition would never form. After weeks of negotiations, Henry Clay convinced William Lloyd Garrison (L-MA) to join in a National-Liberation coalition, which Garrison agreed to, eager to give his new party a place in government.

The Government as of November 1846:
Prime Minister: Henry Clay (N-KY)
Deputy Prime Minister: William Lloyd Garrison (L-MA)
Majority Whip:  Millard Fillmore (N-NY)
Secretary of State: Daniel Webster (N-MA)
Secretary of the Treasury: John White (N-KY)
Secretary of War: George Edmund Badger (N-NC)
Attorney General: Charles F. Adams (L-MA)

By 1847, the situation in Oregon Country was still not resolved, with towns and forts on both sides of the border regularly raided and pillaged. George II ordered military forces to move into Oregon Country and the Canadian and Northeastern states, to prepare for war. Daniel Webster was again sent to Halifax, to negotiate the country’s way out of impending war. The British again rebuked his initial demands of the Maritimes provinces, and he rebuked the British demands for a border at the 42nd parallel. Webster and Governor-General James Bruce, Earl of Elgin had no wish for war, but when they were unable to come to an agreement, both knew that war was soon at hand.

[Lief 🗽]

Ontario has 11 Senators and Quebec has 13, though there aren't currently any Canadians in the National Party leadership.

The Atlantic Provinces still belong to Great Britain, though there has been increased American immigration into New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and America would very much like to have those provinces.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1847 - 1851

With no peace reached between the United States and Great Britain, Prince Robert moved an army into Oregon territory in the spring of 1847 to defend American settlements in the area. He fought a number of inconclusive battles against British militia, but the presence of American troops in the province just escalated matters further. By July of 1847, a frail George II was being told by the Royal Council that a declaration of war was needed against Great Britain. The 66-year-old king was in poor health after an entire adulthood of leading the country, but pressed Henry Clay to resolve the conflict peacefully. Nonetheless, by the fall of 1847, Prince Robert’s troops had crossed the Columbia River and were setting up camp in de facto British territory.

Clay tried a final time for peace in 1848. He personally visited Halifax with William Lloyd Garrison, and met with the British Governor-General, who was again unreceptive and unwilling to compromise. However, Clay also met with Joseph Howe, a leading politician in Nova Scotia. Clay promised Howe American support if he would declare Nova Scotia and New Brunswick’s independence from the British. Howe and a number of similar minded politicians were elected to Nova Scotia’s newly created parliament later that year, where they declared independence. There was widespread support for independence, from Irish and American immigrants, as well as British Canadians who felt that Great Britain had ignored them since the War of 1807. New Brunswick declared independence a month later. The Senate recognized the two provinces’ independence later that year, by a vote of 134 to 107.

Britain immediately declared war on the rebellious provinces and British troops departed from Newfoundland to Nova Scotia. A majority in both provinces were supportive of independence, especially after the British invaded. Newspapers in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick both pointed out the hypocrisy of the British abandoning them in 1810 and paying no attention to the provinces for the last 38 years, then suddenly invading now. George II, with the advice of Henry Clay, approved the transportation of rifles, cannon and ammunition to the rebels in Nova Scotia. In response, the British blockaded the Atlantic coast of the United States, and ended all trade with America. This blockade hit the Southern states especially hard, while the rapidly industrializing North was not affected nearly as severely. Prince Robert continued to fight British traders and militias in Oregon country, as well as a number of Indian tribes allied with the British. The Jacksonian party (with the support of Southern Nationals) blamed Clay for disastrously affecting the Southern economy, all in pursuit of further Southern marginalization.

Matters were made worse when Wisconsin territory petitioned for statehood in 1849 as the 31st state. Since the mining boom in the Upper Peninsula of the territory in the early 1840s, the territory had grown greatly. John C. Calhoun, who had been appointed to the Royal Council from South Carolina, and was now leader of the body, led a number of Southern senators to vote against Wisconsin’s inclusion, and Wisconsin’s admission failed 16-12, with two Royal Councilors not attending the vote¹. The elderly Calhoun promised to stall Wisconsin’s admission until equity had been reached between the states. He and his followers claimed that the South had fallen by the wayside, and was now being punished for the North’s war. Fueled by Calhoun’s rhetoric, a number of independent rebellions sprung up throughout Southern towns, though they were quickly dealt with.

With the nation unraveling around him, Clay offered the Compromise Bill of 1850. It would divide Florida into West and Eat Florida, adding another slave state, repeal the ban on slavery in the Mexican cession, and force the United States would negotiate a compromise with Britain. In return, Calhoun would support the inclusion of Wisconsin territory. The Senate passed the measure quickly, with the National and Jacksonian party offering the bill's main support. Later that year, representatives from Britain, the United States, and Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, met in London, where the Treaty of London was signed. America would cede Oregon country north of the 42nd parallel to the British, while Britain would recognize the limited independence of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, with the two provinces moving towards full independence by the year 1859. British fishing rights  in the North Atlantic would be protected as well. The treaty was overwhelmingly ratified, (with Whig, National and Jacksonian support, and the Liberation Party firmly against it). West Florida was separated from Florida later that year by the Royal Council, and Wisconsin was admitted as the 32nd state in 1851. However, the work behind the compromise took its toll on Henry Clay’s health. Falling ill in June of 1850, Clay resigned from the Senate. He would die on October 3rd, 1850 at the age of 72².

With Clay’s death, the Deputy Prime Minister was supposed to become Prime Minister (as had been done after James Monroe’s death while Prime Minister). But William Lloyd Garrison was not part of the National party, and his Liberation party was a small part of the ruling coalition. For a week after Clay’s death, the Senate (and the country) had no leader. Eventually, Webster and Garrison agreed that Daniel Webster would become Prime Minister, and Webster won a vote from the Senate, but nearly half the Liberation caucus abstained. Webster was Prime Minister for only two months; he fell sick and died in March of 1851, a week after the Senate first convened for the year. George II requested that the Senate dissolve, the National-Liberation coalition fractured, and the Whig, Jacksonian and Liberation Party Senators all voted no confidence. George II called for elections in May.

¹The Royal Council needed a 3/5 majority to admit a new state to the country.
²Henry Clay would be remembered as one of, if not the, greatest Prime Ministers to ever serve. When he died, he was the longest serving Prime Minister, serving for 15 years, and four terms. He had led the National Party for 40 years, and served as opposition leader for a total of 15 years. He was remembered as a masterful orator, a firm leader, and gifted politician, always striving to do what was best for the nation. His headstone reads simply: “Here lies Henry Clay, leader of a Nation.”

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1851 - 1855

The Jacksonian Party held its convention first, in Richmond, Virginia. Their convention was a triumphant, bombastic affair, and James K. Polk promised a resounding victory in May. The party was also renamed the Constitution party, so as to appeal to Westerners and those in the Mid-Atlantic states who had been turned off by Andrew Jackson. The Whig Party’s convention was held in Toronto, Ontario, a first for the city. Abraham Lincoln was re-elected easily, and reaffirmed his commitment to prevent the “Slave Power” from taking control of the Senate. The Liberation party once again nominated William Lloyd Garrison, in the city of Boston, and on the suggestion of James G. Birney, a candidate running in Kentucky, renamed themselves the Liberty Party. The National Party convention was held in New York City. The broken National Party squabbled over leadership and policy. The deaths of Webster and Clay, two leaders of the party since its inception had thrown everything into chaos. Millard Fillmore (N-NY) was the early frontrunner, but John Bell (N-TN) and Thomas Hart Benton (N-MO) challenged Fillmore. After a week of balloting, conservative John Bell had secured the nomination, with the endorsement of Benton. National Party morale was broken, and many National voters in Northern and Western states switched to the Whig or Liberty parties.

The election of 1851 saw a crushing National defeat, with the Constitution Party coming out on top for the first time.

The Senate before the Election of 1851
Whig Party: 67 Seats
Constitution Party:  49 seats
National Party: 122 Seats
Liberty: 22 Seats
Total Seats: 260



The Senate after the Election of 1851
Whig Party: 64 Seats (-3)
Constitution Party: 108 seats (+59)
National Party: 52 Seats (-70)
Liberty: 38 Seats (+16)
Total Seats: 262

The Constitution Party could claim a clear electoral victory, but they lacked a majority. Coalition negotiations were fruitless, and for the first time in many years, the vote for Prime Minister on the first day of the new Senate’s term was up in the air.

First Ballot:
James K. Polk (C-TN): 108 votes
Abraham Lincoln (W-IL): 64 votes
John Bell (N-TN): 52 votes
William Lloyd Garrison (L-MA): 38 votes
Needed to win: 133

The respective party leaders held on to their parties for the next two ballots, but before the fourth, Garrison dropped out and endorsed Lincoln.

Fourth Ballot:
James K. Polk (C-TN): 108 votes
Abraham Lincoln (W-IL): 102 votes
John Bell (N-TN): 52 votes
Needed to win: 133

At this point, John Bell realized he would be king-maker. The Senate adjourned for the day, and Bell met with Polk, a man with whom he shared more beliefs than Lincoln. Bell was promised Secretary of State, arguably the most important government position, and the next day he instructed the Nationals to support Polk. However, many Nationals, still bitter from the convention, were led by Millard Fillmore to support Lincoln. In the end, Polk was able to claim a slim majority and form a government.

Fifth Ballot:
James K. Polk (C-TN): 144 votes
Abraham Lincoln (W-IL): 118 votes
Needed to win: 133


Prime Minister James K. Polk

The Government as of May 1851:
Prime Minister: James K. Polk (C-TN)
Deputy Prime Minister: Sam Houston (C-TN)
Majority Whip:  David Crockett (C-TN)
Secretary of State: John Bell (N-MO)
Secretary of the Treasury: Stephen A. Douglas (N-IL)
Secretary of War: Franklin Pierce (C-NH)
Attorney General: Roger B. Taney (C-MD)

Right off the bat, Prime Minister Polk promised reform throughout the country. In 1851, the Constitution Party passed major tariff reform, slashing the high budgets of the 1840s. By 1852, they passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1852, increasing fines and punishments throughout the country for anyone aiding escaped slaves or failing to apprehend them. George II vetoed the bill, calling it a gross violation of states’ rights and a step towards undoing the progress he made in abolishing slavery throughout the country. Prime Minister Polk tried to over-ride the veto, but Lincoln’s coalition was able to easily to block the over-ride.

George II’s veto would prove to be the final official act of his reign. In January 1853, he King died after a short illness, at the age of 71. Prince Robert ordered a month of mourning, before he would officially be crowned on February 4th, 1853. Most Americans had known no other king but George II. King Robert I ascended the throne largely as an unknown: he had been a hero of the war in Mexico and conflict in Oregon country, but had been largely quiet about the issue of slavery. The 46-year-old King was relatively handsome, with a stark white beard, a first among American monarchs. His nine-year-old son, William Henry George Custis Lee, became Crown Prince William. Besides the nine-year-old heir and their 19-year-old daughter, Princess Martha, King Robert and his wife Queen Consort Maria had another son (Robert Edward Lee, Jr., born 1846) and another daughter (Maria Ellen Custis Lee, born 1847).


King Robert I

After his inauguration, King Robert made it clear to the Prime Minister that he would not take a hard-line stance against slavery: he did not see it as the despicable practice that George II had, and believed that the Almighty would end it in His own time. With the new King’s assurance, Polk once again put the fugitive slave law before the Senate, where it was once more passed. The Fugitive Slave Law of 1853 was the first bill King Robert signed into law. Fresh off this earlier success, Polk then pushed for passage of the Popular Sovereignty Affirmation Act. Secretary of the Treasury, Stephen A. Douglas (N-IL), had championed the idea proposed by many back-bench Nationals and Constitutions. The act would abolish all laws regarding the existence of slavery in the territories, and allow all territories to decide for themselves on the issue. The plan was supported by most of the Senate, with many in Abraham Lincoln’s coalition willing to vote for what was seen as a compromise and an end to the slave issue once and for all. The bill passed 159-97, and King Robert signed it into law.

In 1854, Justice Benjamin Curtis, Henry Clay’s attorney general who King George II has appointed, resigned from the Supreme Court. King Robert, as George II had done before him, asked the Prime Minister for suggestions for a new justice, and Polk suggested his attorney general, Roger B. Taney.  Lincoln’s coalition was fiercely opposed to the nomination, but in the end, Polk’s majority government was able to confirm the nomination of Roger Taney as Associate Justice to the Supreme Court. Later that year, the Chief Justice, Theodore Frelinghuysen, died of cholera. Abraham Lincoln privately met with King Robert, and begged the monarch to appoint a Whig to Chief Justice, to balance the appointment of Taney. Robert obliged Lincoln, and chose Associate Justice John McClean for Chief Justice, and Whig Senator from Ohio Salmon P. Chase to fill McClean’s position. Both were anti-slavery. As the year 1855 began, James K. Polk made it clear that we would prevent the appointment of both McClean and Chase, no matter what.

[Lief 🗽]

Constitution is a much better name, I agree. I can't believe I didn't think of that.

I had originally drawn the border along the Mississippi, but the state looked so ugly and misshapen that I just drew a straight line.

[Lief 🗽]

I threw these two together:

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/493/18512jd5.png

http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/370/18513op4.png

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1855 - 1862

Majority Whip David Crockett reported to Polk a week before the vote on John McClean that the Constitution Senators were wholly opposed to the nomination. However, Crockett could not ensure that the southern and western nationals that had helped form the coalition would also vote against the nomination. Polk, wary of losing the vote on McClean and Chase, dissolved the Senate and called for a snap election. He hoped to increase the number of Constitution senators so that his party could claim an outright majority.

The Whig, Constitution, and Liberty parties were all incredibly organized, and they all re-nominated their respective leaders (Polk, Lincoln and Garrison) on the first ballot. The Constitutionalists rallied against Lincoln, who they called a radical. Lincoln, in one of his finer speeches, chastised Polk’s party for blocking the nomination of Supreme Court nominees over political ideology. The Liberty part continued to call for emancipation. The National convention, however, was a total failure. After a week of balloting, the party was unable to agree on a leader or a platform. Finally, Stephen Douglas (N-IL) came forth as a compromise candidate, but the party was still bitterly divided. In the North, many National governors and state officials formally switched to the Whig or Liberty parties. In southern states, many Nationals resigned or joined the Constitution party. In the state of Virginia, all five National senators resigned, and endorsed the Constitution candidate in their district.

On Election Day, April 4th, 1855, the National party lost heavily, as did the Constitution Party. The Whigs and Liberty gained a number of seats throughout the country.

The Senate before the Election of 1855
Whig Party: 64 Seats
Constitution Party: 108 seats
National Party: 52 Seats
Liberty: 38 Seats
Total Seats: 262



The Senate after the Election of 1855
Whig Party: 94 Seats (+30)
Constitution Party: 72 seats (-36)
National Party: 35 Seats (-17)
Liberty: 58 Seats (+20)
Total Seats: 258¹

It quickly became apparent that Lincoln and Garrison would form a coalition. Stephen Douglas tried to gain support from within his own party to join in on the Whig-Liberty coalition, but it soon became apparent that he had little to no control over the National senators.

First Ballot:
Abraham Lincoln (W-IL): 161 votes
James K. Polk (C-TN): 82 votes
Stephen A. Douglas (N-IL): 16
Needed to win: 130 votes

The Government as of May 1855:
Prime Minister: Abraham Lincoln (W-IL)
Deputy Prime Minister: William Lloyd Garrison (L-MA)
Majority Whip: Hannibal Hamlin (W-ME)
Secretary of State: Robert Charles Winthrop (W-MA)
Secretary of the Treasury: William Lyon Mackenzie (L-ON)
Secretary of War: Winfield Scott (W-NY)
Attorney General: Charles Sumner (L-MA)


Prime Minister Abraham Lincoln

With a commanding majority in the Senate, Lincoln was able to confirm King Robert’s two nominees easily later in 1855. In 1856, the Whig Party established a new cabinet position: Secretary of the Interior and Lincoln chose ardent abolitionist Thaddeus Stevens (L-PA) for the new post. Northern Senators then pushed Lincoln to pass a protectionist tariff to aid Northern industries. Polk’s Whigs were ardently against the measure, as were a majority of Southern Senators. Despite stringent opposition from Southern Senators, the Whig-Liberty coalition was able to pass the Durfee-Covode Tariff.

In 1857, the Royal Council admitted the states of Upper California (one Senator) and Sonora (one Senator). The Upper Californian constitution explicitly banned slavery, while the Sonoran constitution allowed slavery. Sonora had seen heavy immigration from the Republic of Texas and from the Southern United States, and slavery had begun to gain a hold in the mining economy that dominated the state. A number of Whigs were initially apprehensive about the addition of a new slave state, and some Americans were against the admittance of a state with such a large Spanish-speaking, Catholic population.

In 1858, the political situation in the Republic of Texas began to deteriorate. The 62-year-old King Stephen I had fallen ill in 1855, and his thirteen-year-old son, Prince Stephen, had ruled in his stead. When King Stephen I died on June 3rd, 1855, his young son had to take control of a nation deeply in debt and ripped apart by political strife. Prime Minister William B. Travis had served since the nation’s inception, in 1840. But opposition leader Mirabeau B. Lamar’s party had won a close election in 1856, and the two parties had been at each other’s throats since then. Finally, in 1858, the crisis came to a head, when King Stephen II died of cholera, and the Republic of Texas was leaderless. Mirabeau B. Lamar crowned himself King Stephen III (taking Stephen F. Austin’s first name as a show of respect), and Travis and his party left the government. By fall of 1858, a full-scale civil war had torn the nation apart, with Lamar and his supporters on one side and Travis’ supporters on the other.

Meanwhile, American’s believed that King Robert should inherit the Texan throne, as Stephen I’s queen had been part of the American royal family. Without consulting the Senate, King Robert and the Royal Council declared war on the warring factions in Texas, and Robert moved to invade Texas, to install Charles Carter Lee (his older brother) as king, and take control of the country. The Senate was split on the issue: half of the Senators decried American imperialism, and argued that the United States should not be intervening in the internal conflicts of sovereign nations, while the other half of the chamber argued that following Stephen II’s death, King Robert, and by extension the United States, had inherited Texas. In the end, Lincoln and Polk became unlikely allies, when they pushed for a bill funding the invasion of Texas and marshalling troops for the effort. Polk had supported the measure due to issues of nationalism, while Lincoln hoped that by conquering Texas, Americans could ban slavery in the Republic.

In 1859, as King Robert crossed into Texas, he received word that Mirabeau B. Lamar (i.e., Stephen III) had died of a heart attack in the capital of Jackson (named after Andrew Jackson, the Prime Minister who had come to the Texan’s defense). Three weeks later, William B. Travis, in San Antonio, declared himself President of the Republic, and signed a peace treaty with the supporters of Lamar. General Juan Seguín, Travis’ right-hand man, marched into Jackson two weeks later. Travis, acting in his capacity as President of the Republic, declared war on the United States that same week, claiming that the United States had wrongfully invaded Texas.

In late 1859, with King Robert in Texas, the Senate invoked the 13th amendment, lengthening its term indefinitely until the end of the war in Texas. On March 23rd, 1860, Travis’ forces ambushed an American detachment at the Battle of Harrisburg, winning a shocking and decisive victory against King Robert. In retaliation, Robert’s army (which vastly out-numbered the small Texan army), took the city of Jackson in May 1860, and burnt it to the ground. Gen. Charles Carter Lee took San Antonio in August 1860, eliminating Travis’ foremost base of support. By 1861, Travis’ forces had been forced back to the Rio Grande, and in the Battle of Laredo, Travis’ forces were completely routed. William B. Travis surrendered, and in the summer of 1861, Travis negotiated a treaty with the United States. In the Travis-Winthrop Treaty, Texas lost its independence, and became a dependency of the United States. It would be granted more autonomy than a regular state, however, with its own monarch (the Prince of Texas), army, and government. Texas would also cede some of its northern and western territory to the United States, and the United States would pay off Texas’ debt. Finally, Texas would also be granted representation in the Senate and Royal Council. However, the treaty did not touch the issue of slavery. In March 1862, the Senate confirmed the treaty, and Charles Carter Lee was crowned Prince Charles, Prince of Texas in June 1862. Following the ratification of the treaty, and the end of the War of Texan Succession, King Robert dissolved the parliament, and called for elections in June.

¹The Senate after the 1850 census.

[Lief 🗽]

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[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1862 - 1866

The year 1861 had seen the admission of two states: the state of Hamilton (made up of Chihuahua territory) and the state of Kansas, each with one senator, and a Slave and Free State, respectively.

The Whig convention of 1862 was a successful one, with Prime Minister Abraham Lincoln re-nominated without any challengers. The Liberty party’s convention, once again held in Boston, was filled with bitter speeches against Slave Power and the expansion of slavery into the south-west. William Lloyd Garrison was re-nominated easily. The Constitution convention was a melancholy one, as party leader, James K. Polk, was too ill to attend (he would die three months later). Without a leader, 69-year-old Sam Houston was nominated as a compromise. Finally, the National Party held its convention in Philadelphia. The delegates were again split on who to nominate. Stephen Douglas had been seen my most nationals as a failure. Eventually, Clement Vallandigham (N-OH), threw his hat into the ring. The young senator from Ohio was widely respected. He promised to reverse National Party losses, and campaigned on a platform of moderation regarding the slavery issue, as well as calls for further expansion.

For the first time in years, the National Party had a leader and purpose, and National supporters were energized. With low Constitution party morale, the National party made heavy gains in the west and south. However, despite some losses in the north to the Liberty party, the Whigs were able to keep their plurality of seats, and Garrison agreed to once again form a Whig-Liberty coalition. For his part, Vallandigham allied his National Party with Sam Houston’s Constitution party, and Sam Houston became opposition leader.

The Senate before the Election of 1862
Whig Party: 94 Seats
Constitution Party: 72 seats
National Party: 35 Seats
Liberty: 58 Seats
Total Seats: 258



The Senate after the Election of 1862
Whig Party: 83 Seats (-9)
Constitution Party: 59 seats (-13)
National Party: 66 Seats (+31)
Liberty: 60 Seats (+2)
Total Seats: 268¹

The Government as of July 1862:
Prime Minister: Abraham Lincoln (W-IL)
Deputy Prime Minister: William Lloyd Garrison (L-MA)
Majority Whip: Hannibal Hamlin (W-ME)
Secretary of State: Robert Charles Winthrop (W-MA)
Secretary of the Treasury: Thaddeus Stevens (L-PA)
Secretary of War: Charles Sumner (L-MA)
Attorney General: Alexander Mackenzie (L-ON)
Secretary of the Interior:  Schuyler Colfax (W-IN)

As one of the first acts of his second term, Abraham Lincoln pushed for the passage of Transcontinental Railway Act of 1862. Initially proposed in 1860, the Senate had voted the measure down, due to the ongoing war in Texas as well a general lack of funds, due to spending on the war. But in 1862, with relative peace in the country, the act was passed overwhelmingly, by a vote of 175 to 83. The Act set aside government bonds to be used to pay major railroad companies to build a transcontinental railroad, stretching from Missouri to California. In 1863, a closely divided Congress passed the Homestead Act, which encouraged settlement in the west, by allowing the purchase of plots of 160 acres of undeveloped land by families and men settling in the west. Southern Senators, regardless of party, were strongly against it, and the National-Constitution coalition came out against it. Despite resistance, the Homestead Act was passed by a vote of 143 to 119.

In 1864, southern Senators were again outraged, when King Robert and Abraham Lincoln worked together to sign and pass the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick Act of Alliance. The United States formally recognized the two sovereign nation’s independence. All three nations entered a defensive pact and opened up trade. The act also paved the way for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to join the United States, as dependencies, in much the same way as Texas had joined the Union. The two nations held plebiscites later that year (in New Brunswick) and in 1865 (in Nova Scotia), but joining the United States failed by votes of about 60-40% in both countries. Later that year, Opposition Leader Sam Houston died in Tennessee, and Clement Vallandigham took control of the National-Constitution coalition.

At the request of settlers in the Canadian states, the United States government bought thousands of square miles from the Hudson Bay Company, in Rupert’s Land, an area nominally claimed by Britain, in late 1865. The land was set aside for settlement, and organized into the Northern Territory. Britain, feeling threatened by the purchase and the Act of Alliance a year earlier, would pass the Rupert’s Land Act of 1866 a year later, providing for the purchase of all of Rupert’s Land from the Hudson Bay company, which was then incorporated into the Colony of Greater Canada². With a sense of national euphoria following the successful alliance with Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and the acquisition of new territory in the north, Lincoln called for the dissolution of Parliament during the winter recess of 1866, with elections scheduled for the summer.

The Whig Party held their convention in Chicago, a Whig bastion. Abraham Lincoln made it clear that he would neither be serving another term as leader of the Whig party or be running for re-election³. Popular Massachusetts senator, Charles Winthrop, won nomination as party leader on the third ballot, and promised a continuation of Lincoln’s policies. The Liberty party held its convention in New York, where William Lloyd Garrison announced his retirement from politics. Charles Sumner (L-MA) and Alexander Mackenzie (L-ON) were the two leading contenders to succeed Garrison, but in the end Sumner was able to clench victory, partly due to many Liberty delegates’ anxiety about nominating Mackenzie, a Scottish-born immigrant. Clement Vallandigham was once again nominated by the National Party, and the Constitution Party selected John C. Breckinridge (C-KY) as their leader. On Election Day, the Whig Party suffered some slight losses, but prevailed with a plurality, as well as the continued backing of the Liberty Party. In a feat that hadn’t been accomplished since the Whig-Republicans achieved it in 1811, the Whig party won a third election in a row. However, Winthrop’s majority was a slim one, and he knew that much of his term would be filled with deadlock.

The Senate before the Election of 1866
Whig Party: 83 Seats
Constitution Party: 59 seats
National Party: 66 Seats
Liberty: 60 Seats
Total Seats: 268



The Senate before the Election of 1866
Whig Party: 81 Seats (-2)
Constitution Party: 55 seats (-4)
National Party: 73 Seats (+7)
Liberty: 59 Seats (-1)
Total Seats: 268

The Government as of May 1866:
Prime Minister: Robert Charles Winthrop (W-MA)
Deputy Prime Minister: Charles Sumner (L-MA)
Majority Whip: Hannibal Hamlin (W-ME)
Secretary of State: Alexander Mackenzie (L-ON)
Secretary of the Treasury: Schuyler Colfax (W-IN)
Secretary of War: Zachariah Chandler (L-OH)
Attorney General: Charles O'Neill (W-PA)
Secretary of the Interior: James Garfield (W-OH)


Prime Minister Robert Charles Winthrop

¹The size of the Senate following the 1860 census.
²The Colony of Greater Canada was formed from the colonies of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Oregon Country, the Northwestern Territory, and Rupert’s Land. Labrador, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island were left unincorporated.
³Abraham Lincoln, at the relatively young age of 57 professed to have “resigned from politics forever” at the convention. However, two years later, he would run and win the governor’s office in Illinois, by a landslide margin.

[Lief 🗽]

Maybe. There's a lot of distrust amongst Americans (particularly those in the South) concerning "Canadian-Americans", and there's apprehension in the Whig and Liberty parties (the only two that are really existent in Ontario and Quebec) about nominating a Canadian as party leader, as it might hurt them throughout the rest of the country.

[Lief 🗽]

Well, the (OTL) Treaty of Velasco, ending the Texan Revolution, put the southern boundary of Texas at the Rio Grande, so in OTL at least, the border between Texas and Mexico was the Rio Grande.

Regarding the Gadsen Purchase, you're right about that. It completely slipped my mind. I'll fix it up in the next map.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1867 - 1873

Prime Minister Winthrop’s government faced trouble soon after the election. In early 1867, the Panic of 1867 enveloped the country, originally caused by bank closures in the Northeast, which were in part caused by an economic crisis in Europe. Opposition leader Vallandigham tried to convince Charles Sumner to break with Prime Minister Winthrop and force a no confidence vote, but Sumner refused. As the panic worsened leading into the year 1868, the Constitution Party suggested a reduction in tariffs. Surprisingly, a handful of Northern industrialists agreed to the plan, believed that reduced tariffs (and the cheaper imports that went with them) would kick start the Northern economy. However, a majority of Northerners were against a reduction in the tariff. Secretary of the Treasury Schuyler Colfax came out against the measure, as did Western Senators and most Senators from Pennsylvania. Despite this opposition, Winthrop supported the measure, and with numerous Senators crossing the floor to vote against the will of their party leaders, the Hunter Tariff was passed, 142 to 121.

Following the passage of the tariff, the economy improved slightly, and for a time, Prime Minister Winthrop could breathe a metaphorical sigh of relief. However, in early 1868, Secretary of State Alexander Mackenzie resigned from the government, after Prime Minister Winthrop had asked him to negotiate the annexation of Cuba from Spain. Winthrop had hoped to act secretly, but when Mackenzie resigned, he made the negotiations public, and the Liberty party was outraged. Charles Sumner publicly accused the Prime Minister of being no different from Southerners seeking to extend American slavery into the Caribbean. A week later, Sumner and his party left the coalition government, and a no confidence resolution was voted upon. Despite some support from pro-expansion National and Constitution Senators, Winthrop lost the vote, 103 to 158, with a number of anti-slavery Whigs voting against him. King Robert called for elections in November 1868.

The Constitution Party held their convention in Richmond, Virginia, where John Breckenridge (C-KY) was re-nominated. For the first time in years, the Constitution Party ran candidates in nearly every district, even those in Ontario and Quebec. Clement Vallandigham gave a stirring speech at the National Party convention, and was ultimately re-elected. The Liberty convention was a somewhat sullen one, as most delegates recognized that there would be no coalition with the Whigs, and the National and Constitution parties were too different on policy issues to form a coalition with. After twenty rounds of balloting, Prime Minister Winthrop won re-election as party leader at a bitter Whig convention. Northern Whigs walked out of the convention, and supported the Liberty Party. The Whig party ended up losing heavily, becoming the smallest party, while all other parties gained seats. The National Party came out of the election claiming victory, and two weeks later Breckenridge and Vallandigham agreed to form a coalition, with Vallandigham as Prime Minister.

The Senate before the Election of 1868
Whig Party: 81 Seats
Constitution Party: 55 seats
National Party: 73 Seats
Liberty: 59 Seats
Total Seats: 268



The Senate after the Election of 1868
Whig Party: 43 Seats (-38)
Constitution Party: 71 seats (+16)
National Party: 93 Seats (+20)
Liberty: 61 Seats (+2)
Total Seats: 268

The Government as of January 1869:
Prime Minister: Clement Vallandigham (N-OH)
Deputy Prime Minister: John Breckenridge (C-KY)
Majority Whip: Horatio Seymour (N-NY)
Secretary of State: George H. Pendleton (N-OH)
Secretary of the Treasury: Jefferson Davis (C-MS)
Secretary of War: Francis Preston Blair, Jr. (N-MO)
Attorney General: John H. Reagan (C-TX)
Secretary of the Interior:  Andrew Johnson (N-TN)


Prime Minister Clement Vallandigham

Despite his clear party’s clear victory, the nation was still bitterly divided, chiefly on the issue of slavery. While it had been slowly dying out in the United States (Maryland had moved towards abolishing slavery in 1866, and there were the beginnings of a bill in Delaware that would abolish slavery), slavery had begun to flourish again in the mines of Sonora and Hamilton, and Vallandigham made it clear that he would support further efforts to annex Cuba, a territory that would undoubtedly become a slave state. King Robert, unlike his predecessor, had kept completely silent on the issue of slavery. His sons, on the other hand, had developed vastly different views. Crown Prince William was vehemently against any attempts to abolish slavery. Prince Robert, the King’s second son, had seen the horrors of slavery while travelling with his father in Texas following the conflict there. Prince Robert was an ardent supporter of his grandfather’s abolitionist ideals.

Vallandigham soon came under attack from both sides of the aisle. In 1870, John Breckenridge pressured the Prime Minister to repeal the Homestead Act, an act that Vallandigham had personally supported. Threatened with a fracture in his coalition, the Prime Minister brought the repeal of the Homestead Act to a vote, but made it clear to his Whip that the vote would be a conscious vote. Privately, he encouraged Senators to vote against the repeal. On the day of the vote, the repeal failed, 130 to 134. A furious Breckenridge threatened to pull out of the coalition, but calmer Constitution Senators convinced him against it.

In 1871, Prince Charles of Texas, King Robert’s brother died, and Texas needed a new ruling prince. Initially, King Robert planned to install his younger son, Prince Robert as Prince of Texas, but Constitution Senators argued against the appointment of an abolitionist to the executive office of a slave state. King Robert rebuked the Senators, claiming that it was his right as monarch to impart royal offices. Hearing this, John H. Reagan (C-TX), wrote the Reagan Royal Office Act, an act proposing that the Senate have the final say in appointing sovereigns of dependencies, as long as the sovereign is of royal blood. Breckenridge pushed Vallandigham for the bill’s passage, but the Prime Minister was again apprehensive, feeling that such a bill would be an over-reach of the Senate’s constitutional power. As the Senate adjourned in November 1871, with the Reagan Bill still up for debate, the slave debate had moved the country to the breaking point.

On April 14th, 1872, the country “broke.” Three gunshots rang out in a crowded Washington street. In the confusion, a fatally wounded Clement Vallandigham fell on to his wife’s shoulder, his final words a jumbled muttering about Presbyterian predestination. Three days later, an arrest was made: infamous Abolitionist John Brown. John Breckenridge became Acting Prime Minister, and was officially voted in on April 19th, 1872. His coalition quickly pushed through the Defense Against Sedition Act, allowing for the arrest of any abolitionist activity deemed treasonous. The Liberty party denounced the bill as an authoritarian violation of the Bill of Rights. In the mourning period following April 14th, Breckenridge successfully passed the Reagan Royal Office Act, and King Robert, who had recently suffered a stroke and did not feel that more fighting with the Senate was in order, did not veto the bill. Crown Prince William would be crowned Prince of Texas later that year.


Prime Minister John C. Breckenridge

At trial, Brown maintained his innocence, and to many, it quickly became apparent that Brown could not have murdered the Prime Minister, as the evidence was simply against it. But an angry, emotional (Southern) jury convicted him for treason and murder, and he was hung in December of 1872. The Liberty Party, this time with the backing of the Whigs and many Northern states, was shocked by Brown’s execution, as it had become apparent that he did not assassinated the Prime Minister. In early 1873, evidence was brought to light implicating a moderately famous actor, John Wilkes Booth, and Booth was arrested. Acting under the Defense Against Sedition Act, Prime Minister Breckenridge had the informants who had brought the evidence to light arrested and imprisoned, and convinced a feeble-minded King Robert to pardon Booth. By the summer of 1873, riots had broken out in the streets of Northern cities, denouncing Brown’s execution, and calling for Breckenridge’s resignation. The riots intensified when a number of abolitionist leaders and Liberty party state officials were arrested later in 1873. With the nation’s sympathy still largely behind the government following Vallandigham's assassination (except for in the North), Breckenridge called for a snap election, and the bed-ridden King Robert scheduled it for November 1873.

[Lief 🗽]

Yes, there'll be quite a war very, very soon.

Thanks again for all the great comments.

[Lief 🗽]

The American Monarchy: 1874

The Constitution Party held a triumphant convention, and Breckenridge promised to continue to protect the Union from radical abolitionists. The National Convention was a chaotic and unorganized mess, though the convention eventually settled on George H. Pendleton (N-OH). The Liberty Party Convention in New York City quickly devolved into a raucous, angry series of speeches against the Prime Minister. On the second day of the convention, Breckenridge ordered the arrest of many delegates, under the Defense Against Sedition Act. Governor of New York Edwin D. Morgan (W-NY), firmly refused to arrest them, and ordered the state militia to defend the convention. A furious Breckenridge received approval from Crown Prince William, acting in his sickly father’s stead, to send an army regiment to arrest the Governor and the delegates. Col. Joseph Bradford Carr led a regiment of infantry into New York City, but they were bitterly opposed by the militia, and even a number of armed delegates. Many of the soldiers, who were New Yorkers themselves, put down their arms and joined the militia. Nevertheless, by the evening the “rebels” had been rounded up an arrested. Within days, there was talk of succession throughout the North.

On October 15th, 1873, Prime Minister Breckenridge, in an emergency session of the Senate, invoked the 13th amendment, and cancelled elections. With the Senate missing nearly all Liberty Party Senators, Breckenridge faced little opposition. With a commanding, nearly ¾ control of the Senate, Breckenridge presented the Blair Amendment, a constitutional amendment forbidding the Senate to ever pass an amendment or law interfering with a state’s right to allow slavery. Breckenridge presented it as a compromise amendment, one that would end political fighting over the issue and hopefully end the riots in the North. Governor Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, still the most prominent Whig, even reluctantly gave his support to the amendment, stressing the preservation of the Union above all else. But many Northerners were incensed by the very proposal; Charles Sumner, from inside a New York jail cell, called the amendment “the most vile assault upon the democratic process of this nation in its history.” With his opposition locked up, Breckenridge passed the amendment on October 30th, 1873, sending it to the states. King Robert never heard this news, as he was confined to his bedchambers, and died on November 2nd. Prince William was crowned King William I within the week.


King William I

When news reached Boston of the passage of the amendment and the ascension to the throne of an ardent anti-abolitionist, the legislature immediately passed a resolution of secession, to the celebration of Americans throughout the state. By beginning of 1874, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Ontario, Quebec, Michigan, Wisconsin and Indiana had also left the Union. Delegates from all 12 states met in Toronto, Ontario in February and agreed to form a defensive alliance to protect themselves from Southern aggression. The delegates stopped short of creating a new country though. By the end of February, California, Nevada, Nebraska and Kansas had also seceded.  Meanwhile, Breckenridge and King William I had both declared the states and their leaders’ traitors, and were marshalling forces to invade and re-conquer the states. Meanwhile, in the seceded states, there was a general confusion and state of chaos, as the states were wholly unprepared for an invasion, and had few Generals. Northern leaders realized that if they had any chance of securing victory, they would need the support of the wavering states of Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.

The North’s prayers were answered when, on April 3rd, 1874, King William ordered the arrest of all Whig Senators in the capital. In the ensuing struggle, three Whig Senators were killed by soldiers, another five were badly injured, and two were captured and executed. King William also suspended habeas corpus and the printing of newspapers in the city.  Hearing this, an infuriated Prince Robert met with Northern leaders, and on April 17th, 1874, he proclaimed himself the rightful monarch of the United States, claiming that his brother had broken the social contract between the monarch and the people. No longer a secession crisis, but now a fight over succession, popular opinion grew in the strongly Whig states of New York, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania against King William (and, in turn, for Prince Robert). By the middle of May, all four states had seceded, with New Jersey following on May 24th. On May 28th, Prince Robert was proclaimed by the 21 Northern states as the rightful King of the nation.


King Robert II

Generals from New York (William Sherman), Illinois (Ulysses S. Grant), and Massachusetts (Nathaniel Banks) among others quickly enlisted with the Robert’s army, more out of loyalty to their respective states than to any real belief in abolitionism or the virtues of Robert II. A major loss in recruiting generals came when George McClellan pledged his support to King William. By the summer of 1874, Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and Delaware had re-affirmed their support of King William, and the lines were drawn. From the outset of the war both sides had clear strategic aims. Robert II’s forces’ main goal was to retake the capital at Washington (their current capital was at Philadelphia, but it was moved to Scranton, Pennsylvania in August 1874), though it was understood this was mainly for propaganda purposes. William I needed to be captured or killed and the vital states of Virginia needed to be “liberated” as soon as possible. However, Robert understood that for the first year or so of the war, his forces would be on the defensive. William’s forces’ had two strategic objectives: to reach Lake Erie, and cut the Northern states in half and to conquer Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, striking fatal blows to the rebels’ industrial bases.


Allegiance of the States at the Outset of War: Red- King Robert II, Blue- King William, Yellow- Eventual support of King Robert II, Green- Eventual support of King William

At the beginning of the war, the North had the advantage in industrial capacity, population and technology. The South had retained much of the Navy, and it was thought among most Americans that their Generals were more able than those in the North. The South was also much more organized, as it had retained the political infrastructure of the government. The South’s first military offensives were also much more successful. At the Battle of Gettysburg, Northern General Henry M. Hoyt was soundly defeated by an invading Southern army raised in Virginia and Maryland, led by General Thomas Jackson. While both armies had been evenly matched, Jackson had proved to be the better tactician, and his troops were better trained. Following the heroic victory, King William promoted Thomas Jackson to Commanding General of the East. A week after Gettysburg, Jackson decided against fording the Susquehanna River and marching on to Philadelphia, and instead turned west, to Pittsburg. At the Battle of Johnstown, Jackson again won a victory, this time against Gen. William Sherman. Sherman was able to regroup quickly, however, and by November, his forces had fortified themselves outside of Pittsburgh. Jackson decided to wait until the Spring for reinforcements, and his troops began building trenches outside the city.

Meanwhile, Gen. McClellan had lead Southern forces across the Ohio River in July, taking the city of Cincinnati with little resistance. McClellan won a number of small skirmishes as he moved North, and he was within miles of Columbus by November. McClellan’s advance was halted at the Battle of Fairborn, where Brig. Gen. James Garfield (a Senator who had resigned at the start of the war), launched a surprise attack against McClellan’s army with a number of Ohioan infantry and cavalry regiments. Garfield was able to clench a close tactical victory, and McClellan retreated to Dayton for the winter.

In the west, Northern forces were unorganized and quickly fell to Southern advances. By the end of 1874, Kansas had been conquered, and a pro-William government had been set up. The capital of Nebraska (Lancaster) had also fallen, and the pro-Robert government had relocated to North Platte. In Iowa, Gen. John C. Frémont, commanding Northern forces, was able to halt the Confederate advance outside of Des Moines in early August. During the fall and winter, both Frémont and Southern commander Maj. Gen. Daniel M. Frost ordered their forces to build nearly 120 miles of trenches, running from the western border of Iowa to the Des Moines River.


Areas of Control, Dec. 1874

By December of 1874, the South had made a number of critical advances, and the Northern government was not moving fast enough. Twenty-four representatives, one from each state and three representing pro-Northern factions in Missouri, Maryland and Delaware, met in Scranton with King Robert II in December and elected John Bingham, a Whig from Ohio, as Prime Minister. They called for the elections of Senators from all the states in March of 1875, so as to create a functioning Parliament. They also drafted a new constitution, similar to the United States constitution, but, at the behest of King Robert II, giving the monarch more power in government. Frederick W. Seward (L-NY) prevented putting a clause abolishing slavery into the constitution, arguing that it might look like a sign of desperation.

[Lief 🗽]

The Franco-Prussian war occurred in 1871, more or less as in OTL, with the establishment of a German Empire. The Mexican Empire was established by the French, British and Spanish, but Maximilian was eventually overthrown, and there is currently a Republic in Mexico, though it is anything but stable.

[Lief 🗽]

Tomorrow, hopefully.