American History Part 6: Honest Abe Lives!

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April 14th, 1865:Abraham Lincoln and his wife agree to skip the evening's performance of "Our American Cousin", the decision turned out to be a great one, because the performance might have led to his death. Former Actor, and Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth planned an assassination attempt on the president, but the plan fell flat on it's face.



The Attempted Assassin,as well as the plan organizer John Wilkes Booth


But the plan did work in some way. Secretary of State Edwin Stanton was stabbed in the stomach and killed, and Vice President Andrew Johnson was attacked, but fought the would be assassin off. After the assassination, President Lincoln ordered all associated with the attempt to be arrested and tried. Not long afterward Booth and his associates were caught in a Virginia hotel, and sent to an Jail at Fort Monroe.

With the peace restored across the country, President Lincoln order a day of mourning for Secretary of War Stanton. With the task of appointing a new Secretary of State, as well as trying to reunite the country after a Civil War, President Lincoln has his hands full.

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It will be sometime today, i have been kind of busy

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April 18th: Despite General Robert E. Lee surrendering, The Confederate Government still exists. Confederate President Jefferson Davis, his cabinet, and a small group of 1,000 soldiers move to hiding places in Charlotte,North Carolina. With this action, President Lincoln issues a statement announcing an "All out search for the Confederate President".



Confederate President Jefferson Davis, now the United State's most wanted man.

April 20th: President Lincoln announces that he is close to announcing his new Secretary of State.

April 22nd: Secretary Seward's funeral. His body is taken by train back to Auburn, New York. President Lincoln, Vice President Johnson, Former Vice President Hamlin, and Lincoln's cabinet attend the funeral .


The Late Secretary of State.

April 26th: General Joseph Johnston surrenders his army to Major General William Tecumseh Sherman at Durham Station, North Carolina. Which means the only Confederate Armies are left in Mississippi, and Texas.

April 28th: President Lincoln announces his new Secretary of State: Former Vice President Hannibal Hamlin.  The next day Hamlin is confirmed by the Senate. With this task over, President Lincoln is ready to end the war and to start working with congress to give the freed slaves their rights.

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If you can continue this to the present day it would be epic. I wonder if the Democrats will even exist in 2010!

i might give it a shot, but it will be difficult though.

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I am just hoping that you do not play to Honest Abe's stereotypes. Nothing against him or this TL, but there were many interesting facts of note that would have defined his Presidency in a very different manner had he lived.

Can you tell me some things you would like to see in the TL?

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I am just hoping that you do not play to Honest Abe's stereotypes. Nothing against him or this TL, but there were many interesting facts of note that would have defined his Presidency in a very different manner had he lived.

Can you tell me some things you would like to see in the TL?

Well, one thing that I found interesting was that by the time of his death, he was looking to relocate the African-American population of the South outside of the United States. Suggested locations ranged from Liberia, Santo Domingo, Haiti, Honduras, Ecuador, and even the Amazon. He was convinced that while African Americans were indeed entitled to the same rights as American citizens, they could not successfully assimilate into American society; however these plans dies with him, and the resulting power struggle between Congress and the Presidency. On this same note, he DID NOT desire the immediate emancipation of Slavery in the United States, despite the Emancipation Proclamation, which only effected territory still held by the Confederacy at that time.

Also, he wished to bring the South back as brothers, not a group that had committed any form of treason against the nation, so as to prevent any lasting wounds in relations between the regions. Basically, his plan was to grant amnesty to all those Southerners who would take an oath of loyalty to the Union, and agreed to follow the new federal laws in regards to slavery. High Confederate Officials would require Presidential pardons to receive their political rights back. When around 10% of a state's population took the oath of loyalty, they would be able to form a government and send Representatives to Congress. This was even more lenient than the policy suggested by Andrew Johnson.

There was also a growing animosity between Congress and the President, mostly because of the issues I have mentioned above, and likely would have fueled further troubles.

Off of the topic of Lincoln, there was fear within the Republican Party that the Democratic Party would be able to take control once the African American population was elevated to "full personhood". Up to that time, each had been considered "three-fifths of a person", under the said compromise. As a result of its end, the South would gain political power in Washington upon their return. These Southern Democrats would then, in their eyes, work to overturn what had already been accomplished over the course of the Civil War. This eventually came to pass, not through Washington, but through the individual states themselves, shortly after the military withdrawal a decade later.

I'll make sure to use these plans into the TL.

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She is in fine mental health as she was at the time of assassination.

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May 4th: American Civil War: Lieutenant General Richard Taylor, commanding all Confederate forces in Alabama, Mississippi, and eastern Louisiana, surrenders his forces to Union General E.R.S. Canby at Citronelle, Alabama, effectively ending all Confederate resistance east of the Mississippi.

 May 5 – In North Bend, Ohio (a suburb of Cincinnati), the first train robbery in the United States takes place.

 May 5 – Jefferson Davis meets with his Confederate Cabinet (14 officials) for the last time, in Washington, Georgia, and the Confederate Government is officially dissolved.
 May 10 – American Civil War: Jefferson Davis is captured by Union troops near Irwinville,
Georgia.


 May 13 – American Civil War – Battle of Palmito Ranch: In far south Texas, more than a month after Confederate General Lee's surrender, the last land battle of the civil war ends with a Confederate victory.
 
May 23 – Union troops parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC to celebrate the end of the American Civil War.

May 25 – Mobile magazine explosion: 300 are killed in Mobile, Alabama when an ordnance depot explodes.

June 2 – American Civil War: Confederate forces west of the Mississippi under General Edmund Kirby Smith surrender at Galveston, Texas, becoming the last to do so.

June 19 – American Civil War: Union Major General Gordon Granger lands at Galveston, Texas and informs the people of Texas of the Emancipation Proclamation. (an event now celebrated each year as Juneteenth).

June 23 – American Civil War: At Fort Towson in Oklahoma Territory, Confederate General Stand Watie, a Cherokee Indian, surrenders the last significant Rebel army.

June 25th- President Lincoln announces to his cabinet that he is close to coming up with an answer to slave problem, and he will announce it before or after July 4th.

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Expect another update today.

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Expect another update today.

Well, unexpected things have come out, so expect an update tomorrow or Wednesday.

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 July 2- The Salvation Army is founded in London, England

July 5 – The U.S. Secret Service is founded after a the "Government Officials Protection act" is approved in both houses of congress. President Lincoln signs it into law.


 
July 7 –  President Lincoln introduces his "Natural Citizen Bill" to his cabinet which is a bill announcing that all slaves will be moved from the United States to Hati. The bill is controversial to say the least.




 July 21 – In the market square of Springfield, Missouri, Wild Bill Hickok shoots Dave Tutt dead in what is regarded as the first true western showdown.


  July 30 – The steamer Brother Jonathan sinks off the California coast, killing 225.

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Comments, anyone?

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I guess African-Americans don't like Lincoln anymore?

The bill has not been introduced to the public as of yet.

This TL is also different because Lincoln's views have not changed, originally he didn't want to free any slaves in real life, he just wanted to save the Union.

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I guess African-Americans don't like Lincoln anymore?

The bill has not been introduced to the public as of yet.

This TL is also different because Lincoln's views have not changed, originally he didn't want to free any slaves in real life, he just wanted to save the Union.

He most certainly did want to free the slaves in real life, but he also used the Emancipation Proclamation to gain favor with free blacks. 

Abraham Lincoln was antislavery.  He had been since his entrance into political office, and earlier since he was a child.

He wanted to send freed slaves to Liberia, Panama, and Haiti, sure...However, he tried it and it proved impractical. 

I don't think he would have forced it.

If you watched the History Channel's The Presidents, they told how is views were for the issue.

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August 5th- In a speech to Congress, President Lincoln unveils his new plans and bills, including his "Natural Citizen Bill", his intentions to reinstate Habius Corpus, and his "Southern Reentry Bill".

After the speech, must of the newspaper believe that habus corpus is likely to be reinstated.

The Southern Rentry plan is a plan created by the President to readmit southern states to the Union. The States Confederate leaders must be pardend, and the officials must recite an oath to be readmitted to the union. The same goes for the citizens, when the states get over 10%, the states reenter the union, get their congress members, and receive elctorical votes.

As for the Natural Citizen Bill, it is highly controversial. The bill states that freed slaves under the age of forty will be taken by ship from America to Hatti, and if they refuse, they will be arrested and forced to Hatti. The Democrats are widely to support the bill as well as most Republicans, but the Radical Republicans led by Secretary of State Hamlin have not voiced their opinion as of yet.


What is the Secretary of State's opinion of the bill?

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Lincoln reaaly is being a dick in this TL. Separating millions of black families is just unacceptable. Lincoln will allow blacks ages 40 and above to stay in the U.S. and have equal rights (in practice, not just in principle), right?

I decided to go all out on this TL. A earlier poster said they wanted to see a harsher Lincoln so there you go.

As for the slaves that are left, they will have equal rights, that will come in a year.

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Lincoln reaaly is being a dick in this TL. Separating millions of black families is just unacceptable. Lincoln will allow blacks ages 40 and above to stay in the U.S. and have equal rights (in practice, not just in principle), right?

This is based on his beliefs. He personally believed that African Americans could never successfully integrate into American society and would be brutally repressed in the South at some time in the future. Therefore, he believed that African Americans would be better off living outside the United States. The bill itself, however, is entirely the authors creation, at least to my knowledge.

The Bill is my creation.

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August 10th: President Lincoln reinstates Habius Corpus


August 25th: The Southern Reentry Bill is Signed by President Lincoln. The Official oath is officially created, and notified by law as the Official pledge of the United States.

The Official oath is: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

President Lincoln also announces his plan to Pardon all confederate state and army leaders,  minus the President and his cabinet.


The Current Map after the war, with no states readmitted into the Union

September 1st: The House begins debating the "Natural Citizen Bill". The Radical Republicans finally give their opinions on the issue. They refuse to support it due to the harshness of the bill to the slaves. But, the rest of the Republican Party and the Democrats support the bill.

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September 10th: The Natural Citizen Bill comes toa vote in the House. It wins 125-70.

September 20th: Tennessee becomes the first state readmitted to the Union.



October 2nd: The bill comes to a vote in the Senate. The Bill barley passes with a vote of 32-20

October 4th: President Lincoln signs the bill into law. The first ship will leave on October 31st,1865.

October 6th: At a rally, Fredrick Douglas blast the President as as inbred traitor. "The slaves Greatest Friend has betrayed us, we shall rise up against him" As a result Lincoln issues an arrest warrant for Fredrick Douglas.


Fredirick Douglas, now the country's most wanted man.

October 8th: Fredrick Douglas is captured at Niagara Falls, trying to escape with freed slaves into Canada.

October 14th: President Lincoln order General George A. Custer to be in charge of Army security for the first ship of traveling slaves.

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Anyone have any comments or Suggestions?

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October 26th: Arkansas is the second state readmitted to the union.

October 31st: A series of 10 ships with former slaves left for Hatti. About 5,000 slaves were sent in the first wave.



November 10: Major Henry Wirz, the superintendent of a prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia, is hanged, becoming the only American Civil War soldier to be executed for war crimes.

November 15th: The second wave of ships head for Hatti with 35,000 Freed slaves.

December 11 – The U.S. Congress creates the House Appropriations Committee and the Committee on Banking and Commerce, reducing the tasks of the Committee on Ways and Means.

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Lincoln couldn't have arrested Douglass. 

Also, this simply doesn't align with the facts.

It don't matter, it is a figment of my imagination.

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Lincoln couldn't have arrested Douglass. 

Also, this simply doesn't align with the facts.

It don't matter, it is a figment of my imagination.

In that case, it is a good TL.

That is the purpose of a TL. Most are made for entertainment, while other strive for accuracy. I go for the former.

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Appreciate it guys

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  December 18 – The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution (which forever abolishes slavery) is declared ratified by 3/4 of the states of the United States. Even though most freed slaves won't be US citizens, the ones over forty apply.
 
 December 21 – North Carolina is readmitted to the Union

   
December 24 – Jonathan Shank and Barry Ownby form the Ku Klux Klan, to resist Reconstruction and intimidate "carpetbaggers" and "scalawags", as well as to repress the freed slaves.



December 25- President Lincoln issues his first Christmas Address. In it he states that he is glad to see the Union's southern brothers coming to their sense, but the work is not finished yet.