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cthulhu: Thank you :)

coryman: Nope, no world conquest.

Frankly, I'll be amazed if I get 1st place :p

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The Election of 1840

After three turbulent and politically unsuccessful years in office, the incumbent President Van Buren rather unenthusiastically prepared for another election campaign. With little fanfare or confidence, the Democratic Party renominated who they believed to be the first president to lose a reelection. The 8th President seemed to have lost a great deal of his vigor and vitality, giving an appearance of distance and exhaustion.

The Whig Party, on the other hand, had good reason to hope for victory. The war hero William Henry Harrison became the standard bearer for the party. Rallies across the country shouted "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!" while Democrats could only mumble "Martin Van Buren: He's O.K.".

Neither candiadate, however, seemed to be incredibly appealing to voters. Though Harrison was a hero of the Indian wars in the West, he lacked political experience of any kind. Van Buren was the opposite; Old Kinderhook was a master diplomat and brilliant statesman in comparison to Old Tippecanoe. Many derided Harrison of being too old to be President, already at the age of 66. Others criticized Van Buren for his bungling of the nation's economic well-being during the hardest years of the Panic of 1837, the effects of which were still being felt.

Since the end of the Second Bank, the United States had been without any centralized banking system or steady control over the banking of the country. In June of 1840, members of Congress proposed the Independent Treasury Act, a measure that would allow the federal government control over its finances to rectify the error made with the "wildcat" banks, without the supposed dangers of a national bank. For most Democrats, such a measure was extremely desirable, as it would curry favor from voters and rally support to the party. Stunning and horrifying to the Democrats, Van Buren bafflingly spoke out against the act. Delighted, the Whig majority in Congress instantly sealed the fate of the act, stealing away even more support from the Democrats. Defeat seemed undoubtedly certain in November.

As the Whigs waited anxiously to snatch up the presidency, disaster struck. Numerous Whig members and supporters, dissatisfied with Harrison's supportive stance on slavery, broke off from the party to form the Liberty Party, calling for limited citizenship to the slaves of the South and noiminating James G. Birney. The Whigs watched in horror as almost a half of its supporters joined this new party.

Election day was nothing short of miraculous for the Democratic Party, with Van Buren squeezing into the Presidency with 51% of the votes. The Liberty Party had destroyed the Whigs chances of victory, immediately stealing half of party's votes. Southern Whigs, desperate to preserve slavery and keep the Liberty Party out of office, jumped ship and joined the Democrats, managing to keep the decision out of the House. All together, the Whigs recieved 28% of the vote and the Liberty Party 21%.

Barely able to believe the political miracle that had fallen into their laps, the Democrats were in office for another four years
 
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TC Pilot said:
Rallies across the country shouted "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too!" while Democrats could only mumble "Martin Van Buren: He's O.K.".
:rofl: Reminds me of today's Democrats! But curse that Liberty party, I wanted to see the Whigs take the White House. I wonder, will "Stucon" take Van Buren to a third term or will he find another puppet, er, I mean, candidate?
 
VILenin: Probably another puppet. Van Buren doesn't have the popularity or the crisis to justify it. :)

BBBD: I honestly don't see that happening, to be fair. I'm not that good :p

weychun: Could work, though 80% of the population is liberal.

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1840-1844

The second term of the Van Buren presidency started, fortunately, without the debilitating effects of a national economic crisis. Instead, the Democrats were greeted with a crisis of the political realm. In Canada, a small contingent of dissatisfied settlers rebelled in Ontario, forming "the Republic of Canada". Many Americans, considering it a belated extension of the American Revolution, sent aid in the manner of money, supplies, and weapons via the steamship Caroline. Angry loyalist forces siezed the Caroline and set in ablaze, casting it over the Niagra Falls. American forces retaliated, destroying the Sir Robert Peel. Relations between Great Britain and the United States decayed rapidly until Van Buren dispatched troops under General Scott to prevent further incidents.

Relations with Great Britain worsened more still when Americans and British-Canadians came into conflict over the location of the boudary between Maina and New Brunswick when Americans began making land claims in the Aroostook River Valley in the disputed zone. As the conflict widened, Maine and New Brunswick both sent militia, but conflict was averted finally in mid-1840 by General Scott and his British counterpart.

arwarmap_small.jpg

Tensions over the northern lands of Maine nearly resulted in war

Though both crisese were over, both sides finally decided to sit down and negotiate, to keep such minor accurences from blossoming into full-scale war. What resulted was the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed July of 1842. The treaty was recieved well on both sides, as it settled the location of the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick, as well as the northern border of the United States west of the Great Lakes. Both countries also vowed to help end the slave trade on the high seas. For both the United States and Great Britain, it was a strong first step towards rebuilding friendly relations.

hardingweb1.jpg

Daniel Webster, Secretary of State in 1842

In Mexico, the revolts that plagued the northern regions of the country were still growing. But with Mexican forces distracted hundreds of miles away, Mexican citizens revolted in the south and Yucatan. The capital of Mexico City was captured and loyal Mexican troops were defeated, reducing both the north and south of Mexico to chaotic civil war. Federalists along the Rio Grande, aided by Texans, rebelled as well. Finally, in July of 1841, the government finally gave in, and the Mexican monarchy was established, quickly restoring order to anarchy. With order finally restored, Mexico then turned its attention on the struggling Republic of Texas, still locked in terrible debt with a terribly depleted military force.

SS3.jpg

The new Kingdom of Mexico, providing stability to the land.

Despite their dire situation, President Lamar had announced the Lamar Doctrine, to established Texan control of the entirety of Mexico's northern lands and the Yucatan. If the infant Republic were to be annexed by the United States, Lamar's dream of a Texas spanning from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific would need to be vanquished.

smallmirabeaubuonapartelamar.jpg

Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar, President of Texas

Domestically, however, the United States soon to suffer several unprecedented events during the second Van Buren term. After the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled in Commonwealth v. Hunt that unions were not to be found guilty for conspiracy, capitalists all across the country could tolerate no more. In late May 1842, capitalists protested the Democratic administration's policies, sparking riots in the city. The riot in Hartford would soom be dwarfed in November of the same year, when 6,000 civilians rioted in New York City, and then another 1,000 in Boston a year later. In all three cases, federal troops had been forced to put down the civil disorder.

Slowly but steadily, the American nation was growing in both size and power.

SS1.jpg

The United States of America, 1844

 
VILenin: I think a Stukov Doctrine, put down in words, would be so insidiously evil that it wouldn't go over too well with Americans, who, despite being fanatically devoted to furthering their cause through whatever means, would find it too diabolically evil :p

weychun: Really? I heard rip-off when I played. :p

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March 20th, 1844:

Major Yuri Ishnarov stood ram-rod straight in front of the door, barring anyone from escaping the presidential office, armed as always with his AK-45. On the other side of the portal, two of his comrades made sure the Emperor was not disturbed.

Emperor Stukov, dressed in a military garb tailored extensively to look as his old Imperial uniform, sat in the President Van Buren's chair, behind the President Van Buren's desk in President Van Buren's house in President Van Buren's country.

Yuri surpressed a smile of satisfaction that threatened to crack through his emotionless facade at the thought of the Emperor, even in defeat, still managing to maintain his Imperial presence somewhere, and in some time. For seven years, the Emperor and Emperess had been controlling the majority of the United States government, extending their clandestine influence through bribery, political blackmail, extortion, assassination, and outright torture in the case of the President.

Van Buren, who was the man who was supposed to be running the country, stood cowering before the Emperor, the smell of fear about him.

Idly, Stukov stroked his chin, looking down contemptuously at Van Buren.

"Your use is vastly running out, Martin," the Emperor lashed out. "Soon I can throw you aside like a piece of trash once the next election comes. You will step down, like all good, precedent-following Presidents do, and pray that I am merciful enough to leave you out of the skilled hands of my Imperial Guard," he finished, gesturing appreciatively towards Yuri.

A swell of pride filled Yuri. The Emperor appreciated his skill and loyalty, the skill and loyalty of all Yuri's comrades.

Van Buren licked his lips nervously, swallowing occasionally as if he were preparing to speak. "Yes, master," was all the man could manage.

"Until then," Stukov continued, utterly ingnoring the American's obvious discomfort, "I'll will continue using you for what little value you have left. This land of farmers is practically defenseless. Aside from a navy, all this country has is four regular divisions, a division of naive capitalists' children, and a handful of worthless militia. That must change."

Van Buren nodded his complete agreement, "B-but your highness, you cancelled the development of new fortifications along the coastline."

The Emperor shot him a poisonous look, causing Van Buren to flinch. "Fool! What good are worthless forts if you have no one to defend them?"

"I..I-I....I...." Van Buren stammered.

"Shut up. I did not give you permission to speak," Stukov muttered callously, cracking his knuckles, "We will need cavalry first. And then we will need infantry. Pull the neccesary manpower from the South and New England."

Van Buren bowed, "Yes, your highness."

The Emperor stood up suddenly, causing Van Buren to jump in surprise and alarm. Yuri laughed mockingly in his head.

Stukov curled his right hand into a fist, squeezing it angrily. "Those damnable Mexicans. It would have been a simple thing to sweep in and snatch their lands while they were in turmoil. That damnable Lamar. Without that insufferable Lamar, we could annex them. And those damnable British, looming overhead in the frigid north," he spat with virulence.

Van Buren didn't know how to respond, swallowing nervously.

Stukov glared at Van Buren, "Your party will win the election in November. We must prepare them and this nation for war."

Van Buren's eyes went wide. "War, your majesty!? B-but...the people aren't ready for a war."

Stukov chuckled softly, forcing the laughter up from deep in his throat. "If they are not prepared, then I will make them ready, or they shall burn in the forge of war while you burn in hell."
 
Ha ha! Is this what you would call a non-typical AAR?

Its good though!

Great job! :)
 
Nice AAR.
So, kids, who wants to be a president? :D
 
TC Pilot said:
Stukov glared at Van Buren, "Your party will win the election in November. We must prepare them and this nation for war."

Van Buren's eyes went wide. "War, your majesty!? B-but...the people aren't ready for a war."

Stukov chuckled softly, forcing the laughter up from deep in his throat. "If they are not prepared, then I will make them ready, or they shall burn in the forge of war while you burn in hell."
Yep, you're right, that's pretty insidiously evil. Might turn off the voters some. But maybe Stukov could mask the evil by using "liberty" or "freedom" every other word when he speaks in public.
 
weychun said:
What did I missed, how did Stukov became Emperor again?

He did not. Not officially at least. I guess the guards call him that because he actually is their Emperor and van Buren does it becuase he wants to live a little longer.
 
Mettermrck: He seems to have a general disdain for the majority of America, despite his own childhood. ;)

sw_myers: I excell at non-typical :rolleyes:

NikkTheTrick: How about you?

BBBD: Incidentally, the U.S. has no liberal parties. They got one Anarcho-Liberal party... *shakes fist absently*

VILenin: "Freedom kill liberty everyone. Freedom war liberty is freedom great." :p

weychun: :)

cthulhu: Bingo.

John794: Indeed it is. :)

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The Election of 1844

Twice, the Whig Party had tried, and failed, to gain the Presidency of the United States. With the election fast approaching, the Whigs once more hoped for the best.

Once more, the always Senatorial Henry Clay ran for president. Despite his rather poor record in presidential elections, Clay was the most prominent member of the Whig Party, a staunch Jackson hater, and the "Great Compromiser" and was considered to have the best chance of snatching the presidency from the Democrats, who had been heavily entrenched in the White House for sixteen years, weathering virtually every crisis fate could throw at a country. With his Whig background, Clay hoped to attract the old Federalist strongholds of New England and take the Western states with his Kentucky heritage. By now, most had completely forgotten about the scandalous "Corrupt Bargain" of the 1824 election, and support was high for the Kentuckian Whig.

Van Buren, now an emaciated, exhausted husk of his former self, wearily stepped but thankfully prepared to step down from the executive office. To fill the void, the Democratic Party picked James K. Polk, surprising Whigs and Democrats alike. Polk was a relative unknown compared to Clay, despite being Speaker of the House and governor of Tennessee, and virtually no one had expected this. Polk pledged to continue to the policies set forth by Jackson and Van Buren, but also extolled the virtues of Manifest Destiny and American expansionism towards the Pacific.

The Liberty Party, the bane of the Whig Party of the 1840 Election, had effectively ceased to be a serious factor during the electoral campaign. Over the last four years, both the Democratic and Whig Parties had banded together to reduce the influence of the abolitionists in Congress as much as possible. By 1844, the Liberty Party was all but finished, and any hopes for a electoral victory were nonexistent or the delusions of lunatics.

November arrived as one would expect, and the elections were soon over. Like the last two elections, the Whig Party was defeated. Polk received a total of 57% of the vote, Clay 35%, and the Liberty Party a mere 8%. For the fifth time in a row, the Democrats had won, making many foreign observers jokingly wonder if American democracy was nothing but a one-party sham.

200px-Polkpolk.jpg

James K. Polk, Ninth President of the United States.

With an expansionist President committed to Manifest Destiny now in the White House, many wondered what direction he would take the nation in. Already, America's army had been slowly expanding under Van Buren, with an infantry division composed entirely of those with wealthy backgrounds, and two cavalry divisions being formed. Some worried these new forces would soon have to be put to the test, as a potential war between the Republic of Texas and the Mexican monarchy grew ever greater.

 
TC Pilot said:
"Freedom kill liberty everyone. Freedom war liberty is freedom great." :p
:wacko: "I'm completely convinced of your honesty and good intentions"
Great update, though I'm beginning to worry that the Whigs might not have much of a chance for a comeback! :p
 
TC Pilot said:
NikkTheTrick: How about you?

*Looking at THAT THING in Yuri's hand*
Hmm... Err.... I'd better stick to biochemistry :rolleyes: