Act One
Settling in
Chapter I - The early years of the Whigs
Demographics
Literacy was on the rise, increased from 50% to 58% in four years, thanks to the exceptionally high education investment of the Whigs. Within this program, in 1837 William H. McGuffy prepared the first two of his 'Eclectic Readers'. These Readers offered lessons in morality, religion and patriotism as they helped millions of children learn to read phonics, word repetition, letter association, and chalanging, vivid stories. Later, in 1838, Horace Mann, politican and lawyer began his reforms in Massachussetts. His system of schools became a model in the United States, and was later adopted in many other American countries. Some of the greatest libraries in the States were founded in this period as well.
The short visit of Frédéric Chopin in 1838 brought
Romanticism to the United States.
Emigration was on the rise, creating temporary unemployment because the level of mines and farms couldn't generate enough jobs without sufficient government backing for expansion, which was unavailable at the time due to the depression caused by land speculation. But once the emigrants settled in and had their papers in order, it was much easier for them to move inside the States, and there was always some jobs in different places, so in the long run, it was good for business. It is important to mention that at the time, only full citizens (meaning yankees or dixies in origin) were allowed to vote or participate in social affairs because of the slave-holder menatlity in the nation's ruling parties. But that was about to change in a few decades.
The States started a long-term plan of creating a strong Reserve Army to assist in case of an attack, while a decent Standing Army would be in charge of any interventions on foreign lands. The creation of said Reserve Army was a long process which took many years, but by the end of the Whigs' first term, twelve divisons' worth of Infantry was the formal strength on paper. Still way behind what was deemed necessary to protect the entire nation. With the Post-Napoleonic ideas developing in the US Navy, the military thinkers of the time decided that the Superior Crew Thesis will be the one to pursue, which was based on the best possible training the Navy could give, ensuring better chances in naval battles for our fleets. Following that, the Army adopted the analogy in army-terms: the Clausewitzian Theory. It was already known back then and mathematically proved just recently, that the results of battles fought with a Clausewitzian mindset will always triumph over one fought by Jominian terms.
With the failure of the Mormon bank, and internal squabbling amongst the faithful in Kirtland, Ohio, most of the church, including John Smith migrated into West Missouri, where they staked out land in Daviess county and other areas in Northwestern Missouri, including settlements at Far West and Zion. They caused some trouble later on with tension with the local settlers rose. As part of the many raids during the so called 'Mormon War', the village at Haun's Mill was attacked by over two houndred settlers from Livingstone and other counties, killing 18 and wounding 15. This raid helped persuading John Smith and the rest of the Mormons to surrender, ending the conflict. After the end of the war, the Mormons moved to the east, now settling in Illinos.
Industry
The infrastructural progress that became the trademark of the era started in these four years. When the Whigs came to power in '36, most of the country still had no railroads, but within a few years, the North-Eastern territories had an extensive Experimental Railroad system, and even Tennessee and Georgia was covered by trains. This was possible due to the good conditions created by the government, that allowed private investors to found new companies to expand Westward. The USA's infrastructure was far better than most of the World at the time, but still way behind the British and the French.
A railroad map of the United States from 1841.
New inventions of the late '30s made some pioneering new branches of industry possible: the Furniture and Luxury Goods Factories, which would help people improve their homes, the Paper Mills, making paper (and thus books and newspapers) available to the masses and the Steel and Cement Factories, which would help the construction-industry take off the ground, literally.
The progress made in the field of
Mechanical Produciton then later
Organized Factories were also very influential.
And where there's infrastructure, industry is sure to follow! A new Lumber Mill was built in Virginia; a Fabric Factory, Paper Mill and a Steamer Shipyard in New York; a Steel Factory in Louisiana (still not meeting the ever increasing demand); a Chemical Plant in Missouri; a Canned Food Factory in Illinois, a Luxury Goods Factory (which soon went bankrupt because of lack of proper workforce) in Maine; a Small Arms Factory in South Carolina; a Liqour Distillery in the Mid-Atlantic region and an Explosives Factory in Southern New England.
A statistical breakdown of the major companies of the early '40s.
Then in '40, with the stabilization of the economy, the modernization of the society could begin, with more and more farmers and miners starting to migrate to cities and taking up jobs in the industrial sector as factory workers. The rapid industrialization of the country was sucking in the people of the countryside quickly.
Economy
The earlier decision of not forbiding paper money to pay for land purchases took its toll a year later with the 'Panic of 1837': New York banks began refusing to make specie (bullion coin) payments in early 1837, and the bubble of land speculation and paper money in the United States finally burst, leading to a collapse of the nation's finances and an onset of depression. In the second half of their term, the Whigs decided to increase tarrifs and decrease army maintenance to help pay back the ever growing national debt.
Another huge blow to the economy (strongly attacked by the oposition of course) was the 'Third System Fort Construction Project'. The first phase of this plan was put into effect on 1 July 1838, again, taking a heavy toll on the budget, and necessitating another loan. But in exchange, the major ports of the Eastern Coast were fortified in record time.
The harshness of the panic of 1837 caused many in the Unites States to place the blame on the Harrison administration and its failure to renew the charter of the Second National Bank. It was argued that a central bank would have had the means to intervene in such a crisis. The President broke with the former policy, reinstating the Second National Bank. Then on 5 July 1840, the government initiated the Independent Treasury Act, which would allow the them control over their own money. This was supposed to fix the damage already done started by the land speculation.
The introduction of
Market Structure, then later the
Stock Exchange was undeniably very helpful in helping the economy back to its feet again. Later.
With the burden of repaying the Laon taken to save that factory in Virginia in '36, the economy was recovering very slowly, becuase the new purchases of land and the Industrial expansion did cost quite a lot for the treasury. Still, by early '40, all the national debt was repayed, and the treasury had enough reserves that the government could start to reduce taxes and increase spending somewhat. Not by much, but it was a start.
Domestic events
In 1836, six thousand New Yorkers attending to a bread, meat, rent and fuel rally in Chatham Square rioted against flour merchants whom they claimed were hoarding their goods in order to drive up prices. A warehouse was burned down, and the incident was one of the first major riots in the States of poor versus property. The Whigs tried to calm down the masses by paying some remedies.
Next year Texas, before applying for statehood in the United States of America, first applied for formal recognition, as they believed that this might make membership in the Union follow more easily. The Whigs government (despite some oposition within the party, bringing up issues with Texas' slaveholding practices) took the oportunity to improve the relations with an enemy of neighbouring Mexico. Tension between the two nation was on the rise.
Later that year Michigan was added to the United States flag, now holding 26 stars. Michigan was always known as a free state, never having a noticable slave holding population.
Settlement of the West never stopped. The years 1837 and 1838 saw Northern and Southwestern Wisconsin, Northwestern Iowa purchased from Sioux natives. The States was on its way to fulfill the Manifest Destiny, and people were happy about it. Not so much the natives. Relations with the tribes was worsening every day, and a war was hanging in the air.
In late '38, a new socialist newspaper was founded, but it went bankrupt in a matter of weeks. Proponents of socialism (the few there were) stated that it was forced out of business by the joined forces of the conservatives and liberals, but actually noone ever bought it because of lack of interest to begin with. Socialism never really had a strong support in the United States.
After years of guerilla fighting in the swamps of Florida, which saw many Seminole victories, Chiefs Micanopy and Osceola wanted peace and agreed to move west. In October 1837, Osceola met with General Joseph Hernandez to ask for the release of a captured chief, but the flag of truce was not respected and he was captured, later dying in 1838. This is one detail of history that the American nation might not be proud of, but still can't hide from the World. But at least it stopped the fighting in Florida for good.
In 1827, the Cherokee tribe tried to form a state of their own independent from the state of Georgia, called the Cherokee Nation. But in the late '30s, gold was found in their territory, which Georgia wanted for themselves. After the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the autonomy of the Cherokee Nation, Georgia secured an order for their removal, which was enforced by military assistance. President Harrison decided not to intervene. It was decided to be an internal affair of the state of Georgia. The Cherokee emigrated to the West, but many of them died on the journey which was later refered to as the 'Trail of Tears'.
In 1841, Ralph Waldo Emersson published his first collection of 'Essays' and introduced to the World a new, rather mystical, philosophy indigenous to the New World. Although many Europeans didn't consider him much of a philosopher per se, his influence on Continental thinking was unmistakable, mostly on Nietzsche.
Foreign politics
In December 1837, the United States agreed to sign a Defense Pact with Texas in case of any future wars with Mexico. At that time, the US really needed this pact, as the Standing Army was nowhere near the needed levels for an actual war, and neither was the Reserve Army, yet a war with Mexico wasn't that far from becoming a reality, as relations between the two freed former colonies were far from being warm and friendly.
The US' involvement in the Canadian revolt of William Lyon Mackenzie didn't go unnoticed in the Canadian minority, but President Harrison decided that the relations with the United Kingdom (the most powerfull country in the World at the time, and also a neighbour of the States!) are more important than 'what a handful of treecutters think about our government'. Improveing the relations with the British Empire was a major goal of the Whigs at the time, so this was hardly a surprise, actually.
In early '38, an important conference was held in Austin, Texas, where a sizeable delegate of United States bankers were present, exchanging interesting new innovations with their Texan collages in the areas of Ad-Hoc Money Bill Printing (something not yet practiced in the US) and the theories regarding Market Structure (a very new concept in Texas at the time). All attendands agreed that this meeting was beneficial for both nations' economy.
Other foreign news
In early '36, Ernst August became King of Hanover, after William IV, king of the United Kingdom and Hanover died. Because of the differences between the succession laws in the two countries, Queen Victora accended to the throne of the United Kingdom, but she couldn't inherit the throne of Hanover, which debarred women from the succession. The other German countries, including then Great Powers Prussia and the Austrian Empire, quickly accepted the newly independent king into their formal Alliance (practically only a Defence Pact).
After a very short war, India annexed Sindh in 1837. After almost two years of war, they also made peace with Afghanistan, returning to Status Quo. The political situation in the region was still very chaotic in the years to come.
Argentina joined the Chilean war on Bolivia in '37. Chile was making some progress in the early months, while Bolivia had trouble in the Northern parts. The war ended on 15 January of 1838, with the Bolivian-Peruvian Confederation being dissolved, thus the two nations of Peru and Bolivia were born. Later, in '41, conflict was renewed when Agustín Gamarra Messia, then current President of Peru started an invasion of Bolivia to fulfill his ambitions of a new, unified Peru-Bolivia but now under Peruvian rule.
The Piratini Republic (trying to break away from Brazil) was on the verge of collapse by mid '37, and surrendered in the harsh winter of '37, keeping only their capital. Uruguay, an ally of Brazil got nothing out of the war, but that was to be expected, as the Piratini Republic was claimed to be entirely the territory of Brazil.
But disturbance was not limited to South America: in the United States of Central America riots and rebelions were commonplace throughout the '30s. This somewhat artificial nation was never really stable, and a split among the separatist factions was only a matter of time. More or less the same could be told about Mexico. A rebellion in Yucatan led to the creation of a new, independent state on 10 January 1838. The United States recognized the new nation immediately, hoping to hurt Mexico a bit in the process.
After many small incidents, the Opium War broke out between India and China in 1839. The rest of the British Empire joined the conflict on the side of British India. The war was settled on 28 June 1840 with the Treaty of Nanjing, giving control of most major ports in China to the United Kingdom. Western technology triumphed over Eastern manpower and tradition.
In January 1840, the United Kingdom granted some self-governance to their new dominion in Northern America: Canada.
Election Campaign of '41
At the start of the '41 Campaign, the Democrats held about 85% of the votes according to the early poll, while the Whigs only held 15%. Even though the government managed to bring back the economy from the crisis in '37 and had a positive balance lately, even though they had built (or help build) many new factories, creating thousands of new jobs, even though infrastructural progress was unprecedented, even though literacy has increased by almost 8% in the 4 years of the Harrison administration, the population was not satisfied.
Trade Policy was the main issue in North Carolina. As usual, Free Trade argument prevailed without breaking a sweat.
Sometime around February, a Reactionary Demagogue appeard out of nowhere in Maryland, trying to convince the population to vote for the American Party. He was quite successful, but by far not successful enough.
This year's election couldn't go by without incidents of the slavery issue. In August, 1839, the Cuban schooner 'Amistad' was seized off Long Island with Africans aboard who had overtrown their captors and taken the ship. In a trial spanning almost two years, the case touched on the volitale issue of slavery and brought attention to the divisions of the country again.
Slavery was also the main issue in Delaware, where in the end, abolitionist arguments prevailed.
Military spending was more important in Mississippi, where the majority agreed that a strong Army is necessary to keep the European expansionism and South American chaos at bay.
Maybe the Universal Suffrage, initiated 4 years ago wasn't that good an idea after all? Maybe. At least President Harrison thought it wasn't, and as a last attempt to remedy the situation (citing some obscure ammendment of the Constitution) rectified the act, returning to the 'voting-by-wealth' system. As it turned out, this helped. A lot. The new poll stated that about 75% of the now voting population supported the Whigs! That was enough to turn the tables, and help the Whigs be elected for a second term.