Hail, Columbia! (The Election of 1816)

After a near quarter century of Continental domination, only to be briefly interrupted by the war hero Lafayette, the Democrat Martin Van Buren was to be the first real opposition candidate in the history of the Commonwealth to capture the Presidency. With just 30 years barely eligible to run for the office, he nevertheless was able to capture an anti-Continental sentiment in the nation, and surpisingly beat former President Hidalgo, who would later return to Mexico and called his involvement a "mistake of old age". Congress, elected in 1811, had an anti-Continental majority, and Van Buren was able to build his own coalition of Northern Democrats, abolitionist Liberals, francophone Républicains and spaniard Radicales.

The most pressing issue of the day remained the slavery question. While Van Buren was elected himself on an anti-slavery ticket, he feared the Southeastern planter provinces, thus not giving his support to a constitutional amendment abolishing slavery, such as was debated during the last president's term. Instead, Van Buren tried to forge a compromise with the planter provinces - later dubbed the "Van Buren-Crawford Settlement" - that would effectively ban all forms of slavery in all provinces, territories, and future territories of the Commonwealth outside a number of Southeastern provinces (Virginia, Tennessee, the Carolinas, Georgia) and institute a gradual phase-out in others (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, the Floridas), while also enabling a few measures that tried to improve the slaves' livelihood, for example forbidding the selling of children without their mothers. While neither side was fully satisified, it was seen as putting the issue to rest for a time.

Van Buren was eager to get the nation's mind away from the slavery question, and craft a legacy of his own. In a series of reforms dubbed the "Great Western Expansion", Van Buren erected a series of forts and trade posts into the western plains and woods, along the major rivers; constructed road and boat services between these new settlements, and organised a vast stretch of the Northwest into new territories. In order to attract settlers into the new lands, Van Buren issued a series of land grants where farmers were able to freely take land if they were ready to farm them for the next fifteen years.

Van Buren's Democrats and his coalition parties were able to keep their majority in Congress in the 1814 election. In time before the 1816 election, Congress furthermore swiftly admitted the newly created territories of Huron, Ottawa and Illinois as provinces, a move that enraged many Continentals, seeing as the new provinces were considered strongholds for the Democratic Party. This enlarged the size of the Electoral College to 62, with a needed majority of 32 votes.

The following candidates were running for President of the Commonwealth in 1816:

President Martin Van Buren of New York [Democratic]
The incumbent President is running for reelection, on a platform of expanding the land grants in the West, and on the success of seemingly "solving" the slavery issue. He furthermore wants the National Bank to be reformed into a group of banks run by the provinces, invest into infrastructure, and easen protective tariffs.

Senator John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts[Continental]
The Continentals have rebranded themselves in opposition, and are now mainly seen as the party of urban interests, in opposition to the more rural Democrats. They oppose the President's plans regarding the National Bank, and are supporters of the protective tariffs for the beginning industries in the northern cities. John Quincy Adams is running for the Continental ticket.

Frmr. Governor Jeremiah Smith of New Hampshire [Liberal]
The Liberal Party is largely seen as a one issue party, running on the total abolition of slavery also in the Southeast, through a Constitutional amendment. Their chances are seen as rather slim, since the question seems to have been put away by mainstream society, and their voters do not extend much further than the Maritime New England provinces in the Northeast.

Governor José María Morelos of Mexico[Radical]
The Partido Radical is the Mexican and Spaniard coalition of interest, running a middle ground between Continentals and Democrats. They support the tariffs and the National Bank, but also lobby for land grants and development of the Southwestern territories, as well as for an easening of the connection between Ciudad Mexico and the capital. Their candidate, Governor Morelos, is seen as a likely candidate for Vice President, and their votes in the Electoral College could prove vital in the event of a hung first round.

Senator William Crawford of Georgia [American]
The American Party arose during the slavery conflict, but even now, they propagate the interests of the Southeastern planters. They want to decomission the Native territory in the Southeast, extend slavery into some southwestern territories, and restrict immigration into the nation.

3 days

	Welcome, Guest. Please login or register. Did you miss your activation email? April 29, 2024, 06:37:36 PM

News: Election Simulator 2.0 Released. Senate/Gubernatorial maps, proportional electoral votes, and more - Read more