The Path Forward - An Alternate 19th Century

[Huey Long is a Republican]

PROLOGUE

The Washington and Adams Administrations and the Election of 1800 + The End of George III and the Reigns of George IV and Frederick I

On January 1st, 1800, the long and bloody 18th century ended with the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte in France beginning and the unpopular President John Adams was going to face his Democratic-Republican Opponent in the United States' Fourth Presidential Election. However, in order to discuss the importance of the Election of 1800 in the grand scheme of a great many things, it is important to discuss what came before and what led to the election in the first place. This means one will have to examine the period of 1783-1799 more thoroughly to reach a proper understanding.

On September 3rd, 1783, the American Revolutionary War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris. With said treaty, Great Britain was to recognize the sovereignty of the United States and the British Crown and all subsequent heirs and inheritors of it are to relinquish any and all past and future claims on the country. Also in the treaty was the recognition of a border between British North America and the new nation, the granting of fishing rights of US ships to various waterways shared between the two, and the payment of the debts between both sides. With this, a struggle that had been building for over 20 years by that point had finally ended and peace finally reigned across North America.

However, Peace in both Europe and North America was to not last. In North America, the newly freed nation underwent a period of instability due to its weak federal government. Under the 1781 Articles of Confederation, there was no Head of State for the Government as the executive and legislative branches were merged into one, acting like a parliamentary systems, much like most other countries at the time. The power of the federal government had been strictly limited and was instead given to the Congress of the Confederation whose "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" was also chair of the Committee of the States.

It was due to this that the Government was ineffective and unable to handle any and all crises and the nation quickly became effectively broke. Very quickly, it seemed as if the new nation was quickly coming apart at the seams as many felt Congress had effectively ceased to govern. However, in 1787, it was decided to replace the fault Articles with a new Document, titled the Constitution, that created the position of the United States President and greatly strengthened the Federal Government, allowing for the ability to raise Tariffs or Taxes, creating a national army, and the separation of Congress between the House and Senate with the document being ratified in 1788 with the original first 10 Amendments/Bill of Rights with the Approval of Two-Thirds of states.

Months later, War Hero and the man who led the country to its Independence George Washington was elected as the first President of the United States with all 69 Electoral Votes and every state voting for him, along with him winning 100% of the National Popular Vote. On April 30th, 1789, Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United States and his entire administration would set the standard for American Politics in the future. For his entire eight years, Washington was cautious, always looking for the most careful of choices before going ahead. Standing above partisan politics that would later deeply divide the United States, Washington and his strong Cabinet, consisting of John Adams (Who was his Vice President), Thomas Jefferson (his Secretary of State), Alexander Hamilton (his Secretary of the Treasury), Henry Knox (his Secretary of War), and Edmund Randolph (his Attorney General), helped build the best possible nation and policy for the country to follow.

Being Neutral during the period of 1793 when Great Britian, under the reign of King George IV and Prime Minister Charles James Fox, against the Dutch to support their French Allies, he made sure the United States, still too fragile and young, was not involved in international affairs. By the end of his tenure as President, many in the anti-administration camp would form the Democratic-Republican Party that would be eternal rival of the Federalist Party of Vice President John Adams and Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, with the four largest members of the party being New York Senator Aaron Burr, Former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Congressman James Madison, and Former New York Governor George Clinton.

The 1796 Election would end with Washington gracefully giving up his position to the Vice President after Adams defeated Jefferson. However, due to the fact the position of Vice President having not be specified as to who would obtain the position following the election, it was decided that the office would be maintained by the runner-up in the Electoral College vote. Of course, to many in the modern day, it was obvious as to why such an idea would be unstable and wouldn't last long, but at the time, there was no set precedent. John Adams' Presidency would be immensely unpopular, due to his incessant paranoia and stubbornness, with him creating the infamous the Alien and Sedition Acts and his consistent antagonizing of the French in the XYZ Affair led to a massive collapse of the support for him. Thus, it seemed like the leader of the Democratic-Republicans, Vice President Thomas Jefferson, would easily beat him in the election of 1800. However, on August 13th, 1799, he was struck with the then fatal Smallpox Virus after a brief visit to his home state of Virginia. Days later, as many had expected, Jefferson would pass away, leaving the Vice Presidency position vacant and the Democratic-Republicans effectively leaderless. [1]

It was unknown of how to determine what happened to the position of the Vice President, but it was decided to allow the office to remain effectively vacant due to the fact that the next election would determine who became the next Vice President. Meanwhile, Madison believed himself not yet ready to be President, instead being more a creature of Congress than wanting to be a creature of Executive Politics. This left Aaron Burr and George Clinton, two New Yorkers, as the major figureheads in the Democratic-Republican Party. For several months leading up to 1800, it was up in the air as to who would be the Party's leader in the election. However, on March 2nd, 1800, Burr and Clinton exited a cabin in upstate New York and the latter declared his support for the former as Former Tennessee Governor John Sevier was selected as Burr's Running Mate, putting both the North and the South on the ticket. Months later, Adams, still suffering from major unpopularity, declared former United States Minister to France Charles C. Pinckney of South Carolina as his own running mate.

The 1800 Presidential Election was the first Presidential Election completely free of Washington's influence and would be the election that determined United States Foreign and Domestic Policy for much of the 19th and later, the 20th century as well. Despite disagreements between the two, the long disgraced former Treasury Secretary and United States General Alexander Hamilton supported Adams, having a major dislike of Burr for a vast majority of reasons that reached back decades. The President's case was not helped and for much of the election, Burr ran circles around Adams as the Democratic-Republicans looked hungrily at the White House and the plans they held for it. When the Election was held, Burr had effectively sweeped Adams from the Presidency, winning 64.7% of the Popular Vote, 11 States, and 100 Electoral Votes while Adams carried the remains. Almost immediately, Adams rejected the idea of becoming Vice President once more, left the White House for his home in Massachusetts, not even attending Burr's inauguration as President. While there was no rush, it was decided to push for an effective 12th Amendment that declared that the Presidential Candidate and Running Mate of a ticket shall become the respective President and Vice President should said Ticket win, making John Sevier the 3rd Vice President in American History and the First Tennessean to reach a high position in American politics. Soon, Burr crafted a new cabinet, consisting of Governor James Monroe of Virginia becoming his Secretary of State, The First Ever and Former Reporter of Decisions of the United States Supreme Court Alexander J. Dallas becoming his Secretary of the Treasury, Former New York Governor and co-head of the Party George Clinton as his Secretary of War, Former Virginia Congressman James Madison was chosen as his Attorney General, and Former Commodore Abraham Whipple of Rhode Island was selected as the Secretary of the Navy. With his cabinet settled, the Burr administration prepared for its first full tenure in office.

1800 Election, which saw the interesting figure of Aaron Burr becoming President

Flipped elections from OTL :

Delaware at-Large (DR Gain)
MD-03 (DR Gain)
MA-10 (DR Gain)
MA-12 (DR Gain)
NY-06 (DR Gain)
NY-08 (DR Gain)
PA-03 (DR Gain)
PA-07 (DR Gain)
PA-10 (DR Gain)
SC-03 (DR Gain)

Democratic Republicans (led by Macon) : 76 Seats (+30)
Federalists (led by Sedgwick) : 30 Seats (-30)

Maryland Class III (Richard T. Earle) [DR Gain]
New York Class I (Peter Ganseevort) [DR Gain]
Vermont Class III (Elijah Paine) [DR Gain]

Democratic-Republicans : 17 Setas (+6)
Federalists : 15 Seats (-6)

Burr Administration (1801-?)

President : Aaron Burr (DR-NY)
Vice President : John Sevier (DR-TN)
Secretary of State : James Monroe (DR-VA)
Secretary of the Treasury : Alexander J. Dallas (DR-PA)
Secretary of War : George Clinton (DR-NY)
Attorney General : James Madison (DR-VA)
Secretary of the Navy : Abraham Whipple (DR-RI)

In Europe, there was a different set of circumstances that consumed the continent. For the first few years following the end of the American Revolutionary War, the continent was at peace once Britain signed treaties with France, Spain, and the Netherlands, all of whom were key allies of the United States during the Revolution. Following the signing of these treaties, being known as the Peace of Paris, the British Empire found itself allowed some breathing room. While it had massive debt due to the cost of the four wars and it had been dealt a major blow due to the loss of the colonies, it was still the foremost grandest empire in the world and was stronger than all of its adversaries politically, militarily, and economically. In the summer of 1788, however, this would begin to change for the worst.

At this point in time, the then King of Great Britain, King George III of House Hanover, was suffering from deteriorating health. With him suffering from mental illness characterized by acute mania, the King didn't have much longer for this world and on July 19th, 1788, he was found in his bed, his arm bleeding and a blade near him. [2]It was easy for many to deduce what had happened and, as his son George was crowned King, the Empire was sent into mourning. Almost immediately, King George IV, newly crowned by mid August, replaced then Prime Minister Pitt with his friend, Pitt's rival, and leader of the Whig opposition, Charles James Fox. The newly crowned King and the newly declared Prime Minister, however, were both deeply unpopular with the British people, with mainly seeing George as either a tyrant or a mere puppet of Fox. However, the two heads of state ignored this anger and governed the empire as they pleased.

As this happened, from 1789-1792, France went through a very unstable period that saw its monarchy ousted from power and a Republic replacing it. Fox, a radical Whig in every possible way, supported the Revolution as he believed it to be the best possible government in Continental Europe and by Mid 1792, Fox was able to convince the King to send a possible alliance with the Republic, which accepted eagerly as they hoped for the British to aid them against the European Monarchies of old, an institution of government the Prime Minister himself also despised. However, the thing was that the Army and Navy had begun to be greatly neglected by King George and Prime Minister Fox in the name of pacifism and in the hopes of appeasing their new allies into convincing them that they weren't a threat. As the campaigns of 1793-1795 took place across Europe, many were surprised that the British Army, which was believed was going to be the better part of the Anglo-French alliance, instead folded and were defeated many times on the battlefield by lesser powers such as the Dutch, Prussia, Spain, and Austria. Meanwhile, the French themselves continued to prove themselves able to keep the pro-ancien regime coalition at bay.

While the negligence of the British military was a major reason for this, another was the fact that some of Britain's top generals and admirals left for the United States, Prussia, the Netherlands, Russia, Austria, or Spain which meant that the military and navy had less experienced and less able bodied commanders on the field which led to major defeats. While some, including many who went to the States, declared they wouldn't return, most of them stated that they would return once the Kingdom renounced its alliance with the French, allied with the coalition, and ousted Fox as Prime Minister and replace him with Pitt once more. As expected, even with pressure mounting, George IV remained firm, much to the ire of Europe, his own populace, and surprisingly the french, who were beginning to see the British as more a curse than a blessing due to its ineffective military. Everything would eventually boil over on one fateful day, October 25th, 1796.

On that day, King George IV, and his brothers Prince William, the Duke of Clarence, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Prince Ernest Augustus, Knight of the Garter were out on a carriage ride in downtown London to meet the populace all while a royal guard surrounded them. The King's brother Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, had opted out of going on the carriage ride due to his and his brother's falling out as Frederick, likely being influenced by his spouse, Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia [3], deeply disagreed with Prime Minister Fox and wanted to be align with the coalition rather than the French. On that day, however, it seemed that Frederick had seemed to have made the right decision. As, when the King's carriage turned down one street, a sudden shout was heard "You frog-loving traitor!" before a large ball was thrown into the carriage and onto the King's lap. George himself had little to no time to react before the fuse was burned out and the improvised explosive sparked, devastating the carriage and killing the King as well as Princes William and Ernest Augustus and mortally wounding Prince Edward, who would die days later.

This sudden moment led to the end of King George IV and effectively the end of the era of Pro-French British policy as Prince Frederick was later crowned King of Great Britain with some of the first he did being his ousting of Fox in return for bringing Pitt back, terminating the Anglo-French Alliance that had existed for three years, and declaring that from here forward, Britain would be an active participant in the war against the French, though the military would remain in dire straights until the late 1810s due to all the disasters suffered by the British in the War and changes in leadership.

Thus, by 1800 and later 1801, The 19th century had begun and it would be an era unlike any other as it signaled the slow decline of the powers of Britain and later France and would hint at the future rise of Prussia and the United States. A Century filled with many interesting wars, politics, and shifting ideologies that shaped the future forever.
[1] - This effectively happened when the same happened to George Clinton OTL so don't expect much to be different in this scenario.

[2] - IDK if Hypomania (which King George III was suffereing from) can cause depression and suicidal tendencies. Also, apologies to anyone who feels slightly triggered by that line, I hope I did not make it too descriptive.

[3] - IOTL, their marriage was an unhappy one. Here, it is for whatever reason.

Anyways, this is my first TL. Reason I started this right here is because the 19th century was really an interesting period an American and Global History as we saw the sign that the United States would become a powerhouse in the future, the ACW, America becoming an Empire overseas, German and Italian unification, the Napoleonic Wars, and so many other things that led to this very moment. Each little thing is very different yet so interconnected that it's hard to really disconnect without the whole thing tumbling down, so I started with a TL beginning at the very start of the century with a few key differences leading up to it. Feel free to tell me what you think, any changes you'd make, and feel free to make guesses for future updates. I'll be resting my hands for now. Ciao!

[Huey Long is a Republican]

From the start of President Burr's Administration, he made it clear his goal was to make the United States the greatest power in the New World bar none. The politics and ideas of the President was far different from many fellow Democratic-Republicans and even some Federalists, but he remained an ever popular figure amongst many in the United States populace. Historians do agree that had it not been for his charismatic skills as an orator or his excellent ability to bring compromise whenever necessary, Burr would not have been able to get done what was needed. One of the first things that the newly inaugurated President began to rally support for, surprisingly enough, was Women's Suffrage.

A very forward thinking idea at the time, many across the globe would've balked at the idea of a woman voting in that time period. However, Burr, being influenced by his wife, the late Theodosia Bartow Prevost, and his daughter, Theodosia Burr Alston, believed women to be far smarter than how many men perceived them to be, as both Theodosias could read and write in several different languages, experts in several topics, and were filled to the brim with knowledge in general. Thus, in April of 1801, Burr called for a special meeting of all 132 members of Congress as well as his entire Cabinet in which he gave a fierce and passionate speech, declaring "It is the greatest crime that amongst all of us, I seem to be the one most in favor of the rights of our wives to vote for our leaders. It deeply concerns me, and should concern all of you, that I have seen their true intelligence and love them for it while you continue to remain blind." While Burr was unable to get much influence for support of his proposed 13th Amendment that would grant Women the right to vote, he would start the country on the path to declaring such a thing legal by the 1830s during his third and Final administration. [1]

However, the move to give women the Right to Vote was not the only thing President Burr focused on intently. As stated previously, he planned to make the United States the most dominant power in the New World as quickly as possible and the best way to do that would be by internal reform. While the Constitution did allow for the United States Government to raise an army and navy of volunteers and allowed the government to raise and lower taxes and tariffs as it saw fit, most of the power remained in the hands of the states and their militias, which could lead to several problems when considering interstate rivalries and the like. Thus, Burr set out to reform the American military as quickly and effectively as possible. One of his first goals was to purchase musket and cannon from the powers of France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Britain and begin the construction of a larger navy with the hopes to construct several large Man-O-Wars by the middle of his hoped for second term while he also looked to centralize the military into an effective fighting force.

While he tasked the reformation of the Navy to his Navy Secretary Abraham Whipple, he decided to give the task of reforming the Army to two separate individuals. While the idea of centralizing and reforming the Army from the outside was given to his Secretary of War George Clinton, the task of reforming the army's command structure and centralizing it from within was given to the reappointed Senior Officer of the United States Army and bitter rival of Burr politically speaking, Alexander Hamilton. A Major General who served during the Revolution in the Battles of Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine Creek, Germantown, and Monmouth as well as the Siege of Yorktown and the Quasi-War, Hamilton was more than up to the task of making the United States Army a force to be reckoned with.

Having spent his time dealing with incompetence, Hamilton introduced a merit based system of promotion for the military where a commander would have to prove themselves in battle before they could rise through the ranks. This would also mean the firing of several of the top ranking officials in the army and replacing them with those who truly deserved it and while many Democratic-Republicans in Congress were furious with him, President Burr reluctantly approved of what he was doing. A small army in the tens of thousands by the time Hamilton took over, there was a hope to make the Army around the size of 200,000 by 1806 by centralizing some of the militia, raising volunteers, and reforming the army. It was hoped that by that time, all the major European powers would be too involved with their war in Europe that they would not be able to curtail any plans of American expansion in the region. However, any expansion in the home region would have to wait, as Burr first needed to deal with a more pressing matter.

For decades prior to Burr taking office, the future African Nations of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, and Libya were under the control of a massive network of pirates that captured american merchant ships, plundered all valuable loot, and enslaved the crew before demanding huge ransom for their release. Before independence was achieved, american merchants were protected by the powerful British navy though that obviously came with the Peace of Paris. In 1794, during the Washington Administration, Congress passed a law that authorized the payment of tribute to the pirates to prevent any further attacks. At the same time, however, the passage of the 1794 Naval Act allowed for the construction of six frigates, which was seen as the official start of the United States Navy. As the 18th century came to a close, the United States had created peaceful terms with the Barbary States but weeks before Burr took office, Tripoli began to assault more US Merchant vessels in the hopes of gaining more in tribute.

Unwilling to give in to the demands of a foreign power, much less pirates, Burr determined the best course of action would be a show of force. Ordering the US Navy into the Mediterranean Sea to defend against the Barbary Pirates, he had begun the Barbary War. While initially ineffective as the Pirates continued their raids on US vessels, the near capture of the USS Philadelphia in Early 1803 convinced the President to take a more extreme action. Nearing the end of that year, United States Marines, along with Arab and Greek mercenaries, launched an invasion on the eastern port city of Derna that would see the end of the war. The end of the war saw a treaty that ended the hostilities between the two powers with a practical status quo ante bellum taking effect, though it would be recognized that from now on, the United States would no longer pay any tribute to the Barbary States and the Barbary States would no longer raid American vessels. With his first major enemy taken out, Burr believed it was time to focus more at home.

The President had believed that America needed to expand to survive and the best way to do so would be to expand westwards, as the weak French presence in Louisiana would be no match against the surprisingly sizable American Army, as well as the British and Spanish forces in the region. By the time he had taken office, Americans had settled to the Mississippi River, though vast areas were still uninhabited or controlled by Native American Tribes. Many in the United States, particular those in the Western reaches as opposed to those on the coast, favored further territorial expansion and hoped to own the then Spanish province of Louisiana. Knowing Spain's weak hold on the region, a level of fear overtook the President as he believed that should Britain take New Orleans, the most important port to the nation at the time that was not under its control, and make the United States suffer economically for it. More hopes were dashed for a time in 1801 when Napoleon Bonaparte reacquired the territory for France via the Treaty of Aranjuez with Spain, with the Spanish hoping that a French buffer would protect New Spain from encroaching American influence.

The reason for Napoleon to reacquire the region that hadn't been in French hands for a near half century was his plan to create a french empire in the Americas as he was doing in Europe. However, these efforts were dashed due to the slave revolt of Saint-Dominique, the largest slave revolt since Spartacus nearly 1,900 years prior that lead to the establishment of the Republic of Haiti. Deciding that an empire in the Western Hemisphere was not to be, Napoleon recalled any and all forces either in or heading to Louisiana, believing they would be more effective if used in Europe. Burr, seeing a chance and unwilling to purchase the land should the French attempt to give him a ludicrous price, Burr sent 15,000 men to capture the relatively undefended city of New Orleans and a further 20,000 in the northern and southern portions of the region each to establish forts and proper claims to the area. In order to justify this action to Congress, Burr gave a speech in Mid 1803 where he stated that "First Consul Bonaparte has decreed that France is no longer interested in maintaining her holding in the New World by now having any proper presence in the region. The territory known as Louisiana is just as unclaimed as a territory that no one has truly discovered. Are we to allow the British to take this opportunity and box us in or shall we strike while the Iron is hot and take what we need?" Suffice to say, his speech worked as a majority of Congress voted in favor of the invasion. In a Campaign that lasted from Mid September 1802-Early February 1803, there was little to no battles and the peace, known as the Treaty of Milan, recognized the entire Louisiana territory as American property and that any french government in the present and future relinquished their claims on the area.

With his major victory against the French, President Burr had done what was seemingly impossible and expanded the United States by a third and opening up the way to the Oregon Territory, as well as giving the United States a clear view of New Spain, mainly the territories of Tejas and Califerne that would remain a point of contention between the United States and the Hispanic speaking world for many years until it finally boiled over. Due to his major foreign policy successes as well as his successes in Domestic Policy by creating a budget surplus by slashing specific areas he deemed unnecessary, being many of the Federalist institutions that John Adams instituted, much to the protest of Alexander Hamilton. Both men remained amicable with each other as they and Burr's cabinet planned for their next conflict, one with Britain, and possibly, one with Spain as well, the former over Canada and the latter over Florida. Burr and Vice President Sevier easily defeated the Federalist ticket of Charles C. Pickeney of South Carolina and Rufus King of Massachusetts, winning every state but Delaware and winning nearly all of the Electoral College (though 2 of Maryland's 9 and 3 of Connecticut's 9 voted for Pickeney) along with 82.4% of the vote. These wins, along with the Democratic-Republicans maintaining their majorities in Congress in the midterms and in the down ballot allowed for the President to plan for the next four years and, more importantly, the decision that would effectively change the New World for many decades to come.

1802 Midterm Flips from OTL :

All Prior DR Gains are held
MA-12 (DR Gain in special election and hold in General)
NH-AL-2 (DR Gain in special and hold in General)
MA-06 (DR Gain)
MA-07 (DR Hold)
MA-08 (DR Gain)
MA-17 (DR Gain)
NH-AL-1 (DR Gain)
NH-AL-3 (DR Gain)
NH-AL-4 (DR Gain)
NH-AL-5 (DR Gain)
NY-02 (DR Gain)
NY-08 (DR Hold)
NY-10 (DR Gain)
NY-15 (DR Gain)
NC-07 (DR Gain)
SC-01 (DR Gain)
VT-04 (DR Gain)
VA-02 (DR Gain)
VA-05 (DR Gain)
VA-07 (DR Hold)
VA-12 (DR Gain)

Democratic-Republicans (led by Macon) : 95 (+17)
Federalists (led by Smith) : 47 (-17)

New Hampshire Class III (Nicholas Gilman) [DR Gain] {Special Election}
Delaware Class I (George Read) [DR Gain]
New Jersey Class I (Aaron Ogden) [DR Gain]

Democratic-Republicans : 20 Seats (+2)
Federalists : 12 Seats (-2)



1804 Election Results that would see President Burr be re-elected to his second of several terms

1804 Downballot Flips from OTL

All Prior DR Gains are held
MD-08 (DR Gain)
MA-01 (DR Hold)
MA-03 (DR Gain)
MA-11 (DR Gain)

Democratic-Republicans (led by Macon) : 98 (+3)
Federalists (led by Smith) : 44 (-3)

Delaware Class II (Caesar A. Rodney) [DR Gain]
Massachusetts Class II (William Eustis) [DR Gain]

Democratic-Republicans : 22 Seats (+2)
Federalists : 12 Seats (+-0)

In Europe, War had once more consumed the continent. Following the ousting and subsequent executions of former King Louis XVI Capet, former Queen Consort Marie Antoinette, and Louis' short lived successor and son, King Louis XVII, the War of the First Coalition saw the powers of the Holy Roman Empire (led by Austria AND Prussia), Spain, the Dutch Republic, Portugal, Sardinia, Naples, and Various other Italian States against the French First Republic and initially Great Britain under the leadership of King George IV and Prime Minister Charles James Fox, until the accession of Frederick I and return of William Pitt the Younger in 1796. At that point in time, however, the war had turned against the Coalition as Prussia and Spain had left following the Peace of Basel in 1795 and the entrance of the Batavian Republic (Dutch Puppet of France) and Spain as well as the Italian Sister Republics established by then General Napoleon Bonaparte. The war ended in 1797 with the Treaty of Campo Formio that made sure the Republic survived and all of France's Victories were maintained.

However, the peace didn't last as only a year later, conflict would resume in the War of the Second Coalition. The war was much like a repeat of the previous war, with it ending with the Treaties of Luneville and Amiens after a four year conflict that saw little to no real change in the geopolitical landscape of Europe. Yet again, however, it didn't take long as hostilities quickly reemerged with the War of the Third Coalition with the Habsburgs ruling Austria and the Holy Roman Empire aligned with Russia, the United Kingdom, Naples, Sicily, and Sweden against France, Spain, Bavaria, Italy, the Batavian Republic, Wurttemburg, and Etruria in a conflict that many thought would end relatively quickly but turned out to be the most surprising and most embarrassing for the Coalition entirely.

While the war didn't begin in earnest until Early 1805, there were still Naval Battles that saw a crippled and neglected British Navy fighting against a nascent French Navy as multiple surprising and shocking victories were landed against the British across the Seas, with the biggest loss being at Trafalgar when the outnumbered British Navy under Horatio Nelson was crushed by the combined Franco-Spanish Navy in June of 1805. This victory allowed for a major turn of fortunes for the newly crowned Emperor of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, whomst was about to begin his campaign into Germany with support for his newly found ally in Prussia that had joined Bonaparte after awarding them Hanover. As Napoleon's Franco-Prussian Army marched into the Holy Roman Empire to deal with Russia and Austria for good, it was decided to launch into action something that would cause European and Global history to change drastically. On July 15th, 1805, after several weeks of preparation, an Army of 51,000 under the command of General Andre Massena, declared the Armée de Libération Anglaise, set sail from the port of Calais and arrived in the English City of Dover as the Royal Navy struggled to rebuild from the chaos and devastation that had beset them in recent months.

When news reached London, and especially Parliament and the Royal Family, panic set in as for the first time since the Glorious Revolution, a foreign power had landed on English soil and for the first time since 1066, the invaders spoke French. Massena declared that his goal would be to establish a Republic of England under the Presidency of Charles James Fox, who was still disgraced and was out of Parliament after his time as Prime Minister. However, Fox stated he had no interest in being a French Puppet, there was another man who looked like he would. Charles Grey, MP from Northumberland, believed that French Victory was inevitable and stated that should Britain want to be treated fairly in future negotiations, they must be find favorable terms with Napoleon despite their dislike for them. As Massena's forces advanced on London, most of Parliament and the City's population fled, though Grey and some of his supporters stayed and wrote letters to Massena in the hopes of recognition.

After Massena crushed the local British Army of 28,500 under the command of Sir John Moore, the City of London fell to Massena's Army and from there, the Albionic Republic was declared with Charles Grey as it's first President on October 9th, 1805. As Massena helped Grey secure his position in England, bringing Cornwall and most of Wales under the newly declared Republic's control, he was eventually called back to Europe to assist in making sure the Continent was brought to kneel to the French Emperor, though he gave Grey command of 27,000 men to maintain the Republic, though in secret this was to replace him in the case Grey proved to be incompetent. The newly renamed Armée d'Albion assisted in the training and recruitment of the newly declared Republic's military, which reached 16,000 strong by the end of the year. As French military prowess grew following the stunning victory of Austerlitz and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire into the Confederation of the Rhine, Frederick I and William Pitt the Younger were struggling by as they had no choice but to pull their forces in Canada and other overseas areas, leaving them open to hostile attack, something American President Aaron Burr eagerly would've stepped on. However, as 1805 turned to 1806, the British began to show life even when a rebellion in Ireland saw most of their forces become bogged down as in that year they scored a key victory against Albionic Forces and began to slowly push them back while, at the same time, using Portugal as a base of operations, they launched an invasion into Spain and punched deep into Napoleon's ally, one that forced him to return West to deal with the problem before it led to a southern push into France itself.

As this was happening, the Armee d'Albion was slowly being pulled back to support the French Army, leaving Grey, with 21,000 men, against 42,000 men in the British Home Army and growing. As Europe slowly started to turn in favor of the British thanks to the faults of Napoleon's allies, King Frederick announced the birth of Prince Phillip Ludwig Constantine, or simply Prince Phillip, who would be declared Prince of Wales once the region was fully liberated in Mid July of 1806 from Albionic control. He would be followed by his brother, the future Prince Arthur, Duke of York and Albany, and Princess Royal Charlotte the following year as the Albionic Republic was pushed back. Soon, it seemed, Napoleon would fall and Britain would be able to focus on dealing with America and keeping them out of Canada.
[1] - Yeah, Burr will have three Administrations. I won't tell you when because that'll be a major spoiler.

Yes, a lot hasn't changed in the Americas besides the obvious, but it's clear that the only way for my future plans to work is to have Britain be performing much worse in the Napoleonic Wars. As time progresses, US History will change a lot more, dw. Until then, feel free to give thoughts on this.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Following the election of 1804 and the war that was consuming Europe, President Aaron Burr deemed it was time to continue to build upon the United States' 'Manifest Destiny' as he so called it. With the acquisition of Louisiana and the Territory of Orleans from France following the signing of the Treaty of Milan in 1803, President Burr now decided it was time to focus American efforts on securing itself from the North and the South. For years, there had been fears among many that the British would invade from the North or the Spanish from the South and President Burr sought to end such fears by doing yet another show of force and taking Florida and Cuba from Spain and the Bahamas and Canada from Britain while both were distracted in the Napoleonic Wars consuming the continent. Of course, however, Burr wasn't foolish and knew that he would first need to draw plans for both the War with Britain and the War with Spain.

He had an obvious Casus Belli for both due to the fact that the Royal Navy was dismissing seafaring laws by impressing American Sailors into their ranks for the former and for the latter, the justification was Native American raids into Georgia from Florida, raids that many within the country believed had been instigated and protected by the Spanish. Thus, there were going to be proper war plans drawn. In order to take the Bahamas, the United States would send two squadrons and a regiment of Marines to capture the various forts in the islands while in order to capture Canada, the plan was to target the city of Kingston in Upper Canada, which would sever Canada's supply chain to Great Britain and from there, move outward and pacify the area until Britain sues for peace.

As for Florida and Cuba, the hope was to send a single army of 26-32,000 into the territory and capture St. Augustine while transporting a second army of 50,000 to capture Cuba by taking Havana and Santiago de Cuba in a quick attack that would hopefully make Spain see reason and sue for peace, as Burr and most other within his Administration knew that even in their weakened states, the United States would not be able to hold off against a power like Spain or Britain for long. These four plans were hopeful, not taking into account all the potential problems that could come to pass should anything go wrong, but it was all the Burr administration had.

However, the President needed to build popular support amongst the people and Congress to raise his two wars, as many publicly didn't want to expand any further than the land they had, believing it to be enough, while Congress had only just barely allowed his invasion of Louisiana and deemed it constitutional based on circumstance. Here, however, no such circumstance existed and it would take some convincing to bring about support for the war. As Attorney General James Madison met with members of Congress, including Speaker of the House Nathaniel Macon, Hamilton was allowed to write pamphlets preaching about America's expansion and how Florida, Cuba, the Bahamas, and Canada needed to be acquired for America's safety in the future and the present. It wasn't until Mid November of 1805, but by then, the idea had popular support among the populace and on December 9th, 1805, as Britain became consumed in her war with France and its defense of the homeland against Massena, the United States declared War. However, it was deemed to risky to go to War with Spain for now and so most US forces in the South were sent to deal with Native American activities.

Due to the British pulling out their forces from Canada and the Bahamas, with the latter falling in just a handful of months, the American volunteer forces that numbered 28,000 in Ohio and 42,000 in New York met with the militias of those states to form much larger forces all whilst Upper and Lower Canada had a lower population and no official standing army, instead relying on the Provincial Militia, of which there were little that existed. Very quickly, the Canadians found themselves outnumbered, outgunned, and outplanned as Kingston fell in May of 1806 and by Early August of that year, the Militias of New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts were able to secure most of Canada's territory, though it was decided to leave any idea about going far north in what is today the Republic of Newfoundland-Labrador. Thus, an area of occupation was made excluding that specific region with American settlers being allowed in the area outside of Quebec proper while Burr met with provincial officials to ease the need for occupation and bring a smooth transition as a US territory or even as a US State. While the former offer was extended to Upper Canada, the latter was given to Quebec, albeit with a few territorial changes.

Amazingly, it seemed that the Quebecois population would be alright with this turn of events if they entered the United States as a free state. While there was no problem from Burr about this, there was some uproar from the Southern Slave Holding States. In a sign of a problem that would exist for the next few decades, many in the South were fearful that the balance of Free States and Slave States would be upset should Quebec. In order to bring peace, it was agreed that in 1807, to satisfy the Slave-holding states, the territory of Orleans would become the State of Louisiana in what has become known as the Louisiana-Quebec Compromise. In Said Compromise, Quebec would be admitted with seven Congressional Representatives and Louisiana would send two. The Quebecois Senators would be Former Receiver-General John Caldwell (Class I), who was one of the Quebecois political figures to speak with President Burr on his region becoming a state, and Trader Jean-Baptiste Faribault (Class II) while Louisiana sent Plantation Owner Jean Noel Destrehan (Class II) and Territorial Governor William C. C. Claiborne (Class III) to the Senate, with all four being Democratic-Republicans. At the same time, Upper Canada was reorganized as a territory. Meanwhile, Upper Canada was re-organized into the Franklin Territory before being given the status of Free Territory and was given the promise that as soon as a Southern State emerged that could balance it in Congress, it would be allowed to become a State should it so choose.

Of course, however, all of this needed to be recognized by Great Britain, who was still in the midst of their war with France and far too busy with Europe to bother with the United States. On September 18th, 1806, President Burr sent Secretary of State Monroe to meet with the British and sign a proper peace treaty that ended their war with America. King Frederick and Prime Minister William Cavendish-Bentinck were displeased with the hand that fate had given them, as they were nearing the gates of London at this time and the Albionic Republic's forces were all but devastated as President Grey was desperately pleading for Napoleon to send help, but at the same time they had exhausted most of their resources in said fight and needed to continue on bringing Napoleon down. So, with great reluctant, the Treaty of Buckingham was signed that gave America control of Upper and Lower Canada as well as the Bahamas and the renunciation of any past, present, and future claims to those three areas and anything west of it. At the same time, the United States would pay Britain $7.5 Million as a purchase, given British merchants and fishermen exclusive trading rights in their waters, and recognized the British control of Newfoundland & Labrador. Finally, the issue of impressment of American sailors was settled, with the British being forced to end its practice.

With the signing of the Treaty of Buckingham, Britain continued her push into Spain, now aided by the cash American had given it while America had now expanded itself by conquering Canada and the Bahamas, one of which was a dream of doing during the Revolution. The United States, specifically Aaron Burr, knew how hard it could be for both regions to adjust for the newly named Franklin Territory (formerly Upper Canada) and Jeffersonian Islands Territory (formerly the Bahamas), with the latter being announced a Slave territory. In order to combat any cultural differences, President Burr announced that the State of Quebec could keep it's name and it and the Franklin Territory as well as the newly announced territory of Hamilton (formerly Nova Scotia) could govern themselves and slowly integrate into the American system with no force by the government, which was greatly appreciated by the local populace. With this in mind, Burr began to settle down his military expansion, lessening the size of his Northern Army to 29,000 men, which he sent into the Northwest Territory to ensure peace was kept in the region.

Meanwhile, to the South, he launched his plans for war against Spain as the Empire began to pull its forces away from the Americas to help fight off first the British and then the French after Napoleon forcefully deposed his ally Charles IV in favor of his brother Joseph in the hopes to stabilize the situation in Iberia as he moved onward to crush the British threat in Portugal. While the Wars of the Fourth and Fifth Coalitions had ended already in victories for the French, it was the Iberian Peninsula that caused him the most trouble as the Spanish people rose up against his rule and sought to restore their own government one way or another. It was due to this instability that a large power vacuum had been left in the Americas as many Spanish areas were left practically vacant and open to capture, though Burr mainly had his eyes set on Florida, Cuba, and the Neutral Ground between New Spain and Louisiana.

As soon as the declaration of war came in late 1806, the latter fell to the Louisiana State Militia and Florida was quickly overrun and conquered by the American Army, with their only real problem being the Native American tribes in the territory that gave them stubborn resistance, though commander Andrew Jackson was seen as a war hero amongst many circles in the country and he was even given command in the campaign in Cuba just two weeks later after the fall of Florida. Meanwhile, the invasion had gone off surprisingly well, with both forces landing close to their destinations on March 14th and 18th, 1807 respectfully, but as Spring turned to Summer, the real issue of campaigning in the tropics began to show as Malaria and Yellow Fever spread through the ranks, slowing the United States Army down as the local populace began to heavily resist American forces. However, by October of that year, the two main American targets had fallen and thus, Cuba was effectively in American hands. Spain, unwilling to let go of the crown jewel of their colonial empire in the Caribbean Sea, sent several of their remaining forces in America to deal with the Americans there. However, each and every time they were repulsed by the efforts of Jackson when he built a series of trench networks and the like near Havana and repulsed several much larger Spanish Armies.

As the war reached its second year, Secretary of State Monroe was once more sent, this time to the Spanish Government-in-Exile and from there he was able to construct a treaty, albeit barely, that ended the war on peaceful terms between the United States and the Kingdom of Spain and its Empire that was independent of Napoleon and his brother. In the Treaty of Lisbon established the declaration of peace between the two powers of the United States and the Spanish Government-in-Exile. In effect, the Neutral Ground, Florida, and very reluctantly, Cuba, was given to the United States in return for $37 Million, with Spain having to give any claims to those three territories while America would disallow any French traders to arrive in American ports nor would they recognize Bonapartist Spain as legitimate.

While the treaty, which was signed on June 6th 1808 and ratified several months later angered some Democratic-Republicans, by that point in time, it was decided that peace needed to come one way or another. The Neutral Ground was added to Louisiana's official territory, the Mississippi Territory was given West Florida while Cuba was split into the territories of Monroe (given to the Western half) and Madison (given to the Eastern half) and a special amendment was passed stating that until the until at least 51% of the population were truly white in terms of skin color and spoke English first and foremost that they would remain territories, a process that would take decades to complete. As Rupert's Land (renamed the Northern Territory), which the United States had full access to thanks to the Treaty of Buckingham, and the Missouri Territory was slowly being settled, an agreement was set up that as soon as the Mississippi Territory became a state, so would the Franklin Territory and this would be followed by the Missouri Territory and the Hamilton territory, to maintain the Free State, Slave State balance in congress. This promise, known as the Great Burr Compromise, would lead to a great many problems later on down the line.

As peace reigned and Burr lessened the military presence of the Army at the behest of Hamilton as Mexico and Venezuela rose up in revolt against Spain, it was decided that he would not run for a third term in office, for fear of making everything seem unbalanced. Instead, it was decided that Burr's Secretary of War George Clinton would be the Democratic-Republican choice for President and Burr's successful Secretary of State James Monroe was selected as his running mate while the Federalist Party ran the same ticket of 1804. They did win more than expected, picking up Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Quebec (despite Quebec's 4-3 House split).

1806 Midterms

All DR Gains from OTL are held and LA and QC's Districts all go DR
NY-07 (DR Hold)
NY-09 (DR Gain)
NC-07 (DR Hold)
PA-02 (DR Hold)
PA-03 (DR Hold)

Democratic-Republicans (Led by Varnum) : 107 (+2)
Federalists (led by Goldsborough) : 44 (-2)

Connecticut Class III (A. Spalding) [DR Gain]

Democratic-Republicans : 27 (+1)
Federalists : 9 (-1)



As stated, 4 of Quebec's districts go to the Federalists though the Democratic Republicans maintain control elsewhere.

Clinton's Cabinet is kept much the same way as Burr's, though former Senator John Quicy Adams is made Attorney General, Territorial Governor of Florida Andrew Jackson is made Secretary of War, and Attorney General Madison becomes Secretary of State.

Following the 1808 Election, an era of peace and calm, known as the Era of Good Feelings, began in the United States as it rapidly demilitarized and focused on inward consolidation instead of outward expansion. As war raged in Europe and thousands died fighting either for or against Napoleon, America began to see a budget surplus as the overly large military was slowly decentralized with Hamilton being removed from his position as Senior Officer of the Army and replaced with a Democratic-Republican. Meanwhile, former President Burr, unwilling to let go of any Political power and clout he had, had run for United States Senate during the 1808 Election and won the seat in a landslide vote, becoming a key ally of President Clinton. The transition of Burr to Clinton was indeed so smooth that many historians do agree that it is likely this was the agreement that was planned between the two men years ago. As Hamilton wrote pamphlets attempting to slander the 'Burr-Clinton Dual Oligarchy' after his firing.

However, the Clinton administration didn't last long as on May 13th, 1810, President Clinton was found in his bed having passed away in his sleep, with many historians citing that the reason for this being Heart Attack due to the added stress from the job at an old age such as his. He would be the first United States President to die in office but he wouldn't be the last. Initially, some chaos was strewn about as many were unsure of who to succeed the President if such a thing ever happened, but Bur, still maintaining influence, was able to convince Congress to allow for the ascension of Vice President Monroe to the office as a placeholder with the officer of Vice President remaining vacant and to be filled after the election.

The only thing of note that had happened during the Monroe Administration was his firing of Andrew Jackson in 1811 before placing him as Senior Officer of the Army along with William Henry Harrison in the first and only time the position was shared between two officials. Together, the two generals led the United States Army, various Native allies, and the state militia of Ohio to defeat the rising confederacy of Tecumseh, a Shawnee chieftain who sought to bring about a Native American confederation in the Northwest Territory. However, in the Battle of Tippecanoe, he was defeated and died in combat. As peace reigned over the United States and the War in Europe reached a tipping point as Napoleon plotted his invasion of Russia, it seemed like a new era had ruled over America. With former Vice President John Sevier becoming the new Secretary of War for the Administration, Monroe continued to hold office and saw multiple budget surpluses come his way as he paid the British and Spanish their dues with the spoils of the Burr administration's triple victory and expansion in all directions.

As 1811 turned to 1812, Monroe announced he would not be interested in being President any longer than necessary and instead endorsed Aaron Burr, who had made it clear as early as July of 1810 his plans to run for a third non-consecutive term. While initially Secretary of State Madison opposed him, he dropped out and endorsed him in the end. And with that, Burr then had three options for Vice Presidents, being Attorney General John Quincy Adams, Secretary of War and his Former Vice President John Sevier, or War Hero Andrew Jackson. Almost instantly, Burr chose Jackson as a third New York/Southerner ticket appeared on the ballot for the Democratic-Republicans and he was easily expected to win. His opponent, would be an unexpected choice. Alexander Hamilton, having clawed his way out of political devastation would become Burr's opponent in 1812 with his running mate being Chief Justice John Marshall of Virginia. Despite the hopes he could beat Burr, the former President-turned-Senator easily regained the office as Hamilton only won Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Delaware, 4 Electoral Votes from New York, and 1 from Quebec while Burr obtained the rest. Burr announced he would keep most of Monroe's administration, though he would remove Jefferson and have Adams be his Secretary of State, remove Sevier with Harrison becoming his Secretary of War, and replacing Adams with Joseph Bradley Varnum, the former Speaker of the House, becoming his Attorney General as the 2nd Burr Administration took over, with Burr being recognized as the 3rd and 6th President of the United States.

The 1812 Election saw Aaron Burr return to the White House for the Second Time, being the only President to ever do so.

And with that, we go from 1805-1813 and see a very different United States that came about in just 12 years due to several events converging together. If anyone is willing or interested in helping me edit, develop, or plan out this timeline, let me know. Otherwise, please give thoughts for this TL because hopefully I'm crafting an enjoyable read for everyone. Also, Quebec got 10 Representatives by 1810s, to help you there.

[Transgender for Everybody]

>Hamilton losing 76-24

[Huey Long is a Republican]

>Hamilton losing 76-24

Though when you consider the fact the Popular Vote was just a number at this point in time, it isn't very impressive for Burr.

[Transgender for Everybody]

>Hamilton losing 76-24

Though when you consider the fact the Popular Vote was just a number at this point in time, it isn't very impressive for Burr.

Sure, but it's not as fun that way.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

>Hamilton losing 76-24

Though when you consider the fact the Popular Vote was just a number at this point in time, it isn't very impressive for Burr.

Sure, but it's not as fun that way.

Very true. But don't expect Hamilton to be down and out just yet. He was remarkably stubborn for a person.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Question here : When the popular vote becomes more important, can I make posts exclusive to the Fall Campaigns of those elections seperate from the other major events of the world in this TL?

[Elcaspar]

Question here : When the popular vote becomes more important, can I make posts exclusive to the Fall Campaigns of those elections seperate from the other major events of the world in this TL?

Yeah i would support doing that.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Question here : When the popular vote becomes more important, can I make posts exclusive to the Fall Campaigns of those elections seperate from the other major events of the world in this TL?

Yeah i would support doing that.

Noted.

Also, for some from for everyone, as we reach the 1830s and beyond, feel free to send me a PM of 4-5 people you made yourself. You'll just need to do this

Image : (Have it be from a person in this era, doesn't matter who, Wikimedia Commons image)
Name :
DoB :
Education :
Party :
State :
Senate Seat :
First Elected :
Bio :

[Elcaspar]

Question here : When the popular vote becomes more important, can I make posts exclusive to the Fall Campaigns of those elections seperate from the other major events of the world in this TL?

Yeah i would support doing that.

Noted.

Also, for some from for everyone, as we reach the 1830s and beyond, feel free to send me a PM of 4-5 people you made yourself. You'll just need to do this

Image : (Have it be from a person in this era, doesn't matter who, Wikimedia Commons image)
Name :
DoB :
Education :
Party :
State :
Senate Seat :
First Elected :
Bio :

How is the party structure going to look by the 1830s? Are the Federalists still alive, or is there another major party by then? Otherwise i am more that happy to oblige you.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Question here : When the popular vote becomes more important, can I make posts exclusive to the Fall Campaigns of those elections seperate from the other major events of the world in this TL?

Yeah i would support doing that.

Noted.

Also, for some from for everyone, as we reach the 1830s and beyond, feel free to send me a PM of 4-5 people you made yourself. You'll just need to do this

Image : (Have it be from a person in this era, doesn't matter who, Wikimedia Commons image)
Name :
DoB :
Education :
Party :
State :
Senate Seat :
First Elected :
Bio :

How is the party structure going to look by the 1830s? Are the Federalists still alive, or is there another major party by then? Otherwise i am more that happy to oblige you.

The Federalist Party will be dying off by the 1820s. Their collapse was inevitable after the disaster that Adams had proven to be. However, I did send Peebs the Party structure I have planned for this TL going forward, if you want to see it, just PM me.

[Huey Long is a Republican]

Also, I forgot to add in the character sheets Language, though you can put that above Bio. Remember here, French will also be a major language in the US due to Quebec. So if you're from there, remember to have that situated.