I, too, am very interested in seeing a full-throated Reconstruction, and you seem to have a very well-researched and interesting timeline on your hands!
I agree with others that the way the timeline so seamlessly interweaves the POD really makes the TL feel that much more plausible.
Well, this is looking interesting. I'm going to watch this thread.
Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana all have a black-majority population; hopefully they can also get black-majority governments. That may be a bit ambitious though!
Finished reading and I must say its good stuff so far. For all the dysotopia is nice to see a TL that is realistic and make the world a better place.
I am really wondering how would the next realignement look in the US. Without a Democratic solid south the Democratic coalition of the late 19th century as we know it can't exist so either you need to have the Dems have a completely different strategy then OTL or to have them fall into disaray and a new party emerging from a faction of the Republicans.
Just finished reading and I must say its good stuff so far. For all the dysotopia is nice to see a TL that is realistic and make the world a better place.
I am really wondering how would the next realignement look in the US. Without a Democratic solid south the Democratic coalition of the late 19th century as we know it can't exist so either you need to have the Dems have a completely different strategy then OTL or to have them fall into disaray and a new party emerging from a faction of the Republicans.
Without the South the northern dems are very much in danger of withering on a vine, even in 1876 had there not been some "redeemed" governments in black majority states Hayes wins.
Even allowing for a longer reconstruction the fact of the matter is that many in the South, in fact a majority except in LA, MS and SC, are racist democrats who will never vote for the party of Lincoln. The Democrats are likely reduced to a regional party in the South (perhaps with a few copperheads sticking around as well).
The northern wing is likely going to find itself absorbed into the moderate republicans, as it was in 1872. This GOP faction was called the Liberal Republicans. This would likely be confusing if they stuck around, so I'd imagine they'd end up being just the "Liberals", or if they end up taking control of the party they would stay the GOP and the Radical wing would become known as well, the "Radicals."
Without the South the northern dems are very much in danger of withering on a vine, even in 1876 had there not been some "redeemed" governments in black majority states Hayes wins.
Even allowing for a longer reconstruction the fact of the matter is that many in the South, in fact a majority except in LA, MS and SC, are racist democrats who will never vote for the party of Lincoln. The Democrats are likely reduced to a regional party in the South (perhaps with a few copperheads sticking around as well).
The northern wing is likely going to find itself absorbed into the moderate republicans, as it was in 1872. This GOP faction was called the Liberal Republicans. This would likely be confusing if they stuck around, so I'd imagine they'd end up being just the "Liberals", or if they end up taking control of the party they would stay the GOP and the Radical wing would become known as well, the "Radicals."
The Liberal Republicans actually had a shoot OTL in 1872 but they essentially self-destroyed when they selected Greeley. Perhaps this time around they won't do such a silly mistake.
The Liberal Republicans actually had a shoot OTL in 1872 but they essentially self-destroyed when they selected Greeley. Perhaps this time around they won't do such a silly mistake.
Its the kind of thing that I can get behind as a POD but to its a bit to contrieved to happen inside the core of a TL.
Its probably a bit counterproductive to the purpose of the TL since its exactly the kind of situation where the former confederate leaders can grab some influence back and demand a roleback of Reconstruction for their support. Just look what happened in 1876 with something far less chaotic then that.
Now, I also do believe that a solid Republicans south might be pushing it a bit. Even with a triumphant reconstruction their is a good chance that a significant portion of the ''Poor whites'' segment of the Republican coalition might go back to the Dems or their successors little by little once they have achieved the economic goals who got them behind the Reconstruction OTL. Even then, in a worst case scenario for the Republicans in ITTL they still have the votes of the freedmen looked down and therefore a solid long-term beachead in the South, witch leave them in a far better position then OTL.
The 1868 elections were marred by violence from the Ku Klux Klan and similar groups, but the supporters of what had once been the Republican Party sought to usher in multi-racial democracy in the United States. The Radicals saw the moderate or Straight-Out Republicans as the biggest obstacles to achieving this. They accused the moderates of closing ranks behind an administration that condoned white supremacist terrorism, and blamed them for the recalcitrant Southern governments that could have been disestablished if the moderates had not defeated their attempts to override Johnson's veto of the proposed Congressional Reconstruction program.
In turn, the Straight-Out Republicans believed the Radicals had caused the party to lose numerous Congressional, state legislative and gubernatorial seats throughout the nation in the 1866-1867 elections by pushing for a program that may have been desirable but not yet politically possible. Relations between the two had worsened to the point that the Radicals and Straight-Out Republicans stood candidates against one another in 1868 Congressional races and the presidential race, each accusing the other of throwing away all that had been fought for in the Civil War.
After a closely contested election, President Andrew Johnson of the National Union Party prevailed over Speaker Schuyler Colfax of Radical Democracy, carrying California, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, and Ohio by pluralities. The National Unionists gained 28 seats in the House and lost one 1 seat in the Senate, denying the Radicals the veto proof majorities they would need to enact their agenda. Johnson ascended to his first elected term on March 4, 1869. In his inaugural address, he affirmed the insoluble nature of the Union, and praised the Constitution as the "magna charta of American rights." He urged the unconditional re-admittance of the Southern states, identifying the failure of Congress to recognize the legitimacy of their governments and elections as a grave injustice.
Facing a stunning defeat, the Radicals elected the moderate James G. Blaine of Maine as Speaker of the House. He unflinchingly refused to seat the non-readmitted Southern Congressional delegations and continued to urge for black suffrage. Radical plans to vote down Johnson's appointment for Secretary of War and Attorney General were thwarted when Vice President William H. Seward exercised his right as presiding officer of the Senate to seat the sixteen Democratic Senators from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The Unionists thus wielded a 37 seat strong majority of two in the Senate over the Radicals, which enabled Johnson to speedily confirm his Cabinet.
The Radicals' vision of Reconstruction was becoming increasingly untenable three years into the administration of the Southern governments established by Presidential Reconstruction. Only 20,000 Union soldiers remained in the South by the time Johnson was inaugurated, with insufficient cavalry to pursue the Ku Klux Klan. Military commissions had been used in lieu of civilian courts to persecute members of these organizations and others who attacked freedmen and their advocates. However, the Supreme Court ruled on April 12, 1869 in the case Ex parte Washburn that the military tribunals could not be used on civilians when civilian courts still existed.
The Freedmen's Bureau also had an increasingly precarious future. The Bureau had been one of the most important institutions for African-Americans in the South. They settled abandoned and confiscated lands and established camps for refugees. They served as legal advocates for African-American families, helping to reunite those who had been separated by slavery or the war, confirming marriages, and monitoring the enforcement of labor contracts. In conjunction with missionaries, they established more than 1,000 schools as well as 25 colleges. They provided essential food, water, and medical treatment for those who needed it, although they sometimes had difficulty finding nurses and doctors who would treat black patients. Despite already having insufficient money to effectively carry out all of these tasks, funding was slashed and its staff dramatically reduced by 1869.
The three Southern states that successfully met the requirements imposed by the Radicals in embracing black suffrage – Arkansas, Louisiana, and Tennessee – had found their Radical governments under attack. In Arkansas, Radical Governor Powell Clayton fought the Militia Wars of 1868-1869 against the Ku Klux Klan, without the help of the federal government. The KKK waged a campaign of terror that killed hundreds of people, Clayton ordered 4,000 guns to arm the state militia them. The steamboat carrying these arms was attacked and its cargo seized by armed men. Undeterred, Clayton then declared martial law in fourteen counties that had their Unionist votes nullified on the basis that the returns were fraudulent. A poorly equipped and understaffed militia was able to drive the Ku Klux Klan from the counties, and by March 1869, martial law was lifted.
In Louisiana, Radical nominee James Madison Wells easily defeated Unionist nominee and former Confederate officer John McEnery with the votes of Southern Loyalists and freedmen. However, Confederate Colonel Alcibiades DeBlanc led 5,000 armed Confederate veterans under the banner of the Knights of the White Camellia into New Orleans to oust Wells on February 9, 1869. The White League overwhelmed a force of 3,500 state militia and police in the Battle of Liberty Place, resulting in over 100 causalities. They seized the statehouse and the armory, as Governor Wells fled the city. The Knights seated a new Unionist state legislature that declared McEnery to be the winner of the gubernatorial election.
Radical Governor William Brownlow of Tennessee had declared martial law in ten counties to combat the Ku Klux Klan using the state militia. The KKK urged the restoration of suffrage for Confederates, but Brownlow refused. He was succeeded as Governor by Radical Dewitt Clinton Senter on February 25, 1869, when Brownlow had been elected to the United States Senate. However, Senter had no interest in continuing Brownlow's policies, quickly restoring voting rights for Confederates and disbanding the state guard that had been persecuting the KKK. This scandalized the Radicals, who nominated William B. Stokes to unseat Senter in the 1869 elections. However, Senter was able to easily prevail over Stokes with the ex-Confederate votes, and subsequently framed a new constitution in 1870 which called for the racial segregation of schools and poll taxes that effectively ended black suffrage in the state.
This was what finally convinced Benjamin "Pap" Singleton that it was time to act. Singleton was a former slave from Tennessee who became a carpenter after the war. He joined with Columbus M. Johnson, a black minister, to found the Edgefield Real Estate Association which sought to bolster the economic independence of African-Americans through land ownership in the Nashville and Sumner County areas. However, white landowners quoted prices too high for purchase, and Singleton began to organize an Exodus to Kansas in the face of the overwhelming opposition. Thousands of African-Americans left the South to go west, with hundreds showing up by the day, many of them completely destitute. "I am coming to the conclusion that only federal intervention can bring democracy to America. The dominant race is seeking a retrogression of the Negro back to serfdom and slavery," said Singleton.
However, as the 1870 Congressional elections approached, Speaker Blaine sought to focus on economic issues rather than on Reconstruction or suffrage for African-Americans. The Radical Congress passed the Public Credit Act of 1869, which would ensure war bonds and other public debts would be paid for in gold instead of greenbacks. The measure was popular with Northeastern creditors who favored monetary contraction and a monometallic gold standard, while it was unpopular with indebted Westerners and Southern farmers who wanted currency to be expanded. Johnson vetoed the measure and called for the bimetallic standard that had been in use prior to the Civil War.
The New York business establishment was noisily displeased with Johnson's inability to achieve a resumption of specie payments, especially because the President had engaged in strident sound money rhetoric when he campaigned there previously. The Radicals, being divided on the currency issues themselves, failed to override Johnson's veto. On July 14, 1870, Johnson approved the Currency Act of 1870, which neither contracted nor expanded the supply of greenbacks. This was not enough to placate critics of the President's fiscal policies, and the Unionists lost 29 seats to the Radicals in the House, although they gained 3 seats in the Senate. Despite the gains, the Radicals continued to lack the two-thirds majorities needed to advance their Reconstruction agenda.
As the 1872 presidential election approached, President Andrew Johnson was presiding over a rapidly expanding economy. However, Johnson indicated he would not be running for a second elected term. The 1872 National Union Convention nominated Major General Winfield Scott Hancock of Pennsylvania, who distinguished himself during his forty years of military service in the Battle of Gettysburg. He was known as a friend of Southerners but an ardent unionist, as well as someone whose opinion on the currency issue was unknown due to his lack of a voting record. He was thus nominated, with Governor Thomas A. Hendricks of Indiana as his running mate. The platform called for a speedy return of specie payments, low federal taxes, and the re-admittance of all Southern states.
The 1872 Radical Democracy Convention nominated Speaker James G. Blaine of Maine with Senator John Sherman of Ohio as his running mate. The Radical platform was supportive of the resumption of specie, higher tariffs, and voting rights for African-Americans. The Radicals considered their chances for victory favorable as they had won the 1870 midterms decisively. Moreover, the Straight-Out Republicans had all but joined the National Union Party or otherwise retired from politics, thus the anti-Democratic vote would not be split. Blaine and Sherman also courted the Northeastern business establishment with sound money rhetoric that was appealing to creditors, and appealed to industrial workers by promising protective tariffs. Hancock and Hendricks were ambiguous on these issues, and instead campaigned on the peace and prosperity of the Johnson administration.
The Unionists also emphasized Hancock's reputation as a war hero and a man of integrity. This would become critical when, in August 1872, The Sun in New York broke the story that Blaine and various Congressmen accepted bribes in the form of cash and stocks from Representative Oakes Ames in order to pursue actions favorable to the Union Pacific Railroad. The clarity and scope of this naked cash grab was a death blow to Blaine's credibility, and a chorus of public and private began to call for his resignation. Blaine defended himself in a dramatic speech to the Senate, accusing the Unionists of engaging in partisan attacks against him for opposing amnesty for former Confederate President Jefferson Davis. As Election Day neared, both Blaine and Hancock seemed to have real chance at the presidency. However, Hancock ultimately secured election through a decisive margin as the Unionists gained 59 seats in the House, thereby taking control of both chambers of Congress.
The public was enthused with the ascendency of "Hancock the Superb", who pledged to finally mend the national divisions caused by the Civil War. After twelve years, the Southern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia had their delegations seated in the House of Representatives.
The National Unionists repealed the Reconstruction Act of 1867, and officially recognized the state governments of the aforementioned Southern states as legitimate. In conjunction with this, the Unionists passed the Amnesty Act of 1873, which lifted all lingering disqualifications and penalties imposed upon ex-Confederate military and political figures. Finally, they adopted the Judicial Circuits Act of 1873, which repealed the similarly titled statute of 1866, allowing Hancock to appoint Associate Justices to the previously abolished seats of Seat 3, Seat 5 and Seat 7. It also allowed him to replace the seats of Associate Justice Samuel Nelson, a Democrat who died in November 1872, and Chief Justice Samuel P. Chase, a Lincoln appointee who died in May 1873. The Unionists thus controlled the presidency, the Congress, and the Supreme Court, and through violence and terror, they had finally accomplished their goal of unconditional re-admittance without suffrage or civil rights for African-Americans.
The campaigns of terror waged by the KKK are as they were in our timeline, although the Louisiana violence occurred later. The Democrats (Unionists ITTL) certainly saw much less electoral success and institutional support in reality. Nonetheless, this is not the end of the timeline, just the second chapter, so don't lose hope yet! ^_^
The campaigns of terror waged by the KKK are as they were in our timeline, although the Louisiana violence occurred later. The Democrats (Unionists ITTL) certainly saw much less electoral success and institutional support in reality. Nonetheless, this is not the end of the timeline, just the second chapter, so don't lose hope yet! ^_^
At the same time, neither the 14th nor 15th Amendments seem to have been passed (am I wrong?), and now that the Unionists have let the Southern States in, they'll boycott anything like it getting through.
I legitimately don't see how this couldn't end worse than OTL at this point, realistically.
Well, I must say I am quite surprised to see Johnson Reelected. I can only assume that its a way to give the opponents of the Reconstruction enough ropes to hang themselves so to speak as I really don't see how this could end well otherwise at this point.
Well, I must say I am quite surprised to see Johnson Reelected. I can only assume that its a way to give the opponents of the Reconstruction enough ropes to hang themselves so to speak.
The thing is that I'm not really sure it works that way? Now that the South has representation, they'll just dig their heels in and, in the Senate, where they have equal and proportional representations, that's... honestly pretty much it?
The thing is that I'm not really sure it works that way? Now that the South has representation, they'll just dig their heels in and, in the Senate, where they have equal and proportional representations, that's... honestly pretty much it?
That's my train of tought too, the only way I can see it end well is them getting wayyyyy too overconfident and do something massively alienating to the North, witch would make the North go back to the Radicals with a vengeance and giving them the mandate to go on a trial of strenght with the south.
Even that would have been more realistic under Johnson then under Hancock tough.
That's my train of tought too, the only way I can see it end well is them getting wayyyyy too overconfident and do something massively alienating to the North, witch would make the North go back to the Radicals with a vengeance.
Even then, that doesn't actually matter? Look at the honest political situation before the Civil War. The South continually and repeatedly shit on and pissed off the North (yes, I'm simplifying things), and it didn't really matter because they had a powerful voice in the Senate and House, and except via sectional division in 1860, were a vital part of how you'd be elected President.
The North couldn't do more than poke at their bigotries, legislatively, in minor and harmless ways until they left. And now they're back, and they're not even required to give black people the vote.
So they won't. It's really as simple as that. It's complex, too, but the main point is simple.
That's my train of tought too, the only way I can see it end well is them getting wayyyyy too overconfident and do something massively alienating to the North, witch would make the North go back to the Radicals with a vengeance and giving them the mandate to go on a trial of strenght with the south.
At the same time, neither the 14th nor 15th Amendments seem to have been passed (am I wrong?), and now that the Unionists have let the Southern States in, they'll boycott anything like it getting through.
I legitimately don't see how this couldn't end worse than OTL at this point, realistically.
Well, I must say I am quite surprised to see Johnson Reelected. I can only assume that its a way to give the opponents of the Reconstruction enough ropes to hang themselves so to speak as I really don't see how this could end well otherwise at this point.
The thing is that I'm not really sure it works that way? Now that the South has representation, they'll just dig their heels in and, in the Senate, where they have equal and proportional representations, that's... honestly pretty much it?
I mean, I'm willing to give chapter 3 a try, but honestly, if I was actually writing this/etc, as someone with history experience, I'd say that Reconstruction was dead. Period. Making it not dead would be mostly an act of narrative fiat, from what I understand of the forces at play.[1]
Maybe the North rallies a bit towards not being bigoted assholes, at which point the South discovers the joy of Filibustering the Senate early, until the reformist spirit dies in its crib from lack of success.
[1] Noting of course that I'm not the greatest expert in all things of this time period.
If the Panic of 1873 still happens in a generally similar way, but under the Unionists' watch, it's possible that the Radicals will be able to blame the Unionists for the resultant depression, take back Congress and take the presidency, and be in a position of strength to assert a more Radical Reconstruction.
If the Panic of 1873 still happens in a generally similar way, but under the Unionists' watch, it's possible that the Radicals will be able to blame the Unionists for the resultant depression, take back Congress and take the presidency, and be in a position of strength to assert a more Radical Reconstruction.
Maybe, maybe. But here's the problem, what about the South? They've already been admitted. They don't need to let Blacks vote (and there goes potential huge numbers of voters), and so they won't let blacks vote.
Even if the Radicals win overall, the South will serve as a fatal speed-bump to any and all plans of theirs now.
That's a large oversimplification. They're was a bunch of factors who plagued reconstruction (fragility of the Republican coalition in the South, desire of going back to normal for the North when a large and sustained (as well as possibly brutal) effort would have been needed to make it work, more efficient (for lack of a better term, the partisans of Reconstruction actually had some of their own to defend themselves against the KKK and other such groups but they proved utterly unsufficient to the task) paramilitary organisations from the opponents of the Reconstruction then its supporter, Johnson giving them the tools to fight back by pardonning allot of them). When the stock market crashed the Reconstruction was, unfortunately, already on her last leg.
Even then, that doesn't actually matter? Look at the honest political situation before the Civil War. The South continually and repeatedly shit on and pissed off the North (yes, I'm simplifying things), and it didn't really matter because they had a powerful voice in the Senate and House, and except via sectional division in 1860, were a vital part of how you'd be elected President.
The North couldn't do more than poke at their bigotries, legislatively, in minor and harmless ways until they left. And now they're back, and they're not even required to give black people the vote.
So they won't. It's really as simple as that. It's complex, too, but the main point is simple.
The South was actually cautious and discret for a few years post-reconstruction, they waited until the passions had died down at least a bit and a new political generation who hadn't been proeminent during the war to come to power to resume their shenanigans. Here, the hard feelings are still definitely there and, unless I have missed that part, they're is still occupation forces all across the place (short in numbers but you can always reinforce them, its complete withdrawal that tend to be irreversible).
That's why, as someone who do know allot about the period, I believe its still possible for this to end well but just. It would need allot of things to go well and the southerners doing allot of works to snatch defeats from the jaws of victories.
Legally speaking if the radicals gain control of Congress, which they could do if the Economy collapses, they could refuse to seat the Southerners and ram through civil rights.
Which is exactly what they did IOTL. It worked…briefly…and then it didn't. Except this time instead of "continuing Lincoln's legacy against that no good Andy Johnson" they're "reimposing military rule after it was removed with no real change in the situation instead of fixing the economy". The courts will be no friendlier then IOTL. The northern voters will still care more about the economy then freedmen and corruption will still dog the radicals.
And they'll still face the great fact that condemns almost every Full Reconstruction to a quagmire. Except for 3 states protecting Freedmen requires the Federal Government to directly stop majority rule from running southern governments. This is a morally correct move, but is very easy to spin negatively and costly to maintain for the length of time needed to uproot racism in the south.
This was what finally convinced Benjamin "Pap" Singleton that it was time to act. Singleton was a former slave from Tennessee who became a carpenter after the war. He joined with Columbus M. Johnson, a black minister, to found the Edgefield Real Estate Association which sought to bolster the economic independence of African-Americans through land ownership in the Nashville and Sumner County areas. However, white landowners quoted prices too high for purchase, and Singleton began to organize an Exodus to Kansas in the face of the overwhelming opposition. Thousands of African-Americans left the South to go west, with hundreds showing up by the day, many of them completely destitute. "I am coming to the conclusion that only federal intervention can bring democracy to America. The dominant race is seeking a retrogression of the Negro back to serfdom and slavery," said Singleton.
Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling this paragraph might give us a hint as to how Reconstruction might get reinstated. If enough black freedmen leave the South for the West or North, that deprives the South of cheap labour. So the South's economy will be slightly less resilient and thus more susceptible to economic shocks. Maybe to the point where the Panic of 1873/Long Depression. Though, I don't know enough about mid-to-late 19th century politics and economics to connect the dots and figure out how exactly this can prevent the South from digging their heels in in the Senate and preventing any and all reform, even if the Southern economy is in the toilet.
Though, the effects of an earlier Great Migration will be interesting to see. Having a significant freed black population in the new Western Territories this much earlier in American history will definitely have knock-on effects later on.
