The Election of 1796 Part 2 (Red Dead Redemption Verse)
Post-Victory
With victory aicheved in the War of Independence against the British, the new American Government began to focus on domestic issues. In the late 1780s the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, the frame of the American Government began to form as the Central Government struggled with raising funds and the regulation of commerce due to the limits of the Articles of Confederation.
In 1786 and 1787, Walker's Rebellion highlighted these weaknesses when farmers in Western New Hanover resisted new taxes implement by the Government of New Hanover and attempted to unsucessfully overthrow the Government of New Hanover.
Following Walker's Rebellion, in 1787, a Constitutional Convention was called in Annesburg to ratify a new Constitution that would address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. Delegates from Lemoyne, New Hanover, and Ambarino Territory attended and agreed on a new Constitution, creating a unicameral Chamber of Deputies, a Supreme Court, and a President who is elected if his party has the majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies. The Constitution also describes the duties and rights of State Governments, and gives the Chamber of Deputies the power to tax, borrow, and etc.
A debate on the Constitution started with Federalists, those in favor of the Constitution and Anti-Federalists those opposed to the Constitution both being formed, marking the birth of the first party system. The State of New Hanover, with its Federalist majority was the first state to ratify the Constitution, with Lemoyne ratifying it in 1788.
In 1789, Lemoyne delegate John Bland proposed the Bill of Rights, a series of 10 Amendments to the Constitution that consisted of specific guarantees of personal freedoms and rights, clear limitations on the government's power in judicial and other proceedings, and explicit declarations that all powers not specifically granted to the Federal Government by the Constitution are reserved to the States or the people. The Bill of Rights were ratified in 1791 following ratification by Lemoyne.
Meanwhile in New Hanover, a war between America and Native American tribes began in 1785 as American settlers, mostly veterans who had been given land grants settled in New Hanover, leading to the outbreak of conflict. The F.R.A Army, mostly consisting of untrained recruits and militiamen suffered significant defeats to the Natives who had the aid of the British. Eventually, the Americans rebounded when General Thomas Logan re-organized and trained the Army, with the Native American tribes eventually surrendering in 1795.
Presidency of George Johnson
In 1788, following the ratification of the Constitution, the first Presidential Election was held with former Commander of the Continential Army George Johnson of Lemoyne winning the election unopposed as an Independent and becoming the First President of the Federal Republic of America.
Cabinet of George Johnson (1789-
Deputy President: John Huntington of New Hanover (1789-
State Department: Thomas Braithwaite of Lemoyne (1789-1793), William Antril (1793-
Treasury Department: William Pickering of New Hanover (1789-1796), John Thomas of New Hanover (1796-
War Department: Thomas Logan of New Hanover (1789-
Justice Department: Edmund Jones of Lemoyne (1789-
Frontier Department: Edward Thompson of New Hanover (1789-
Supreme Court
Chief Justice: Edward Paterson (1790-
Associate Justice: John Simmons (1790-
Associate Justice: William Francis (1790-
Associate Justice: Arthur Kent (1790-1795)
Associate Justice: Nathaniel Reid (1790-
Associate Justice: Henry Campbell (1790-
Following his victory in the Election of 1788, George Johnson and John Huntington were sworn in as President as Deputy President at Federal Hall in Annesburg. Johnson quickly begin to lay out his agenda that was influenced by Treasury Secretary William Pickering. Johnson's agenda included protective tariffs to protect American industry, the creation of a National Bank, and numerous internal improvements, all of which managed to pass the Chamber of Deputies.
In 1789, Johnson appointed Revolutionairy War General Edward Logan as the Secretary of War to re-organize the Army during the War in New Hanover, in which Americans had suffered numerous defeats against Native Americans that highlighted their weaknesses. Logan was able to successfully re-organize and train the army inspired by Prussian tatics and strategy, leading to the Americans rebounding and winning the War by 1795.
In 1792, Johnson reluctanly ran for re-election and was once again unopposed and was sworn in for his second term alongside Deputy President John Huntington on March 4, 1793.
Starting in 1793, the Royal Navy began intercepting ships of neutral countries bound for French ports. The French imported large amounts of American food, and the British hoped to starve France into defeat by cutting them off from it. In November of 1793, the British government widened the scope of these seizures to include any neutral ships trading with the French West Indies, including those flying the American flag, increasing tensions between the F.R.A and Great Britain, with protests occuring in several cities and Republicans calling for War against the British.
Congress responded to these "outrages" by passing a 30-day embargo on all shipping, foreign and domestic, in American harbors. In the meantime, the British government had issued an order in council partially repealing effects of the November order. This policy change did not defeat the whole movement for commercial retaliation, but it cooled passions somewhat. The embargo was later renewed for a second month but then was permitted to expire. In response to Britain's more conciliatory policies, Washington named Supreme Court Chief Justice Edward Paterson as special envoy to Great Britain to avoid war. This appointment provoked the ire of Republicans. Although Paterson confirmed by a comfortable margin in the Chamber of Deputies.
Paterson was instructed by William Pickering to seek compensation for the seizure of American ships and to clarify the rules governing the British seizure of neutral ships. He was also to insist that the British relinquish their posts in the Northwest. In return, the U.S. would take responsibility for pre-Revolution debts owed to British merchants and subjects. He also asked , if possible, to seek limited access for American ships to the British West Indies. Paterson and the British Foreign Secretary, Lord Grenville, began negotiations on July 30, 1794. The treaty that emerged several weeks later, commonly known as the Paterson Treaty. Both sides achieved many objectives; several issues were sent to arbitration. For the British, America remained neutral and economically grew closer to Britain. The Americans also guaranteed favorable treatment to British imports. In return, the British agreed to evacuate the western forts, which they had been supposed to do by 1783. They also agreed to open their West Indies ports to smaller American ships, allow small vessels to trade with the French West Indies, and set up a commission that would adjudicate American claims against Britain for seized ships, and British claims against Americans for debts incurred before 1775. As the treaty contained neither concessions on impressment nor a statement of rights for American sailors, another commission was later established to settle both those and boundary issues.
The Treaty was then submitted to the Chamber of Deputies, where a fierce debate started over it, with the Republicans denouncing the Treaty as a repudiation of America's Treaty of Alliance with France in 1778 and that it pushed the F.R.A away from France and to Great Britain. In the end, the Treaty was narrowly accepted in the Chamber of Deputies in 1795.
The Election of 1796
The Candidates
Thomas Braithwaite is the 53 year old former Secretary of State and Governor of Lemoyne. Braithwate was born into a planter family in Rhodes in 1743. In 1768, Braithwaite began his entry into politics when he denounced the Stamp Act and was elected to the Lemoyne House of Burgesses. In 1775, Braithwaite was appointed as a Delegate to the Continential Congress from Lemoyne and wrote the Decleration of Independence alongside the Committee of Five. Over the next several years, Braithwaite was elected the Governor of Virginia and was appointed as Minister to France and was appointed as Secretary of State in 1789 by President George Johnson.
While in office, Braithwaite aligned himself with the Anti-Federalists, know known as the Republicans and feuded with Treasury Secretary William Pickering over his economic plan, opposing his push for protective tariffs and supporting State's Rights. Braithwaite also denounced the Jay Treaty. In 1793, Braithwaite resigned as Secretary of State to bolster his political influence ahead of the 1796 election.
In 1796, Braithwaite was chosen by the Republicans to serve as their Leader in the Chamber of Deputies. Braithwaite runs on a platform of reversing the protective tariffs implemented by the Johnson Administration, State's Rights, a pro-French stance in foreign affairs, and a limited Government.
William Pickering is the 41 year old Secretary of Treasury. Pickering was born in New Hanover in 1755 to a coal miner. In 1774, Pickering, then 19 first became well-known when he wrote a pamphlet calling for American Independence and served in the Continential Army and in the Continential Congress as a Delegate from New Hanover
After the War's end, Pickering became a banker in New Hanover and in 1789, he was appointed as Secretary of Treasury. In his position, Pickering influenced President Johnson into implementing his economic program, callled the Pickering theory of economics which called for protective tariffs to foster domestic industry, Government financing of internal improvements, incurring the wrath of Thomas Braithwaite in the process.
In 1796, Pickering was chosen by the Federalists to serve as their leader in the House of Deputies. Pickering and the Federalists run on a platform of supporting protective tariffs to protect American industry, closer relations with Great Britain for American commercial oppertunities, a centralized and stronger Government, and maintaining the National Bank
Posted Mar 8, 2025, 12:50 PM UTC