La Tierra Afortunada: A Better, and Nicer, Mexico.
Well, folks, here it is.....the very first Mexico wank I've ever done. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you, "La Tierra Fortunada".
There you go. It isn't much, but it's a good start.....you guys like it?
Well, folks, here it is.....the very first Mexico wank I've ever done. Ladies and gentlemen, I proudly present to you, "La Tierra Fortunada".
La Tierra Afortunada: A Better and Nicer Mexico.
POD: April 9, 1839.[1a]
The United States in 1839 is in a bit of trouble at the moment: Just two years ago, the Panic of 1837 swept the country following an ill-planned, controversial and poorly thought-out decision by Andrew Jackson to dismantle the Second Bank of the United States the previous year. The entire country has been hard hit by these problems, but no more so than much of the Deep South(even Florida, whose residents were known for punctual payments, had trouble keeping up!), and several of the northeastern states, Vermont, Connecticut and New Jersey in particular. Martin Van Buren was in office only for about nine weeks before the economy crashed in May of that year, and yet unfortunately (perhaps unjustly) received much of the blame, though it can be argued that Van Buren's own refusal to involve the government in the matter couldn't have helped his case, as it exacerbated the problem.
Within 2 months, nearly $100 million worth of bank losses had been reported, in the state of New York alone. And it wasn't restricted to just banks, either; New York City lost over 250 of its businesses in the month of April, before the real crash began!
Farmers, too, have been affected: though the crop harvest in 1837 out in the old Northwest was rather good by most standards, which helped them weather the first months of the ongoing crisis, prices have begun a sharp drop and many now find themselves struggling to stay afloat. And, worst of all, many state financial institutions, too, have found themselves collapsing.
As things continue to go south, many people wonder when and where it will all end[1].
We turn, for a second, to Mexico, which is having to deal with a few of it's own problems today.
In 1836, President Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was deposed after the fiasco in Texas which allowed that state to break off and become its own country, after being declared unfit for rule by the Mexican Congress. He did eventually make a comeback during the Pastry War[2], and had tried to rebuild his reputation, using his war service as a crutch. On March 20th, 1839, Santa Anna arrived back in Mexico City to a mixed reaction; some were indeed grateful for his return, but many others not so much. But just as Santa Anna was getting used to being back in the driver's seat, as it were, the generals Jose Mexia and Jose Urrea began into action a plot to orchestrate his overthrow, not two weeks after his re-ascension to office. Already having been deposed once, Santa Anna wasn't exactly willing to step in and let the rebels shove him aside, as the Texans did.....
And speaking of Texas, controversy has been stirring recently back over in the U.S. whether or not the country should be considered for a possible future annexation.
In April 1839, a fledgling Ohioan lawyer and Mass. native by the name of Lysander Spooner, began to consider leaving for Texas to start anew, and to make the case for a free state status should it become the next U.S. State, and to possibly establish a settlement in the area[3]. He decided to start a fundraising effort to try to raise some money for the cause. At first, the response was a little slow, but Spooner was, fortunately for him, able to raise several thousand dollars for the expedition to Texas by the end of June, and he and about 50 other adventure seekers left for the Hill Country on July 11th. Arriving at a site just northwest of Austin in early August, Spooner settled down, and was one of the primary founders of the town of Liberty Creek the following February(and platted in April 1840). This attracted some attention as Spooner was the first Yankee to have been the founder of ANY community in Texas, though of course, not everyone in the Lone Star Nation was necessarily welcoming of this
Yankee once they knew who he was.....[4]
Forward to 1840, and U.S. President Martin Van Buren is still planning to run for a second term in office despite the number of challenges he's had to overcome during his first, and his popularity has remained a bit on the low side, but he is beginning to see hope: the situations in Texas and Mexico may provide him with another chance to prove himself worthy of the office of U.S. President. Even so, is Van Buren perhaps still doomed to fail, an to be replaced by his opponent, the famous general and Ohio senator, William Henry Harrison[5a]? Or can he salvage his reputation and squeeze in another term as the Big Man in the White House[5b]?
[1a]Subject to change, possibly.
[1b]And there's no end on the horizon, it seems. Or is there?...*wink*
[2]One of the strangest, and quite frankly, silliest, wars in history.
[3]And this is where the fun begins, ladies and gents.....
[4]That's putting it somewhat lightly....there were indeed a few Southerners who were actually radical enough to justify killing abolitionists just for not conforming to the whims of Southron high society(and many more who certainly didn't think all that highly of abolitionists even if they weren't to go as far as wishing them dead.)
[5a]As per OTL.
[5b]It'll be tough for ol' Kinderhook but he's not exactly one to roll over and play dead, either. In any case, 1840 is sure to be an interesting year.....=)
**
Some selected excerpts from “The Presidents: The Story of the Oval Office and The Men Who Occupied It, 2nd edition.”
Authored by Robert Jackson, 1999. © Liberty Tree Publishing, San Francisco, CA.
As the 1840 election season dawned, Martin Van Buren found himself in a somewhat unfortunate position; during his first term, the Crash of 1837 had taken many a business and utterly destroyed their financial viability; particularly hard hit, was the South and the Northeast, many big planters and bankers, respectively, felt the worst of the effects. Although the President himself had not been responsible for the crash(it can be argued with some validity that his predecessor Jackson was, though.), he was still blamed for not taking enough action to rescue the economy, so much so, in fact, that some derisively nicknamed him “Martin Van Ruin”[6]. The Democrats were already on shaky ground, and as the recession ploughed on, the Whigs started to look more and more appealing with every passing day.....
Nevertheless, however, they renominated Van Buren anyway; no-one else in his party wanted to run for for the White House. In fact, nobody could even agree on the Vice-Presidential position for the 1840 election: James K. Polk had been considered for the position at one point, but could not receive enough endorsements to get the nomination. So, as a result, President Van Buren became the first candidate to campaign without a running mate.
On the other hand, the Whig Party was riding the high tide of political discontent and a desire for change. Henry Clay, the highly popular and rather folksy Kentucky statesman, saw the writing on the wall and hoped that his time had finally arrived to get the ehance to sit in the Oval Office. However, though, he had, unfortunately, made a number of enemies over the years, and the Whigs weren't about to gamble with their chances of winning the White House. As a result, they decided to stick with a less controversial candidate: William Henry Harrison, the war hero, and former Ohio state senator. To get a regional balance, they sought out Virginian Senator John Tyler for the Vice-Presidential nomination, which Tyler accepted.
The 1840 election was heavily focused on image-making, and in fact, even more than substance, which was quite unique(though inevitable, as some may argue.). A pro-Democratic pundit once opined that Harrison would be just as content to sip on some hard cider in front of his log cabin as to serve as President. The Whigs, seeing an opprotunity, took this piece of satirical mocking and turned it to their advantage, starting the now famous “Log Cabin and Hard Cider!” Campaign, selling Harrison as a man of the people, and handing out many bottles of free cider at their rallies. In the same token, Van Buren was derided as an elitist with no sense of empathy for the common man and was said to indulge in fine wines and exotic foods. One politically-inclined poet had this to say:
“Let Van from his coolers of silver drink wine
And lounge on his cushioned settee,
Our man on a buckeye bench can recline,
Content with hard cider is he.”[7]
What may seem truly ironic to some, however, is that Van Buren had grown up in a working-class New York family and had climbed his way to the top of the Golden Hill[8], so to speak; Harrison, on the other hand, was a wealthy Virginian who himself had quite a few of the trappings and mannerisms of your average aristocrat.
In any case, this was already shaping up to be a rather tense election indeed; however, though, there was a wild card candidate who came on the scene that would make things all the more complicated: James G. Birney. Birney, a native of Kentucky and former planter, had come to reject slavery about a decade earlier and had built up a reputation as a devoted abolitionist, so much so that his life was threatened on several occasions, by pro-slavery agitators. But this didn't stop him from pursuing his interests, and in 1837, the American Anti-Slavery Society recruited him to their ranks and he moved to New York with his family. By the time the 1840 elections rolled around, he was considering a run for the Presidency....[9]
**
Albany, New York.
April 1, 1840.
James G. Birney was a man on a mission; ever since that fateful day in 1833, he had resolved to help bring about the end of slavery once and for all, and had become an abolitionist in the following year. Since then, he had had to endure intimidation, hatred, and even threats against his life. But Birney had struggled on, determined to never give in to his adversaries. And now, he had found the ultimate political calling: ascending to the White House, as President of the United States. It was here in this little town in Wyoming County that a new party was born.....the Liberty Party. “Truly a fitting name for our organization.”, he thought. And he hoped that it'd be here to stay. Now, though, it was time to get to work on his campaign, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do.....
**
These excerpts are from “Liberty's Call: A Short History of the Liberty Party”, authored by John Porter.
© 1948 Whitmore Press, Salt Lake, Utah.
The Liberty Party, in its first incarnation[10], was the first dedicated anti-slavery party, and originally had its origins in the American abolitionist movement, particularly with the American Anti-Slavery Society.
The party first developed partly thanks to a split between supporters of the more radical William Lloyd Garrison, who eschewed major political action, and a more conservative faction led by Gerrit Smith, who believed that their aims could be best obtained by more orthodox means. The anti-Garrisonian faction was also headed by Arthur Tappan, William Jay[11], and Salmon P. Chase, an Ohioan who was known as a stalwart defender of abolitionism.
It was at one of the state conventions in Warsaw, N.Y., in which James G. Birney was chosen to be the Liberty Party's nominee for the Presidency; Francis J. LeMoyne, the Pennsylvania-born son of a French physician immigrant who had himself become a doctor, before his starting his abolition work, was to be Birney's Vice-President.
At the national convention in Albany, New York, on April 1, 1840, delegates from half a dozen states came to the determine the nominations; all 6 of them confirmed the Birney/LeMoyne ticket, officially adopted the party name, and made the slavery issue the key plank of their platform. Though confident he would make an impact, Birney realized that in order to be better heard, he might have to seek out a wealthy benefactor or two who would be willing to help fund the party's campaign[12]. So, in the month of June, he decided to seek the assistance of his old comrades, the Tappan brothers....
**
Letter from James G. Birney to Lewis Tappan, June 6th, 1840. Archived by the National Library, Washington, D.C.
Dear Mr. Tappan,
I write this letter to ask you a much needed favor.
As you may remember, last year I came to the conclusion that, in order to eliminate the terrible scourge of slavery from this great nation of ours, that we must begin to work to insert ourselves into the body politic, by any legal means necessary. I am pleased to report that the formation of a party was successful; we've called it the “Liberty Party”, due to our abolitionist aims, above all else. Interest in our party has been growing by the day since we have created it, and we expect that this will only continue. There is, however, a small problem: We have very little in the way of funding, and I am disappointed to report that Gerrit Smith's monetary contributions may not be enough to allow us a more noticeable voice. My own experience in the field of publishing will be helpful, but as we both understand, money is to campaigning what food is to a man: it shall perish for the lack of it. My personal aims for reaching the White House may be a Herculean task, but there is hope: there are a few persons running for office who have expressed interest in this new party of ours. One man that I know of in particular, William Jay, has great promise for a political career, if he chooses to accept the challenge to win the district in which he currently resides, in the Albany area.
Will you assist us in our aims? If we are indeed able to gain a presence in Washington, I do believe this may benefit us in the long run. And we will need every bit of good fortune that comes our way, for our adversaries are relentless and have many powerful people on their side, to do their bidding.[13]
Any assistance is appreciated, and thank you, in advance, for reading this letter.
Sincerely,
-James G. Birney, New York City, New York.
Response to James G. Birney from Lewis Tappan, June 27th, 1840.
Mr. Birney,
I have received your letter, and after some contemplation, I have made my decision.
It shall be a challenge to put this party into the halls of power, and I'm afraid that your hopes of ascending to the White House may not be feasible at this time. However, I also realize that there is indeed potential for this new Liberty Party of yours; there are many people, not just in this state, but in several others across the nation as well, that are open to abolitionist thought and morals. After all, did not the Founders intend for this to be a free nation?
Instead, tragically, we have seen the slavers defy the true meaning of the Constitution and to force the rest of us to play along in their dastardly games. This cannot stand forever, James, and any attempt to slow, or even halt, the advance of the Perfidious Institution is to be applauded. This may indeed prove to be a grand opportunity for us, and I hope that we may be able to save the soul of this nation yet.
I have also consulted with my brother, Arthur, and he has informed me that he, too, would be honored to assist you in the genesis of this project of ours.
May the Lord bless & guide you, James. Good men such as yourself and I shall be at the forefront of this greatest of moral battles yet to be faced in this nation, and it is my hope that slavery shall indeed one day pass away, nevermore to haunt the conscience of these United States. [14]
Yours in Christ,
Lewis Tappan.
James Birney's Final Response. July 1st, 1840.
Mr. Tappan, kind sir,
I thank you most sincerely for your generosity in this matter. Though our struggle may be great, and our rivals strong and powerful, together, acting as one, and with God's blessing, we can overcome even the greatest of enemies. I have contacted some like-minded fellows in other places across the nation, and they, too, have joined this moral mission of ours.....[snip]
May God be with you always.
-James G. Birney.[15]
**
[6]This was a real nickname for Van Buren.
[7]This poem was real, btw.
[8]An ATL idiom for achieving the pinnacle of success.
[9]Birney will play a significant role in the years to come.
[10]Major hint for what's in store for the future.
[11]Who may be running for Congress.
[12]Indeed, a wealthy benefactor might prove to be the salvation of any campaign....
[13]Sad but true.
[14]Tappan was a rather religious fellow, although a Unitarian.
[15]Birney & Tappan are going to become closer in friendship during the coming years.
**
This was taken from “The Land of Aztlan: Mexico in the 19th Century”, authored by Roberto Solano Lopez, 1975.
In 1840, Antonio de Santa Anna was facing an increasingly difficult dilemma; though he had been welcomed with open arms by many people in the country, had re-alienated many people thru a rule even more repressive than his first administration, such as the jailing of anti-Santanista dissidents and his aggressiveness towards Texas.....
There you go. It isn't much, but it's a good start.....you guys like it?
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