1: Artemis Ward, First Term (1789-1793)
This goes hand-in-hand with the election game of the same name going on in the Shared World forums. The premise may be considered ASB (essentially, no person that ever ran for President in OTL can become President ITTL), but I have attempted to create the TL as realistically as possible. It follows similar to various other Presidential TL's, like the Shuffling the Deck TL's. We're 4 President's in and already the Country's Government is different.
1st. Artemas Ward (1789 - 1793) Independent/Federalist Faction
Vice-President: Richard Henry Lee
Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War: Henry Knox
Attorney General: John Jay
Postmaster General: Ebenezer Howard
Artemas Ward arrived in New York City on the morning of April 30th. There were no parades or marches, and besides the decent crowd that amassed to see the first President take the Oath -with some hecklers for good measure- Ward saw little fanfare. Not that he minded much; with his health a nagging issue, Ward was more than happy to focus on getting the nation settled rather than publicity. The truth was that Ward, for his capabilities and deeds, was not the uniting face almost all hoped Washington would be. It didn't help that the "Father" of the Republic had done much to openly attack Ward on a national scale during the Revolution. Masked with the aura of a controversial selection to be the First President in an election that had already gone to Congress, Ward was about to deal with setting the tone for a Country that had none, while working with a Congress that either distrusted him, disliked him, or expected him to play second fiddle from the sick bed.
He didn't, of course.
His early work as President saw Ward setting the stage for the Country. Perhaps mending relations with Washington, who attended the inauguration, if only publicly, he saw to it that Alexander Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury. He also took advice on placing the prominent Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, as the first Secretary of State. He kept Henry Knox as Secretary of War and Ebenezer Hazard as Postmaster General. He also entrusted a new position, that of Attorney General, to the prominent John Jay of New York. For the new judiciary, Ward appointed Roger Sherman of Connecticut, William Cushing of Massachusetts, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, John Rutledge of South Carolina, and John Adams of Massachusetts. Anticipating anger in Congress at 3 New Englanders, he nominated George Wythe of Virginia for Chief Justice, ultimately getting all 6 men through.
Then he began work on running the Country. Making quick business to create a mutual respect between himself and his Vice-President, Richard Henry Lee, Ward understood the pivotal role the President of the Senate would be in creating a strong Executive alongside the Legislative. Lee, of course, was more than happy to flex his "Constitutionally" gifted powers, much to the chagrin of various members of the Senate. Now, in no way was Ward trying to overpower Congress, simply place both branches on equal footing. For the most part, the beginning of his term consisted of various cabinet meetings to discuss policy and waiting for Congress to send him bills to pen. But his work with Vice-President Lee helped create to morph the position many believed would be a place-holder into the Executive branches ear in Congress.
When Congress first opened, it was full on both sides by Pro-Delegates -those that favored the Constitution. Yet, those that made up the minority Anti-Delegate faction began arguing in favor of a Bill of Rights. When James Madison, famous for supporting and helping craft the Constitution itself, became an outspoken supporter of a Bill of Rights, the first true debates began. In this time of flimsy factionalism, slowly more and more began supporting the idea, if only to end the topic. In the Senate, the Vice-President -much to the distaste of President pro-Tempore of the Senate Philip Schuyler- veered the body in favor of a Bill of Rights, gaining an alliance with notable pro-Constitutionalist James Iredell of North Carolina. Ultimately, Madison would propose 33 Amendments and Congress would go on to pass 10 of them, of which all were ratified by the States shortly afterward. While Ward himself did not see much need for one, he supported the motion once it got steam.
The biggest controversy came when Hamilton's economic model for the Government, which was supported by merchants and bankers and by the President himself, came at odds with large portions of the Southern members of Congress, who preferred an agrarian, or at least a mixed, economic model. When Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and Vice-President Lee, sided with the opposition, Ward threatened to remove Jefferson altogether. This created a severing of ties between the President and the Secretary that would never mend. Still, the Vice-President would be able to push through a Compromise that the President got behind. In exchange for applying support for Hamilton's model in Congress, the President would support the federal capital's location being moved to a new area closer to the South. Ward relented, and the Compromise of 1790 saw an area roughly split between Virginia and Maryland in the Potomac chosen as the new site of Government for the young nation. It would be called the District of Columbia.
Still, Ward realized that the State's needed to see each other as a "united brotherhood" and knew that as President, he would need to embody that. In efforts to fix his image across the Country and despite his health, Ward took two tours of the Nation. First he travelled North, and then South. At the same time, the President sent letters to all major members of the State Legislators and Governors with the importance of unity. In a turn of events, his arrival at Virginia was met by George Washington, who called on the nation to rally in unity behind it's President as well. The "publicity" campaign worked, though Ward's health was not grateful for his efforts. After returning from his second campaign, Ward spent some days working from bed, though he would recover from this bed-rest, he wouldn't take anymore far out trips.
For all his efforts, Ward's job as the first President was not a cakewalk. When Hamilton saw to it that a Whiskey Tax was implemented, Ward wholeheartedly got behind the endeavor. When the frontier wholeheartedly broke in defiance and protest, Ward was swift in forcing the enforcement of the law. This involved military presence to ensure the taxes were collected. While modern historian believe that this quick response thwarted what could have become the first rebellion against the Government, it was hotly attacked by those in Congress that considered it a breach of authority on his part. Slavery would also becoming a divisive issue as debates on it's legality consumed the Senate, gaining fuel from a Southerner in James Iredell, and the President's own positions against the practice.
Additionally, his divide with Jefferson caused problems as the President pursued a course of mending trade relations with Britain, which Jefferson was hotly opposed to particularly because of British support of the natives in the on-going Northwest Indian War. At the same time, growing revolutionary furor in France caught the eye of Jefferson, who pestered for American support, something Ward wholeheartedly refused on the grounds that meddling in "European affairs" would not be the course of the nation. As a result, when the slave population in the French colony of Saint-Domingue first rose in revolt, Ward refused to provide assistance, though eventually would as a way to ease debts over Revolutionary War loans. Still, his sending of diplomatic missions to various countries without Congressional approval caught the ire of some in Congress, but set the standard for the President's (and State Departments) role in foreign affairs. In dealing with natives, an Indian Department overseen by the President and State Department, dispatched various agents to make treaties and deals with the natives on the nations periphery territory.
The split had been born in Congress. While Ward argued against such politicization, his own actions would help form increasing factional tendencies in Congress. The Federalist (Pro-Administration) faction emerged from those Pro-Delegates that supported Hamilton's economic model and the National Bank. The Republican (Anti-Administration) faction sat opposed, formed from a mix of pro and anti Congressmen that rejected Hamilton's model in exchange for a more mixed one that catered to both the merchants and the planters. In between was a cacophony of men that sided with either-or, but had other ideas. Some, dubbed the "Democrats" by supporters or "Mobists" by opponents, argued that the election of Ward had been a sham because he came in third in the Electoral Vote. Others, called the "Constitutionalists", argued the opposite, fighting for a more reduced role for the Presidency in favor of Congress. Ward found himself labelled a Federalist from the get-go, though he did not himself openly promote any side.
With 1792 and a new election approaching, President Artemas Ward did not seek a second term. While his health was a main concern, the President also knew that the growing factionalism within Congress would not be broken by himself. Knowing that he had done his best to create the Executive Branch as a legitimate force, with a decently strong President, a Vice-President that served as a strong force in Congress, etc., Ward made the wise decision of stepping down. Modern historians often point this out as a wise and unselfish decision that put the nation's best interests ahead of his own. While oft criticized in his own time, Ward is viewed in extremely favorable light for being the man that created the essence of the Executive branch.
1st. Artemas Ward (1789 - 1793) Independent/Federalist Faction
Vice-President: Richard Henry Lee
Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson
Secretary of the Treasury: Alexander Hamilton
Secretary of War: Henry Knox
Attorney General: John Jay
Postmaster General: Ebenezer Howard
Artemas Ward arrived in New York City on the morning of April 30th. There were no parades or marches, and besides the decent crowd that amassed to see the first President take the Oath -with some hecklers for good measure- Ward saw little fanfare. Not that he minded much; with his health a nagging issue, Ward was more than happy to focus on getting the nation settled rather than publicity. The truth was that Ward, for his capabilities and deeds, was not the uniting face almost all hoped Washington would be. It didn't help that the "Father" of the Republic had done much to openly attack Ward on a national scale during the Revolution. Masked with the aura of a controversial selection to be the First President in an election that had already gone to Congress, Ward was about to deal with setting the tone for a Country that had none, while working with a Congress that either distrusted him, disliked him, or expected him to play second fiddle from the sick bed.
He didn't, of course.
His early work as President saw Ward setting the stage for the Country. Perhaps mending relations with Washington, who attended the inauguration, if only publicly, he saw to it that Alexander Hamilton became Secretary of the Treasury. He also took advice on placing the prominent Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, as the first Secretary of State. He kept Henry Knox as Secretary of War and Ebenezer Hazard as Postmaster General. He also entrusted a new position, that of Attorney General, to the prominent John Jay of New York. For the new judiciary, Ward appointed Roger Sherman of Connecticut, William Cushing of Massachusetts, James Wilson of Pennsylvania, John Rutledge of South Carolina, and John Adams of Massachusetts. Anticipating anger in Congress at 3 New Englanders, he nominated George Wythe of Virginia for Chief Justice, ultimately getting all 6 men through.
Then he began work on running the Country. Making quick business to create a mutual respect between himself and his Vice-President, Richard Henry Lee, Ward understood the pivotal role the President of the Senate would be in creating a strong Executive alongside the Legislative. Lee, of course, was more than happy to flex his "Constitutionally" gifted powers, much to the chagrin of various members of the Senate. Now, in no way was Ward trying to overpower Congress, simply place both branches on equal footing. For the most part, the beginning of his term consisted of various cabinet meetings to discuss policy and waiting for Congress to send him bills to pen. But his work with Vice-President Lee helped create to morph the position many believed would be a place-holder into the Executive branches ear in Congress.
When Congress first opened, it was full on both sides by Pro-Delegates -those that favored the Constitution. Yet, those that made up the minority Anti-Delegate faction began arguing in favor of a Bill of Rights. When James Madison, famous for supporting and helping craft the Constitution itself, became an outspoken supporter of a Bill of Rights, the first true debates began. In this time of flimsy factionalism, slowly more and more began supporting the idea, if only to end the topic. In the Senate, the Vice-President -much to the distaste of President pro-Tempore of the Senate Philip Schuyler- veered the body in favor of a Bill of Rights, gaining an alliance with notable pro-Constitutionalist James Iredell of North Carolina. Ultimately, Madison would propose 33 Amendments and Congress would go on to pass 10 of them, of which all were ratified by the States shortly afterward. While Ward himself did not see much need for one, he supported the motion once it got steam.
The biggest controversy came when Hamilton's economic model for the Government, which was supported by merchants and bankers and by the President himself, came at odds with large portions of the Southern members of Congress, who preferred an agrarian, or at least a mixed, economic model. When Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, and Vice-President Lee, sided with the opposition, Ward threatened to remove Jefferson altogether. This created a severing of ties between the President and the Secretary that would never mend. Still, the Vice-President would be able to push through a Compromise that the President got behind. In exchange for applying support for Hamilton's model in Congress, the President would support the federal capital's location being moved to a new area closer to the South. Ward relented, and the Compromise of 1790 saw an area roughly split between Virginia and Maryland in the Potomac chosen as the new site of Government for the young nation. It would be called the District of Columbia.
Still, Ward realized that the State's needed to see each other as a "united brotherhood" and knew that as President, he would need to embody that. In efforts to fix his image across the Country and despite his health, Ward took two tours of the Nation. First he travelled North, and then South. At the same time, the President sent letters to all major members of the State Legislators and Governors with the importance of unity. In a turn of events, his arrival at Virginia was met by George Washington, who called on the nation to rally in unity behind it's President as well. The "publicity" campaign worked, though Ward's health was not grateful for his efforts. After returning from his second campaign, Ward spent some days working from bed, though he would recover from this bed-rest, he wouldn't take anymore far out trips.
For all his efforts, Ward's job as the first President was not a cakewalk. When Hamilton saw to it that a Whiskey Tax was implemented, Ward wholeheartedly got behind the endeavor. When the frontier wholeheartedly broke in defiance and protest, Ward was swift in forcing the enforcement of the law. This involved military presence to ensure the taxes were collected. While modern historian believe that this quick response thwarted what could have become the first rebellion against the Government, it was hotly attacked by those in Congress that considered it a breach of authority on his part. Slavery would also becoming a divisive issue as debates on it's legality consumed the Senate, gaining fuel from a Southerner in James Iredell, and the President's own positions against the practice.
Additionally, his divide with Jefferson caused problems as the President pursued a course of mending trade relations with Britain, which Jefferson was hotly opposed to particularly because of British support of the natives in the on-going Northwest Indian War. At the same time, growing revolutionary furor in France caught the eye of Jefferson, who pestered for American support, something Ward wholeheartedly refused on the grounds that meddling in "European affairs" would not be the course of the nation. As a result, when the slave population in the French colony of Saint-Domingue first rose in revolt, Ward refused to provide assistance, though eventually would as a way to ease debts over Revolutionary War loans. Still, his sending of diplomatic missions to various countries without Congressional approval caught the ire of some in Congress, but set the standard for the President's (and State Departments) role in foreign affairs. In dealing with natives, an Indian Department overseen by the President and State Department, dispatched various agents to make treaties and deals with the natives on the nations periphery territory.
The split had been born in Congress. While Ward argued against such politicization, his own actions would help form increasing factional tendencies in Congress. The Federalist (Pro-Administration) faction emerged from those Pro-Delegates that supported Hamilton's economic model and the National Bank. The Republican (Anti-Administration) faction sat opposed, formed from a mix of pro and anti Congressmen that rejected Hamilton's model in exchange for a more mixed one that catered to both the merchants and the planters. In between was a cacophony of men that sided with either-or, but had other ideas. Some, dubbed the "Democrats" by supporters or "Mobists" by opponents, argued that the election of Ward had been a sham because he came in third in the Electoral Vote. Others, called the "Constitutionalists", argued the opposite, fighting for a more reduced role for the Presidency in favor of Congress. Ward found himself labelled a Federalist from the get-go, though he did not himself openly promote any side.
With 1792 and a new election approaching, President Artemas Ward did not seek a second term. While his health was a main concern, the President also knew that the growing factionalism within Congress would not be broken by himself. Knowing that he had done his best to create the Executive Branch as a legitimate force, with a decently strong President, a Vice-President that served as a strong force in Congress, etc., Ward made the wise decision of stepping down. Modern historians often point this out as a wise and unselfish decision that put the nation's best interests ahead of his own. While oft criticized in his own time, Ward is viewed in extremely favorable light for being the man that created the essence of the Executive branch.
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