A combination of the first three chapters plus more of the fourth chapter, with some slight revisions. Enjoy!
BIRTH OF A NEW REPUBLIC
The Tariff of 1828, or the Tariff of Abominations, was passed on May 19, 1828 to protect industries in the northern United States which were being driven out of business by low-priced imported goods by taxing them. The South, however, was harmed directly by having to pay higher prices on goods the region did not produce, and indirectly because reducing the exportation of British goods to the U.S. made it difficult for the British to pay for the cotton they imported from the South. The reaction in the South, particularly in South Carolina, would lead to the Nullification Crisis that began in late 1832, and eventually, the state's secession.
The tariff was part of a plot cooked up by New York senator Martin Van Buren to elect Andrew Jackson as president. Van Buren calculated that the South would vote for Jackson regardless of the issues so he ignored their interests in drafting the bill. New England, he thought, was just as likely to support the incumbent John Quincy Adams, so the bill levied heavy taxes on raw materials consumed by New England such as hemp, flax, molasses, iron and sail duck. With an additional tariff on iron to satisfy Pennsylvania interests, Van Buren expected the tariff to help deliver Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri, Ohio, and Kentucky to Jackson. Over opposition from the South and some from New England, the tariff was passed with the full support of many Jackson supporters in Congress and signed by President Adams in early 1828.
Martin Van Buren
President Andrew Jackson
South Carolina leaders then decided to protest the tariff, demanding nullification of the tariff at all costs. Then the Tariff of 1832 was passed, and South Carolina tried to nullify it, too. Governor James Hamilton Jr. then decided to break away from the United States, destroy all tariffs, and possibly gain worldwide support. Then the turning point came.
The Nullification Convention met in November of 1832 and declared that both tariffs were unconstitutional and unenforceable within the state of South Carolina after February 1, 1833. They said that attempts to use force to collect the taxes would lead to the state’s secession. Then, on December 6, 1832, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Hamilton had figured out that the tariffs would not be repealed, and so called for the state to pull out. Vice President John C. Calhoun then left Washington on December 28th.
John C. Calhoun, later the First President of Cottolvania
Then, two weeks later, both Georgia and North Carolina also seceded from the Union. Together, the three states formed the Republic of Cottolvania on January 10th, with Hamilton as a
temporary President. A great future was in store for the new nation.
THE STRUGGLE
When John C. Calhoun arrived to Columbia, South Carolina, on February 7th, 1833, he was greeted with a hero's welcome. He became President on February 8th, with Robert Y. Hayne as his vice President. Governor Hamilton became Secretary of State, George McDuffie became Secretary of Treasury, and Robert Rhett became Attorney General. The five of them met on February 14th and decided to draft a new constitution for Cottolvania and add Alabama and Florida to the new republic.
Vice President Robert Y. Hayne
Secretary of State James Hamilton. As Governor of South Carolina, he changed history forever by making the state secede from the U.S. in late 1832.
Secretary of Treasury George McDuffie
Attorney General Robert B. Rhett
Then, U.S. troops began marching towards Columbia, reaching the capital on March 2nd. Calhoun and his cabinet left quickly to Spartanburg, along with the original six senators: Bedford Brown, John Forsyth, Willie Mangum, Stephen Miller, George Troup, and Henry Pinckney. Together, on March 10th, they not only decided to add Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Florida to their control, but also to rename the Carolinas as "Piedmontova" and "Spartandia" (with the respective original names being North Carolina and South Carolina).
Meanwhile, American troops had burned Columbia and were just about to strike north to Charlotte, near the Piedmontova/Spartandia border. Led by a general named Zachary Taylor, these men decided to destroy Reed Gold Mine, a gold mine in Concord, northeast of Charlotte. As U.S. troops prepared to go in, they were surprised by a Cotonese force, led by Montfort Stokes, coming out of the opening. Taylor was furious and tried to killed Stokes with a bullet, but the bullet missed and killed Thomas Bragg instead. The Cotonese killed nine soldiers in revenge (not including Taylor and another general, Winfield Scott).
American General Zachary Taylor
American General Winfield Scott
Cotonese General Montfort Stokes
The Cotonese eventually won the Battle of the Gold Mine, prompting war between the U.S. and Cottolvania. This began a new era...
The Battle of Goodson
On March 18th, 1833, President John C. Calhoun of Cottolvania declared war on the United States of America, claiming that Andrew Jackson had no right to send troops to reunite the states together. Jackson, who had troops guarding the border so that Cottolvania wouldn’t grab more states, responded by asking Congress to declare war on Cottolvania on March 29th. The War of Cotonese Sucession had officially begun.
On April 7th, Cotonese troops began to move north, towards the U.S. states of Virginia and Kentucky. Three days later, they met U.S. troops in Goodson, Virginia. The Battle of Goodson was fought until May 1st. It was won by Cotonese troops, who proceeded to move on northeast to Lexington. On May 10th, the Siege of Lexington began. Six weeks of starvation disrupted the city and gave Cottolvania and Calhoun an advantage.
The Cotonese Siege of Lexington on June 3rd, 3 weeks before the city fell
On June 23rd, the city fell into the hands of the Cotonese. Infuriated, Andrew Jackson decided to take matters into his own hands. He called in Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, two of the best generals in the U.S., and gave them Special Order 101. He also persuaded Congress to pass new laws that guaranteed satisfaction for the U.S. The first was the Presidental Act of 1833, which made the President have a lifetime status in office. The second was the Executive Act of 1833, which gave the executive branch even more power than before. Jackson, now President-for-Life, used the power to drive the Cotonese back... to the Virginia/Piedmontova border. The Americans then lost the ten-day Battle of Murfreesboro to Cottolvania, making President-for-Life Jackson called for a peace treaty with Cottolvania.
The Battle of Murfreesboro
Jackson had figured out that the peace treaty would destroy Cotonese moral. However, the sacking of Louisville changed all that...
THE END OF THE WAR AND THE OFFICIAL BIRTH OF COTTOLVANIA
The Sacking of Louisville, which officially ended the War of Cotonese Sucession
On July 3rd, 1833, a small militia formed by Tennessee politicians Sam Houston and Davy Crockett began moving its way up toward Cincinnati and Louisville. Crockett’s group went up to Louisville, while Houston’s went to Cincinnati. Houston's group arrived to Cincinnati on July 14th, imprisoning Salmon P. Chase and three other men in jail for a week.
Meanwhile, after arriving at Louisville on July 11th, Crockett gave the order the sack the city and kill everyone they find. To the U.S., the Sack of Louisville was the last straw. One by one, each remaining American state sent a representative to Spartanburg to negotiate a peace treaty with Cottolvania’s six representatives, one from each state.
On August 2nd, 1833, the U.S. and Cotonese representatives met in Spartanburg to discuss the treaty that would end the War of Cotonese Secession. Harry Cage, who represented Mississippi, wanted to make sure that Cottolvania secured its independence, but Samuel A. Foot, who represented Connecticut, wanted Cottolvania to be an American puppet. John McKinley from Alabama planned to allow Kentucky and Virginia to join, but William Armstrong and John Calhoon both wanted to make sure that their states didn’t leave the Union.
Samuel A. Foot from Connecticut
John McKinley from Alabama
John Calhoon from Kentucky
On August 4th, the Treaty of Spartanburg was signed. It contained the following points:
- Kentucky and Virginia would both belong to the U.S., but its southern part will go to Piedmontova, its southwestern part to Tennessee, and its eastern shoreline to Maryland.
- Tennessee's lands north of the Cumberland River would go to Kentucky, while Kentucky's lands west of the Tennessee River would go to Tennessee.
- Cottolvania would officially gain independence on August 10th, six days after the treaty was signed.
On August 10th, 1833, with the states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Piedmontova, Spartandia, and Tennessee, plus the Territory of Florida, the Republic of Cottolvania was officially formed. Huge celebrations sprang up in Spartanburg, Charlotte, and Fayetteville. John C. Calhoun, the very first President of Cottolvania, spoke from a balcony of the newly renamed Executive Building in Spartanburg:
“We are not alone in this country. Everywhere you go now, you’ll see people who cheer for our success. You’ll see them in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Alabama, were thousands of citizens are now part of the Cotonese régime. Our twelve senators have done a great job, and now they meet with our six representatives to propose a new Constitution for our country.”
Indeed, the eighteen delegates were meeting in Spartanburg’s Executive Building to propose a new Constitution for Cottolvania...
