AHC: Save the Federalists!
- Thread starter Gog (♀)
- Start date
In Delaware, the Federalists remained remarkably strong well into the 1820s. Not until 1828 did the Federalist and Democratic-Republican parties there give way to a Jackson party and an Adams party--each party containing former members of both of the old parties. I explain the survival of Federalism in Delaware at https://groups.google.com/d/msg/soc.history.what-if/xr-nyxoCZVs/pip9IRoLX0UJ As I note there the state may have been too unusual to serve as a model for nationwide Federalist survival but I quote Jeff Paisley's observantion that Federalists in some other states did learn the techniques of popular campaigning:
"At any rate, political renovations following the Republican blueprints allowed the Federalists to not only hold their Connecticut fortress, but eventually, when the issue environment allowed, to regain competitiveness throughout New England and even in parts of the Middle States, at least at the local and state levels. While never close to gaining a majority of the House of Representatives after 1800, the Federalists held well over a third of the seats during the two congresses of the War of 1812, and as late as the 17th Congress, elected 1820, New York and Pennsylvania together sent 17 Federalists to Washington. (45) If Andrew Jackson had lost the Battle of New Orleans or if the Federalists had ever been able to find an attractive national leader after the death of Alexander Hamilton, their eventual fate might have been very different. At the same time, they only got as far as they did by emulating the Republicans in style and methods, if not in substance." http://a898248.sites.myregisteredsite.com/jeff/writings/Pasley1800.htm
"At any rate, political renovations following the Republican blueprints allowed the Federalists to not only hold their Connecticut fortress, but eventually, when the issue environment allowed, to regain competitiveness throughout New England and even in parts of the Middle States, at least at the local and state levels. While never close to gaining a majority of the House of Representatives after 1800, the Federalists held well over a third of the seats during the two congresses of the War of 1812, and as late as the 17th Congress, elected 1820, New York and Pennsylvania together sent 17 Federalists to Washington. (45) If Andrew Jackson had lost the Battle of New Orleans or if the Federalists had ever been able to find an attractive national leader after the death of Alexander Hamilton, their eventual fate might have been very different. At the same time, they only got as far as they did by emulating the Republicans in style and methods, if not in substance." http://a898248.sites.myregisteredsite.com/jeff/writings/Pasley1800.htm
TinyTartar
Banned
The Federalists were permanently broken after the Hartford Convention, which was seen as treasonous. They became very unpopular across the country and could only compete in their traditional strongholds.
Avoid Hartford, have the late 1810s see the economy encounter some kind of really bad obstacle like another panic, in which the Democrats would be blamed, and than see the Federalist label survive into the Adams Presidency with Adams himself referring to the party as the Federalists rather than whatever he ended up calling it (I think it was National Republican or Whig or something like that).
Just like the Democrats after the Civil War, any anti-war party that borders treason is going to be fucked in the near future.
Avoid Hartford, have the late 1810s see the economy encounter some kind of really bad obstacle like another panic, in which the Democrats would be blamed, and than see the Federalist label survive into the Adams Presidency with Adams himself referring to the party as the Federalists rather than whatever he ended up calling it (I think it was National Republican or Whig or something like that).
Just like the Democrats after the Civil War, any anti-war party that borders treason is going to be fucked in the near future.
I would probably be inclined to agree with this. An early end to the Quasi War...perhaps by it starting sooner?...would lead to a sudden upswing in Adams' favor. Hamilton might be frustrated in his sabotage efforts, making it hard for Republicans to capitalize upon Federalist division, and may make it difficult for Burr to flip the New York Legislature away from the Federalists. South Carolina probably comes around too. Adams gets to be the one to make the early moves in the Napoleonic era and while the Federalists will almost certainly be booted out in 1804, they will last. The downside of this is that John Marshall is almost certainly not made Chief Justice as he only got the job as a midnight judge appointment, and so a Marbury vs. Madison type arrangement is delayed until 1805 or later.
He mostly became a DemRep because of Jefferson's influence. Washington and Jefferson hated each other, so if Jefferson leaves the cabinet earlier Madison might remain a federalist.
In that same line of thought, the federalists need more leaders in order to survive.