Published in 2011, written by Justin Arnold
"The Americans have done it, they have gone mad." -Lord Rockingham
"The first General Election in the history of the United States was both a celebrated and widespread affair. While none of the candidates running for the presidency and Congress campaigned through the streets, the election introduced an important precedent for future elections. Samuel Anjung Kim, one of the front runners for the presidency, released a set of policies he vowed to push through if he was elected president. The policies were comprehensive and detailed, with nearly all of them being personally reviewed by subject experts and molded to fit the demands of the public at the time. From a description of his revenue plans (which included a low excise tax, high customs) to a plan to establish universities across the nation, Kim's policies displayed a semblance of seriousness and determination that promised a better, more prosperous future for the United States. His policies, nicknamed the "Fifteen Promises," was printed by newspapers on a daily basis up until the election itself. Generally, the policies appealed to the broader population, everyone from freedmen (who were promised compensation and support) to rich business owners (a low excise tax, guarantees of improvement of merchant shipping security). Before he released the policies, Kim was bolstered by his reputation as the "Iron Commandant" for his war efforts and his political backings. However, once the policies were widespread (indeed, Kim's own newspaper played a critical role in this), it was all but certain that the Korean-American would become the front runner. This political development was shocking, and historians still remained surprised at the eagerness of Americans to vote for a minority during the early days of the republic, but it is generally agreed that public opinion was very much in favor of the former war hero during this time period. Also, the announcement of Benjamin Franklin being Kim's vice president pick was also a strategic and popular move. Additionally, only a few token opposition candidates ran for the 1780 Presidential Elections, such as John Hancock, the former Continental Congress president, and Thomas Jefferson, a prominent Continental Congress delegate who would go on to become the nation's second president.
Through an act passed by the interim Congress in 1778, a census was created through meticulous and thorough effort. The process itself was finalized just months before elections began, and was aided by various state governments. However, the 1780 Census gave a clear picture of the political situation of the United States and also provided evidence for the success of Kim in key states. The total number of Americans living in the United States (excluding Bermuda, Georgia, the Northwestern Territory, West Florida, East Florida, and the Indian Territory) was totaled at 2,614,600. The number of citizens stood at 2,284,600, which meant that the total number of slaves during this time was 330,000. This was a sharp drop off from the estimated 600,000 slaves around this time period. The sudden drop in the number of slaves was due to the liberation of slaves throughout South Carolina during the Revolutionary War (which saw the number of slaves decrease from approximately 250,000 to merely 70,000). Other reasons included were the freeing of slaves by free will (as was the case seen in all the Founders such as George Washington and Jefferson) and the abolition of slaves that served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. In addition to this, several states saw a decline in the total population as well. South Carolina was the most affected state, losing 50,000 of its 180,000 inhabitants. Other states saw various degrees of emigration, mainly from fleeing Loyalists that feared retribution from the newly formed United States. All in all, it was estimated that nearly 150,000 colonists left the United States before 1780 (including colonists in the territories).
When the fated day on November 7th descended upon the United States, thousands of eager Americans went to the designated voting places to cast their ballot for the first-ever election in America. About 1 million Americans were eligible to vote, with the voting requirements allowing males that were twenty-five years old or older and females that were thirty-five years old or older. Out of the 1,255,000 citizens that were legally allowed to vote, 1,029,100 turned out for the first election, an astounding 82% of eligible voters. That number has not been topped in the United States ever since, though there were several close calls (in 1820 and in 1888). Once the votes were counted, Samuel Kim was elected as the first president of the United States with 733,340 votes. Out of 167 electoral votes, Kim won a total of 115 electoral votes, winning the race by a wide margin. Coming in second place was Thomas Jefferson, who won over half of Virginia's and North Carolina's electoral votes with a total of 36 overall. The proportional electoral system saw its first appearance in this election, which accurately painted the general consensus of the American voters. While not all the electors were "faithful" (indeed, Kim was "cheated" out of 4 electoral votes in total), it wasn't a prevalent issue and hardly mattered for Kim's victory.
Analyzing the places that Kim won handily, it was not surprising to see why he was able to win the election in a landslide. For example, Massachusetts was split fairly closely between Hancock and Kim, despite the fact that Hancock was from Massachusetts. Historians often debate on this mysterious turnout, but the general consensus is that Kim's defense of Boston in the Battle of Bunker Hill, in addition to his close partnership with businesses in the area, allowed him to bite into Hancock's voter base. Kim easily carried Quebec, no doubts due to his liberation of the province and his ease of governance in the area. South Carolina, now with a black majority, also went to Kim, due to his large part in freeing thousands of slaves in the area. New York was won outright by Kim, mainly because he was from the state (Kim lived in New York City and operated his businesses around the area). Added to the fact that the other candidates made half-hearted efforts at best to contend for the presidency, the victory was not too surprising. Critics during this time period were shocked by the man's victory, but to the majority of the people in the time period and to historians, it was all but inevitable.
Across the pond, European powers watched with great interest to the "Great American Experiment," and they too were shocked at Kim's rise to the presidency. Lord Rockingham even wrote in his journal, dated 1780, "The Americans have done it, they have gone mad. They have elected our nation's terror, the Hun, as their leader. They had so many other choices, yet they elected that man. Only time will tell how this will affect our relations with our former colony, but I can only assume the worst." Monarchs in France and Spain expressed similar opinions, but the interest in the United States was more of a mix of curiosity and disbelief. Curiosity at the republican form of government, and disbelief at the fact that an Asian man (the only Asian man in the colonies) was now the leader of the United States.
The 137 seats in the House of Representatives and the 30 seats for the Senate were also voted on and by the end of December, the new government was finally prepared to take on its role as the governing body of the republic (it must also be mentioned that the first African American Senator, Congressman Eliyah James from South Carolina, was also ushered into the federal Congress, along with a few other African American Congressmen). From the immediate start, President Kim was busy in his new role as the president. In the first "100 Days," the nation witnessed the new president forming the first national cabinet and departments, consolidating the national military, creating the first "healthcare system," helping out the poor and oppressed, establishing national universities, and cementing the faith of the people in the nation. Due to this, a saying was created during this time period, "Washington was the first president, but Kim was the first president of the people."
Population Breakdown by state (counting slaves):
Key: 1 House Seat = 19,084 people
Electoral Votes = House Seats + Senate Seats
Each state differed in choosing Electors. Some states chose Electors through state legislatures, others chose Electors by individual districts or popular vote.
Quebec: 111,200 (8 electoral votes, 6 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (7 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral Vote to Pelissier)
Nova Scotia: 31,000 (3 electoral votes, 1 House Seat, 2 Senate Seats) (1 Electoral Vote to Kim, 2 Electoral Votes to Washington)
Iroquois (Haudenosaunee): 49,700 (5 electoral votes, 3 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (5 Electoral Votes to Kim)
New Hampshire: 49,500 (5 electoral votes, 3 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (4 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral Vote to Hancock)
Massachusetts: 272,600 (16 electoral votes, 14 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (9 Electoral Votes to Kim, 7 Electoral Votes to Hancock)
Rhode Island: 52,900 (5 electoral votes, 3 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (4 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral Vote to Hancock)
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Connecticut: 209,100 (13 electoral votes, 10 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (11 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral vote to Hancock and Jefferson each)New York: 206,500 (13 electoral votes, 10 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (12 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral Vote to Hancock)
New Jersey: 139,600 (9 electoral votes, 7 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (7 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral Vote to Jefferson and Hancock each)
Pennsylvania: 341,200 (19 electoral votes, 18 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (16 Electoral Votes to Kim, 2 Electoral Votes to Hancock, 1 Electoral Vote to Jefferson)
Delaware: 46,100 (4 electoral votes, 2 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (3 Electoral Votes to Kim, 1 Electoral Vote to Jefferson)
Maryland: 232,000 (14 electoral votes, 12 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (9 Electoral Votes to Kim, 5 Electoral Votes to Jefferson)
Virginia: 525,300 (29 electoral votes, 27 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (16 Electoral Votes to Jefferson, 14 Electoral Votes to Kim)
North Carolina: 240,100 (15 electoral votes, 13 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (9 Electoral Votes to Jefferson, 6 Electoral Votes to Kim)
South Carolina: 130,000 (9 electoral votes, 7 House Seats, 2 Senate Seats) (7 Electoral Votes to Kim, 2 Electoral Votes to Jefferson)
Electoral Votes Total:
| Samuel Kim: 115 | Thomas Jefferson: 36 | John Hancock: 14 | George Washington: 2 | Christophe Pelissier: 1 |
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