Chapter 89: Chapter 86: Thomas Jefferson, Second President of the United States

AN: Why is Jefferson not full-on supportive of Kim's policies? Well, he is. But he fears the large, overpowering government of the future and places himself as a "moderate" to balance the powers of the federal government and the state governments. He'll still continue many of Kim's policies, but seek a middle path (as he was fairly anti-Federalist in OTL).

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Excerpt from The Founding Fathers Series: Thomas Jefferson

You are reading story The Rebellion Burns Bright at novel35.com

Published in 2005, written by the Federal University of Virginia

"Our nation was forged in fire and crafted with the most promising ideals. It is a creation that will not be easily broken." -Thomas Jefferson during the Philadelphia Riots, Founding Father and the second president of the United States.

"The Jefferson presidency began a new era in the United States, an era that followed a period of prosperity and stability in the United States. The first president of the United States, President Samuel Kim, was a popular president with widespread support that created the foundations of the federal government and the republic. As such, when President Thomas Jefferson entered office in 1789, he was met with high expectations from both the public and the members of the government. Elected with 99 electoral votes out of the 96 needed to be elected (the total electoral votes rose to 191 during the Kim presidency due to the admission of Maine, Kentucky, Vermont, Georgia, and Hisigi as states), Jefferson was sworn into office on a far closer margin than Kim (who was elected with 115 in his first term and 161 in his second term). However, Jefferson was undoubtedly one of the most influential and most important figures during the early days of the republic.

In his last Speech of the Union, President Kim warned of the dangers that laid ahead for the republic and reminded the nation that the republic would only survive if the states worked together despite their differences. He stated that he had no doubts about the formation of parties, but asked the people to "remain civil and open-minded to others, even if they were in a different party." As such, when the 1788 presidential elections rolled around, the candidates contending for the presidency restrained themselves from personal insults or snides and utilized the precedent set by President Kim for their campaigns (by posting their policies and proposals publicly before the election). In total, there were four major candidates that ran for the presidency (all under different parties): Thomas Jefferson, Archibold Bulloch, John Jay, and Salem Poor.

Thomas Jefferson, the Secretary of Research and Education under the Kim administration, was perhaps the most well-known public figure out of the four candidates. Jefferson was described as an "unimpressive man physically, yet a brilliant orator that captivated the crowd." He was one of the strongest proponents of the Federal Education Act of 1781 and contributed a significant amount to see the act implemented across the nation. As the leading candidate for the Republican Party, a party that was considered a "moderate" party by the public, Jefferson was much more in favor of state rights compared to the first president. However, he (and his party) also saw that the programs run by the government under Kim were widely popular (as the departments were excellent sources of employment and Jefferson's own department saw the development of technologies that improved the lives of farmers and industrialists). Thus he cautiously campaigned on a platform of greater autonomy for the states, while at the same time continuing the policies started under the Kim administration. While Jefferson was an agricultural man, he was not blind to the fact that the United States economy was climbing upwards thanks to its growing industrial sector. So even though he favored policies that promoted agriculture (such as a lower excise tax, improved infrastructure for transport of grain, and more funding towards the development of agricultural technology and doctrines), he also pushed forward policies that boosted the industrial sectors as well (such as greater governmental subsidies in new mills and factories, along with the continuation of the national bank). Additionally, Jefferson placed himself as a "unifying figure" and portrayed himself as a compromising, understanding man that would work with other political parties to further the interests of the United States as a whole. He rejected slavery but promised to provide proper compensation for all slave owners (higher than the compensation promised by President Kim). Jefferson guaranteed that western states would see more focus from the federal government if he was elected into office. He also appealed to both white and minority voters, carrying himself as a man that would further the equality policies carried out by President Kim. Due to his name recognition and his role as the Secretary of Research and Education (during his time as the Secretary of the R&E, the department developed the cotton gin, the "Yankee" loom, and a few other critical inventions), Jefferson easily became the front runner for the 1788 election.

John Jay was the next forerunner in the election, and he was the leading candidate for the Unionist Party, a party that described themselves as the "heir" to President Kim and his agenda. The Unionist Party was popular across the United States, though its biggest support base was within the New England area. A strong believer of a powerful federal government and a former Senator for New York, John Jay pushed for a stronger federal government and sought to bring the nation further together. He fully supported President Kim's departments and programs and sought to expand upon the foundations that the first president built. Believing that industry was the key to edging out Britain economically, his policies were much more favorable to industrialists, bankers, and traders. He campaigned for much stiffer protections for American industry and an emphasis on the strengthening of the national bank (which was created under the Kim presidency). An ardent believer of secularism and democratic traditions, Jay agreed with Jefferson on the finer points of equal rights and supported the Bill of Rights without much opposition. However, he sought to toughen the restrictions on obtaining citizenship, as Jay believed that an easy path to citizenship could destabilize the nation and harm the formation of a proper "American identity." Unlike Jefferson, Jay was firm in maintaining the governmental policies to end slavery with the same amount of compensation offered by President Kim. He believed that giving slave owners a chance to renegotiate the terms for ending slavery would "delay the process, and at worst, maintain the practice." With the sudden unrest in regards to slavery and the rise of slave owners desiring to seek a delay to the end of slavery, his fear was only reaffirmed and his stance on the issue hardened. Additionally, he believed that the government should "do everything in its powers to uplift the very people it has oppressed for decades" and approved of President Kim's Freedmen Act. Displaying himself as the successor of President Kim's legacy and a supporter of a stronger, more united United States, John Jay became a formidable opponent to Thomas Jefferson.

Archibold Bulloch was a relative unknown before the 1788 presidential election. He was the governor of Georgia before his bid for the presidency and was a lawyer before his governorship. However, when he entered the fray as a member of the Whig Party (a party that stood for less federal powers and more autonomy to the states), he accused Jefferson of having "no firm ground to stand upon" and placed himself as a person that truly stood for the interests of farmers and those that supported a small government. An avid conservative, he was against raising additional tariffs and campaigned to have them lowered, along with a much lower excise tax than the excise tax proposed by Jefferson. Additionally, he believed that the federal government was growing at an alarming rate and wanted to roll back some of the policies that "wasted the Treasury and expended far too many resources." He appealed to southern voters in general by promising greater powers to the states and an extension on slavery if needed, while at the same time allowing free African Americans to maintain their current rights and holdings (though he opposed the Freedmen Act). He called for the closure of the national bank and an end to "mass immigration that is filling the states with immigrants that can barely speak English." Overall, Bulloch was the most conservative and right-wing candidate that was present in the 1788 election and his abysmal vote count greatly reshaped the Whig Party's policies.

The biggest surprise candidate, however, was Salem Poor. An African American man from Massachusetts with a long and prestigious career (ranging from a Brigadier General in the Continental Marines during the Revolutionary War to the Secretary of Defense under President Kim), there was no doubt that if Poor was white, then he would have been one of the top two candidates for the presidency. Running as an Independent, he was one of the most experienced candidates with a thorough and detailed set of policies. His policies aligned in many ways to Jay's policies, but made the public aware of the growing unstable situation in Hispanola (now modern-day Republic of Haiti) and sought to provide aid for refugees "fleeing slavery and oppression." Additionally, he was a supporter of more widespread education for the black population and a stronger support net for poor and disfranchised people. While his skin color played against him in the 1788 election (he only won votes in South Carolina, Georgia, and North Carolina), Poor publicly stated after his defeat that he ran to, "prove that a Negro can run for president and provide hope for a future generation." Indeed, Poor's actions would inspire a new generation of African Americans in the United States (with the first African American president being elected into office in 1828). And while he ran against Jefferson during the election, he was invited back to serve in the cabinet as the Secretary of Defense, an invitation that he accepted (creating a precedent for Secretaries to retain their positions depending on their merit even with a new president).

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