(Glorious America) 1832 Presidential Election

The 1832 United States presidential election was the 12th quadrennial presidential election, held from November 2 to December 5, 1832. Incumbent President Sam Houston narrowly won re-election against former Vice President Henry Clay, and David Henshaw.

Before the election
Leading up to the election, each party held their convention to nominate their candidate for President. Sam Houston was easily renominated by his party with no major opposition.

The 1831 Federalist National Convention was held from December 4 - December 8 in Columbus, Ohio. In a tight primary, Former Vice President Henry Clay narrowly won the nomination again, Even with Former President John Quincy Adams attempting to stop his nomination. Former President Adams would rally behind a third party named the "Anti-Masonic" Party to challenge Clay in the general election, though they got almost no support.

The States' Rights party held their convention from April 10 - April 13 in Hamilton City, Missouri. In a crowded pool of nominees, former Houston Cabinet member David Henshaw won the nomination to challenge his former boss for the Presidency. In the North, The States' Rights party was under the name of the Peace party, advocating for Peace in the Civil War.

The election
As results came in, Multiple states such as: New Jersey, Maryland, New York, New Hampshire, and Maine would all help decide the election. Houston would once again narrowly win New York, which would gave him the necessary 114 electoral votes to win.

David Henshaw would initially refuse to concede, unlike Clay who conceded as soon as he heard the news he lost. but only 16 days before Houston's inauguration, Henshaw would finally concede.

Aftermath
The second inauguration of Andrew Jackson as President of the United States took place in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Monday, March 4, 1833. The inauguration marked the commencement of the second four-year term of Sam Houston as President and the third four-year term of Aaron Burr as Vice President, Though he would never live to see its end. When arriving at the east front of the capitol for the inauguration, John Peter Van Ness, the Mayor of Washington, and members of the Council of Corporation greeted Andrew Jackson and Aaron Burr and helped escort these men to the House of Chamber prior to the commencement of the swearing of oath.

At 12:00, Chief Justice John Marshall swore in Sam Houston and Aaron Burr into their respective offices in the House of Representatives Chamber, unlike the previous presidential inauguration that was held in the East Portico of the United States Capitol, as a result of the snowy grounds and the weather that reached about 29 °F.

Secession
What began as a minor dispute over Indian Removal spiraled into Civil War.

Georgia, the center of the crisis, was the first state to secede on July 11th, 1832, with Senator George Troup, who had led the secession movement and Indian Removal, being declared President of the Confederacy of Independent American States. South Carolina quickly follows on July 27th, with Alabama & Mississippi joining on August 3rd and 29th. President Houston, who previously made clear his opposition to any secession, has troops under the command of an aged General Andrew Jackson march into Georgia to help arm & secure our Cherokee allies as General Zachary Taylor moves swiftly into Louisiana to ensure it remains in the Union, with Confederate troops already capturing part of the state. Houston orders the navy to replenish Union forts and for all forts to prepare to be sieged.

Union troops in forts prepare to withstand siege as pockets of isolated Natives and Union troops prepare for a guerrilla war. North Carolina & Virginia hold secession conventions, in Virginia an 81 year old yet still sharp James Madison rises to speak for the Union, but he is booed by secessionists led by Governor John Floyd. Virginia narrowly votes to secede but large portions in the North are captured by troops under the command of Winfield Scott with the aid of the Unionist population. John Floyd is made Vice President of the Confederacy.

Chaos erupts in North Carolina, which soon becomes the center of the conflict, as the secession convention ties. Houston sends in troops under Winfield Scott & Stephen Kearney secure the state as newly minted Commanding General of the Confederate Army Edmund P. Gaines leads troops to capture the state for the Confederacy. In New Orleans the first large battle occurs, and the first major Union victory as troops under Zachary Taylor’s command triumph and begin to secure Louisiana for the Union.

Andrew Jackson & the Cherokee lead an assault into Georgia and are able to move close to the Confederate capitol at Atlanta, triggering the evacuation of President Troup. President Houston personally joined them personally at the capturing of the capitol and makes a monumental speech in the Confederate capitol building declaring "those who forfeit union forfeit rights to certain properties," taken as an allusion to ending slavery in the seceding states. Winfield Scott is able to recapture much of North Carolina, and a rump state legislature led by William Gaston declares that the state shall gradually abolish slavery and narrowly passes a bill granting voting rights to freed Blacks. Slaves are freed on plantations captured by Union troops.

It seemed that all was well for the Union, but the Panic of 1834 upends the war & the Confederates are able to capture most of the territory of the Muscogee Tribe. For better coordination, Cherokee Chief John Ross ascends to become Chief of the Five Tribes Confederacy. Winfield Scott is able to resist Confederate assaults on Washington, but the Panic stops him from continuing his own assault. That being said, Scott’s amphibious assaults go off successfully. Meanwhile, the Confederate army has organized further and begins to slow Union advances, with Gaines winning several victories over Scott in Virginia and maintaining a supply line in North Carolina, with only Taylor continuing his western advance.

Presidency of Sam Houston (Late 1832)
Confederate General Edmund P. Gaines and Union Commander Winfield Scott continued their pitched campaigns against one another through Virginia, Gaines became a face of the Confederacy and overshadowed controversial Confederate President George Troup. Scott is able to break the Confederate supply line in North Carolina and surrounds Virginia on all sides, with the Confederacy's strongest state now isolated.

As he recovered from a stroke Confederate Vice President John Floyd increasingly saw President Troup the war as a lost cause, long an opponent of slavery for economic reasons, Floyd secretly arranges a meeting with Union negotiators to surrender the state in return for Virginia receiving gradual abolition rather than the immediate abolition the rest of the secessionist states will face. The union agreed and in June of 1835 Floyd declared Virginia's surrender, with General Gaines surrendering to Scott the following week.

The surrender took Troup and much of the rest of the Confederacy by surprise, Troup denounced Floyd as a traitor and appointed South Carolina's Robert Y. Hayne as Vice President. In line with Gaines' surrender, Jackson relaunched his march to the sea in Georgia and routed unprepared Confederate forces with the assistance of new troops from the Virginia theatre. The face of the Confederate military effort soon became John A. Quitman, a 37 year old Mississipian who led Confederate forces against Zachary Taylor in the Western Theater, Quitman was able to defeat Union and Choctaw forces in the first major Confederate victory since 1834 in October of 1835 at the battle of Sylacauga, but Taylor quickly regained his lost territory.

Jackson marches to connect with the Union forces who led the amphibious assault on Georgia, attempting to divide the Confederacy in two. George Troup attempts to flee, but is captured by forces led by New York politician turned General John Dix and imprisoned. The capture of Troup effectively spells doom for the Confederacy. The two split areas of the Confederacy are unable to coordinate, with George Poindexter challenging Hayne's authority and taking control of the Western portion, as this happens Taylor defeats Quitman in several key battles and pushes the Confederacy out of much of Mississippi. Poindexter's government surrendered in March of 1836, along with Quitman on April 4th, leaving Hayne and South Carolina the only remaining seceding state.

From March to June Jackson and Scott converge upon South Carolina as Commodore Matthew Perry leads an amphibious assault that captures Charleston. Jackson closes in on one side and Scott on the other, with Alexander Macomb leading a third assault from the North, most of the remaining Confederates surrender, leaving Hayne and his collapsing government surrounded in Charleston, where he dies of a fever on June 28th, the day before Scott triumphantly leads troops into the city, marking the end of the Civil War.

Houston appoints military Governors to lead a brief reconciliation effort and controversially allows congressional delegations from the seceded states to be seated, but all delegations are made up of Houstonian Democratic-Republicans. Finally, the nation turns its attention to the “trial of the century,” the treason trial of Confederate President George Troup, and a Federalist Congressman named Thaddeus Stevens who unexpectedly volunteers to lead Troup’s defense.

Foreign Policy
Houston very controversially ends slavery in the seceding states while assuring the non-secessionist slave states that he shan’t interfere with it there, several grant Black suffrage and many racists and pro-slavery politicians are enraged, with an attempt to impeach Houston led by a coalition of Southern pro-slavery congressmen and northern anti-slavery but also anti-Houston Federalists barely failing.

Houston controversially appoints North Carolina Federalist William Gaston, who many credit with slavery’s end and black suffrage in the state, as Secretary of War. Crockett reappears in Texas months after his mysterious resignation as Secretary of Wat & leads a rebellion against Mexico, leading to Texan independence. Houston begins to move into place to annex Texas in the final months of his term.

Domestic Policy
Houston, who was quite close to Vice President Burr, is claimed to have cried and exclaimed “It is as if mine own father had died” upon Burr’s death in 1835, Houston nominates New Jersey Senator Mahlon Dickerson to succeed him, but their relationship is not as close.

Houston establishes an “independent treasury” to succeed the national bank. Federalist Charles D.J. Bouligny is nominated as Postmaster General. In 1834 the economy collapses under the strain of a bank boom & Civil War, the Panic of 1834 leads to several Confederate victories and a setback of the Union cause. Regardless, the Houston wins the war.

Chief Justice John Marshall dies & Van Buren ally William Marcy is appointed in his place in an unsuccessful attempt to appease Van Buren. Arkansas, Florida, and Michigan are admitted to the Union as states. Houston attempted to pass constitutional amendments limiting the President to two terms and abolishing the electoral college, but both failed narrowly.

Confederate President George Troup is tried for treason and the trial eventually makes its way to the Supreme Court and shall decide the legality of secession. Troup is represented by Federalist Congressman Thaddeus Stevens, a staunch Unionist and supporter of civil rights who nonetheless opposes hanging Troup. The outcome of the trial remains in doubt. The economy recovers from 1835-1836 but begins to decline again in late 1836.

Houston made several attempts to counter the influence of party leaders and instead decide party nomination by popular vote but was blocked.

Cabinet
Vice President: Aaron Burr (1833-1835 (dies)), Henry A.P. Muhlenberg (1835-1837)

Secretary of State: Edward B. Dudley (1833-1834 (resigns in protest of anti-slavery measures)), Richard M. Johnson (1834-1837)

Secretary of the Treasury: Azariah Flagg

Secretary of War: Davy Crockett (1833-1834 (resigns mysteriously)), William Gaston (1834-1837)

Attorney General: Levi Woodbury

Postmaster General: Azariah Flagg (1833-1834), Charles D.J. Bouligny (1834-1837)

Secretary of the Navy: Stephen Decatur

Secretary of the Interior: Lewis Cass (1833-1834 (fired)), James K. Polk (1834-1837)