mcnutt
Chief petty officer
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Post by mcnutt on Apr 27, 2018 20:28:10 GMT
What if Lincoln wasn’t assassinated? The POD is simple. In those days the Washington DC Police were responsible for Presidential security. The officer who assigned to protect President Lincoln that night was John Fredrick Parker. Parker had been reprimanded but somehow not fired for being drunk on duty and for sleeping in a street car instead of walking his beat. On April 14, 1865, his laziness had tragic consequences, He was supposed to sit in the chair by the door to the President’s box. Instead he moved to a place where he could watch the play. During intermission, he went to a bar. There was no one to stop Booth from entering the President’s box. ITTL there is a competent officer there. He stops Booth. When Booth pulls out his knife. The competent officer quickly shoots Booth. There is an investigation that reveals Booth’s conspiracy. Edwin Booth’s career is not harmed. After Congress adjourns in April 1865, President Lincoln implements his ten percent plan in which the former Confederate stare could organize new governments after a tenth of 1860 voters took an oath of allegiance. The new Southern state legislatures enacted Black Codes that made the Freedmen second class citizens. When the Republican dominated Congress came back in December 1865 they were very angry. President Lincoln works with Congress to protect the rights of Blacks.. He has also evolved on the vote. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 not only guaranteed citizenship and equal rights to African Americans but it ended racial restrictions to voting. So did the Fourteenth Amendment that was sent to the states for ratification in the Summer 1866. There is no OTL Fifteenth Amendment. ITTL there is one less amendment to the US Constitution. With Lincoln and Congress working together there is no OTL Reconstruction Acts of 1867, There is also no Tenure of Office Act. In 1868 Ulysses Grant is still elected President. This TL has no effect on the Presidential elections of 1868 -2016. So the only change in the line up of Presidents is Andrew Johnson is not President. Because he is remembered fondly as the one Southern Senator who did not support the Confederacy and for his service as Military Governor of Tennessee. So his less obscure then most nineteenth century Vice Presidents. Because Johnson is not President, the first impeachment of a President come in 1997 -1998. Bill Clinton is still elected in 1992. He still is investigated for Whitewater and still has an affair with Monica Lewinsky. So ITTL the number of Presidents who have been impeached is one. Just as in OTL the number that have been removed is zero. One unknown is the seven Republican Senators who voted to acquit Johnson. OTL none of them were reelected. I don’t know what they do with their longer political careers, One of them is featured in Profiles in Courage. One result of this TL is Profiles in Courage is a shorter book.
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lordroel
Administrator
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Post by lordroel on Apr 27, 2018 20:30:08 GMT
What if Lincoln wasn’t assassinated? The POD is simple. In those days the Washington DC Police were responsible for Presidential security. The officer who assigned to protect President Lincoln that night was John Fredrick Parker. Parker had been reprimanded but somehow not fired for being drunk on duty and for sleeping in a street car instead of walking his beat. On April 14, 1865, his laziness had tragic consequences, He was supposed to sit in the chair by the door to the President’s box. Instead he moved to a place where he could watch the play. During intermission, he went to a bar. There was no one to stop Booth from entering the President’s box. ITTL there is a competent officer there. He stops Booth. When Booth pulls out his knife. The competent officer quickly shoots Booth. There is an investigation that reveals Booth’s conspiracy. Edwin Booth’s career is not harmed. After Congress adjourns in April 1865, President Lincoln implements his ten percent plan in which the former Confederate stare could organize new governments after a tenth of 1860 voters took an oath of allegiance. The new Southern state legislatures enacted Black Codes that made the Freedmen second class citizens. When the Republican dominated Congress came back in December 1865 they were very angry. President Lincoln works with Congress to protect the rights of Blacks.. He has also evolved on the vote. The Civil Rights Act of 1866 not only guaranteed citizenship and equal rights to African Americans but it ended racial restrictions to voting. So did the Fourteenth Amendment that was sent to the states for ratification in the Summer 1866. There is no OTL Fifteenth Amendment. ITTL there is one less amendment to the US Constitution. With Lincoln and Congress working together there is no OTL Reconstruction Acts of 1867, There is also no Tenure of Office Act. In 1868 Ulysses Grant is still elected President. This TL has no effect on the Presidential elections of 1868 -2016. So the only change in the line up of Presidents is Andrew Johnson is not President. Because he is remembered fondly as the one Southern Senator who did not support the Confederacy and for his service as Military Governor of Tennessee. So his less obscure then most nineteenth century Vice Presidents. Because Johnson is not President, the first impeachment of a President come in 1997 -1998. Bill Clinton is still elected in 1992. He still is investigated for Whitewater and still has an affair with Monica Lewinsky. So ITTL the number of Presidents who have been impeached is one. Just as in OTL the number that have been removed is zero. One unknown is the seven Republican Senators who voted to acquit Johnson. OTL none of them were reelected. I don’t know what they do with their longer political careers, One of them is featured in Profiles in Courage. One result of this TL is Profiles in Courage is a shorter book. It could have follow this route: What if Abraham Lincoln had lived |
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spanishspy
Fleet admiral
Posts: 10,366
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Post by spanishspy on May 7, 2018 20:24:28 GMT
I'm sorry, but how in the world could Lincoln surviving have no effect on the 20th century elections? You've fundamentally dented the power of what would become the Dixiecrats as you've prevented Redemption. You'd have a stronger Republican Party in the South and the Democrats are unlikely to have the coalition they did.
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on May 7, 2018 21:37:17 GMT
I'm sorry, but how in the world could Lincoln surviving have no effect on the 20th century elections? You've fundamentally dented the power of what would become the Dixiecrats as you've prevented Redemption. You'd have a stronger Republican Party in the South and the Democrats are unlikely to have the coalition they did. Full on butterfly massacre! |
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insect
Banned
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Post by insect on May 7, 2018 23:48:37 GMT
I f Lincoln lived there
would be no President Andrew Johnson I don't think it would change the 20th century that much.
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lordroel
Administrator
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Post by lordroel on May 8, 2018 3:11:59 GMT
I f Lincoln lived there would be no President Andrew Johnson I don't think it would change the 20th century that much. If Lincoln Lives it defiantly would change the 20th century. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on May 8, 2018 8:19:49 GMT
I f Lincoln lived there would be no President Andrew Johnson I don't think it would change the 20th century that much. If Lincoln Lives it defiantly would change the 20th century. Definitely. Not just by what he does which wasn't done OTL but also the impact of his assassination. Depending on how things developed he might be valued even higher or if things get rocky then without being a martyr he might have a somewhat divisive reputation. |
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spanishspy
Fleet admiral
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Post by spanishspy on May 8, 2018 18:01:05 GMT
I f Lincoln lived there would be no President Andrew Johnson I don't think it would change the 20th century that much. That ignores how Johnson let the remnants of the Confederacy establish the seeds of Jim Crow, something which had a tremendous effect on civil rights and on the composition of national coalitions. There would be PLENTY of change. |
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on May 8, 2018 18:44:26 GMT
I f Lincoln lived there would be no President Andrew Johnson I don't think it would change the 20th century that much. I'm sorry, but you are very much mistaken here. Lincoln's assassination was defining moment in American history. On a political level yet also down to the human experiences of people born a hundred years later, that matters. You would get people who wouldn't go into politics or whose politics were wholly different all because of that. This really matters. This is what is called the butterfly effect. |
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insect
Banned
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Post by insect on May 10, 2018 1:21:06 GMT
Mict the Republican party of today be more liberal while Democrats more conservative today had linclon lived??
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stevep
Fleet admiral
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Post by stevep on May 10, 2018 8:48:01 GMT
Mict the Republican party of today be more liberal while Democrats more conservative today had linclon lived?? Well I think in many ways that was the situation during most of the century after the civil war OTL. It was only really with FDR that the Democrats became the more liberal party looking out for the interests of the ordinary man/woman. |
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James G
Squadron vice admiral
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Post by James G on May 10, 2018 11:23:41 GMT
Mict the Republican party of today be more liberal while Democrats more conservative today had linclon lived?? Well I think in many ways that was the situation during most of the century after the civil war OTL. It was only really with FDR that the Democrats became the more liberal party looking out for the interests of the ordinary man/woman. I generally agree though the US South was full of racist longstanding Democrats until at least 2000. |
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stevep
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Post by stevep on May 12, 2018 12:49:11 GMT
Well I think in many ways that was the situation during most of the century after the civil war OTL. It was only really with FDR that the Democrats became the more liberal party looking out for the interests of the ordinary man/woman. I generally agree though the US South was full of racist longstanding Democrats until at least 2000. Didn't realise as late as that? Knew that it was pretty solidly Democrat until Nixon's swing south and you got plenty of support there for people like Carter of course as a local. Although my point was more that the Democrats were centred on the south until FDR opened up new opportunities elsewhere for the party. |
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