An idea I thought up while reading about Thomas Hart Benton's plans in the Mexican-American War.
1845-1849: James K. Polk (Democratic)
1844 (with George M. Dallas) def. Henry Clay and Theodore Frelinghuysen (Whig)
1849-1857: Thomas Hart Benton (Democratic)
1848 (with Levi Woodbury) def. Winfield Scott and Edward Bates (Whig), Joshua Giddings and Walter Booth (Free Soil)
1852 (with James Buchanan) def. various - replacing Daniel Webster and Thomas L. Clingman (Whig), Ovid Butler and Reuben M. Norton (Free Soil)
1857-1861: John Bell (Whig)
1856 (with Thomas Pratt) def. James Buchanan and Jefferson Davis (Democratic)
1861-present: John C. Frémont (Democratic)
1860 (with Jefferson Davis) def. Charles Sumner and John Bingham (Free Soil), Andrew B. Moore and James Chesnut (States Rights), Anthony Kennedy and Emerson Etheridge (Whig)
1864 (with Jefferson Davis) def. John Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams (Libertarian), Robert Toombs and Thomas Bragg (Southern Rights), Chatham Roberdeau Wheat and Horace Bell (Nicaragua Annexationist Democratic), Andrew Haswell Green and John M. Botts (Whig)
- Thomas Hart Benton is successful in having Polk appoint him as a Lieutenant General in 1846, having supreme control over the prosecution of the war in Mexico and over peace with Mexico. Benton does very little fighting in the war and only travels to Mexico City after Scott has captured it. Benton is much harsher on Mexico and succeeds in getting larger concessions from them.
- On
this map, the US receives line 8 from the lower map and line 11 from the upper map except in regions covered by the lower map.
- Despite fighting very few battles, Benton is a national hero and takes the place of Zachary Taylor in the election of 1848. Benton wins over Winfield Scott, who has a grudge against Benton for winning fame despite doing very little actual fighting. Benton's populistic stances force Van Buren out of the race and the Free Soilers nominate a fairly
- Because Benton is part of the establishment, he does not take his unpopular OTL anti-slavery stances, and becomes a staunch supporter of popular sovereignty. Under Benton, the parties realign with the Jacksonian populists taking charge of the Democrats and an exodus of the most conservative slavers to the Whigs. Much of the south does remain loyal to the Democrats, and the age of Benton sees filibustering across the Caribbean. Client states are established in Central America, though there is enough opposition in Congress to prevent annexation. Benton's Democrats also enact policies allowing western settlement and two major homesteading bills are passed, giving white settlers cheap land, including in the Indian Territory.
- The Whigs are in an increasingly bad position due to a growing anti-slavery wing and a strong pro-slavery southern wing. 1852 is a massive defeat for the party as the nominee, Webster, dies after Election Day. Webster's cotton whig policies are off-putting and give Benton reelection. The Free Soil Party sticks around and siphons off votes from anti-slavery Whigs in the presidential election while also winning house seats that probably would have been within reach for the Whigs. The Whigs remain aligned with nativism throughout this period.
- In 1856, after twelve years of Democrats, the country again votes for a Whig. This time, they choose John Bell of Tennessee, a rare anti-slavery southerner running a moderate, fairly vapid campaign. Bell bills himself as the man to keep the country together, but once in office does very little of anything at all. He is unable to rein in the filibusters and the situation in the country deteriorates under his administration.
- In 1860, the Democrats have a natural choice for president: John C. Frémont. Son-in-law of former President Benton, Frémont was involved in the capture of California, filibustering in Honduras (though he was later thrown out by President Chatham Wheat), and now serves as Senator from Missouri. Frémont runs alongside Senator Davis of Mississippi, who ran with Buchanan in 1856. Davis sees the writing on the wall and supports gradual abolition of slavery and resettlement in Central America. With the opposition divided, Frémont and Davis win. Not all Democrats are happy with this choice, and a small pro-slavery run under Andrew B. Moore wins several southern states.
- John Bell sees the writing on the wall and does not run, citing the single-term Whig precedent. His successor is another fairly moderate border stater, Anthony Kennedy of Maryland. The party leadership has an appetite for this kind of candidate, but the northerners do not and the Free Soilers choose a candidate of their own, Senator Sumner of Massachusetts. Kennedy will flop and comes in fourth in the election.
- Frémont's administration is interesting. He is not a natural administrator and begins to gather power around himself and the presidency. He's able to do this because the Whigs implode and the Free Soilers develop into the Libertarians, a stronger party focused on ending slavery and expansionism. This leads to a Congress dominated by Democrats. Despite his despotic tendencies, Frémont is very popular and under him, Americans flock to the filibuster republics. Congress is close to a comprehensive plan to abolish slavery. All of this leads to Frémont cruising to reelection over several minor splinters and the Libertarians. The Whigs continue to limp along with a dozen seats and only a handful of old party regulars still in power.
- It's now the summer of 1866. Filibusters under the New Jerseyan McClellan have invaded Colombia, leading to condemnation from Europe and threat of British intervention. Vice President Davis, who has entered a role of the President's envoy to the Senate, has announced the completion of a scheme to abolish slavery by 1886 and the resettlement of those former slaves in Central America.