He Became Napoleon’S Genius Son [EN]: Chapter 348

(348) The Abolition of the Slave Trade Makes Hamilton President

In the Old World, news and decisions took at least two months to reach the New World in the early 19th century.

Therefore, the shockwaves from the matter passed in the Palace of Westminster in London reached the New World months after the news broke.

Originally, the British colonies should have been the first to be shocked by the sudden change of events.

However, the uproar caused by Hamilton’s news had engulfed even Americans who were indifferent to politics.

For example, an American slave trader, full of venom, would shout upon hearing the news:

“Hey, what does this mean? Slave ships can’t come anymore? Wasn’t this agreed upon in advance? Is this really a British plot!”

This scene unfolds in Boston, historically the city with the shortest sea route from England to North America.

Once, it was the most important trading city among the British colonies.

However, after American independence, it was overtaken by New York and Philadelphia, leading to a slight economic downturn.

Now, an important commodity that supplemented the reduced trade volume—slaves—was being cut off.

British merchant Richard Crusoe from Manchester shrugged as Harry Moby Dick, a Boston merchant full of anger, spoke.

“No, a plot? Not at all. It’s just that Prime Minister Pitt returned to our home country’s parliament, and a new law was passed.”

“Ha! That abolition of the slave trade? So you’re breaking the contract?”

“Oh, you already know? That’s right. The abolition of the slave trade bill has passed both our houses of parliament.”

British merchant Crusoe tried to persuade him, pointing to the Manchester factory-made cotton fabrics he had loaded onto the ship.

“Now, we British cannot sell slaves to foreign countries. Let’s trade with something else.”

However, America had no shortage of cotton fabrics.

Moreover, in the early 19th century, the Atlantic trade was still largely based on the so-called triangular trade [a system where goods, slaves, and resources were exchanged between Europe, Africa, and the Americas].

Slaves were brought and sold, and New World tobacco, coffee, and agricultural products were bought and shipped to the Old World to be sold.

In particular, the United States of America already had an established technological base, unlike Nueva España [New Spain, a Spanish colony in North America] or the French colonies.

This meant that there was less need to import Old World manufactured goods.

He might have brought whale oil instead.

Moby Dick, enraged by the useless cotton fabrics, threw the box away.

-Thump!

Moby Dick waved his cane at Crusoe and the British sailors, shouting.

“Nonsense! Slaves, give me slaves! You plotters!”

“Hey, you! What’s with the violence!”

“Shut up, you’re the ones who violated the ethics of commerce!”

Moby Dick knocked down the bewildered Crusoe and shouted to the workers.

“They must have hidden the slaves! Search the ship!”

Before Crusoe and the sailors could stop them, Moby Dick’s workers jumped onto the ship.

The manufactured goods loaded for trade, including cotton fabrics, steel products, and machinery, were destroyed in the process.

This is because what the workers wanted was not trade goods.

-Clatter!

Suddenly, one of the workers saw the laborers on board and shouted.

“Look over there! [Negroes]!”

“Wait, these people are British citizens!”

“What nonsense! A black person is a citizen! Shut up!”

Moby Dick took the lead and knocked down the sailors who were trying to stop him.

-Pow!

Soon after, Moby Dick directed the workers to start capturing the black laborers.

Of course, they were not sailors.

However, they were former slaves from Jamaica, mainly laborers brought by Crusoe to do odd jobs.

So Moby Dick was taking away people who were clearly not slaves.

“Catch them all! I’ll pay the original price!”

At that moment, a gunshot rang through Boston Harbor.

-Bang!

Crusoe, bleeding, shouted with a musket in his hand.

“To rob someone else’s property and kidnap people. You barbarians!”

In this era, England was always sensitive to the latest technology.

Although France discovered [fulminating mercury] [a highly explosive chemical compound] first thanks to Eugene and DuPont, England was also slowly experimenting with it.

Crusoe and the sailors, armed with British state-of-the-art guns, Brown Bess Muskets, began to shoot.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

However, muzzle-loading muskets take time to reload.

On the other hand, this was still an American port.

Boston citizens, surprised by the gunfire, flocked to the scene.

“The British are using guns!”

“Good heavens, the English invaders!”

“Defeat the invaders! Burn the ship! Seize the tea—no, seize the blacks!”

The excited Boston citizens surrounded Crusoe’s ship.

Boston, a port city where peaceful trade and rough bargaining had taken place until now.

However, it had suddenly become the scene of a gunfight.

-Click, bang!

In an instant, Moby Dick, who was bleeding, finally succeeded in hitting Crusoe in the head.

“Long live American independence!”

Crusoe died, and the frightened sailors raised their hands.

The Boston citizens cheered and jumped onto the ship.

All the goods on the ship were looted.

Most of all, the former slaves who had come from Jamaica carrying sugar.

“We won!”

In 1804, cheers rang out in Boston.

Only the citizens, or rioters, who did not yet know how far this ripple effect would go, were excited.

***

Of course, this situation was an unprecedented disaster.

“Good heavens, this is all because of Hamilton!”

Jefferson clutched his head in the President’s House, which had not yet been painted white.

In fact, Jefferson was a pro-French advocate.

He was also a wealthy plantation owner who would pass on slaves as assets to his children in the future.

However, Jefferson could not understand colliding with England to abolish the slave trade.

Secretary of State James Madison reported with a miserable face.

“The situation has become serious. Your Excellency, the President.”

“Did British Ambassador Mary even protest?”

“It’s not just that. The Governor-General of British Canada has sent a letter.”

The personal letter from the Governor-General of British Canada that Madison brought was very simple.

-〈Compensate all damages and hand over the murderers. Otherwise, the troops of His Majesty King George will not stand idly by!〉

However, the content was not simple at all.

Unlike the modern history of the 21st century, England in the early 19th century was truly a great power.

Furthermore, they were also a [thug] [referring to their aggressive use of military power] who did not hesitate to exercise military power.

If the United States took no action, it might eventually face military action.

Jefferson clicked his tongue as he looked at the personal letter.

“Looking at this alone, you’d think Governor Robert Prescott was a loyalist to the King.”

“The current governor is Robert Milnes. Prescott caused conflicts in the colony and was summoned back to his home country.”

“Was that so? Tsk, the Canadian governors are all troublemakers! Simcoe too.”

After sighing deeply, Jefferson made a decision.

“First, express our regret and call the British ambassador back. Secretary of State Madison.”

This incident was entirely the fault of the Americans.

However, it was impossible to hand over American citizens to England.

It should be resolved by processing it according to American law, and the federal government should compensate for the damages.

It was just when Jefferson was about to finish the job like this.

Suddenly, Jefferson’s protégé Monroe burst into the office.

“Your Excellency, the President, I think you should come out and see!”

“What’s wrong now, Senator Monroe?”

“There’s a big march going on in Washington right now. It’s also a march burning the British flag!”

Jefferson was dumbfounded and opened the office window wide.

-Poo! Poo! Poo!

Washington was still largely undeveloped.

Therefore, most of the roads for marching were close to unpaved roads.

Nevertheless, the protesters did not stop and marched relentlessly, shouting.

“Burn it! The Union Jack!”

The British flag, which has now merged with Ireland to become a complete Union Jack [the flag of the United Kingdom], soared in the central square.

Of course, it was not waving to commemorate the British flag.

Jefferson gaped as he looked at the flag surrounded by protesters.

“Th-, th-, we have to stop that.”

“The British ambassador is watching this now.”

“All the British people staying in America must be watching! Stop it!”

However, a cheerful-looking man with disheveled hair stepped forward and began to sing.

“Yankee Doodle came to town-! Buy a firelock and shoot them-! Shoot and feather! Shoot the British with cannons!”

Yankee Doodle is a military song sung by the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War.

It was a song sung instead of the national anthem in the era before the American national anthem was born.

To compare it, it’s similar to La Marseillaise [the French national anthem].

The problem is that the person singing this song is none other than Senator Jackson.

“Our great, [Great America] does not succumb to Britain!”

“We do not succumb!”

“Those who kneel before Crazy King George will become slaves! Is there anyone who wants to be a slave!”

Jackson shouted, holding a torch and aiming at the Union Jack.

“We are free citizens! We do not succumb to the king! Slaves, get out!”

The police in Washington could not stop the momentum.

Could they stop it if they mobilized the federal army?

No one would know.

Because the Union Jack had already begun to burn before the army arrived.

-Whoosh!

Madison muttered as he looked at the bundle of Union Jacks burning.

“Hamilton will win this election.”

Jefferson, looking back at Madison, who would later become the 4th President in the original history, replied miserably.

“Yes, but there will be a war!”

Now, no matter what Jefferson does, he will not be able to stop two things.

Hamilton’s victory and England’s anger.

***

However, in an era when the Atlantic Ocean is very far away, winning the election is closer than the anger of the British Royal Navy.

“Hamilton! Hamilton! Hamilton!”

While everyone was excitedly chanting Hamilton’s name, Marie whispered in Eugene’s ear.

“Really, Hamilton became president?”

“Shh, there are many people here who understand French, Marie.”

“Then we were invited as honored guests?”

Eugene sat in a chair below the platform, looking ahead and answering.

“The fact that the French Viceroy [prospective] couple was invited shows the nature of this election.”

This was the presidential inauguration ceremony.

However, there were many people like farmers and laborers in a place where gentlemen would normally gather.

They all uttered harsh words.

“Fucking Britain!”

“Feed King George a musket! Wahahaha!”

“The slave trade is freedom! Give us slaves! More slaves!”

Marie, who was touching her dress, was startled and asked, listening to the shouts of the crowd.

“Are you really going to let them do the slave trade?”

“That’s an excuse, Marie.”

“I think those people have other ideas?”

Eugene smiled as he looked at the excitedly shouting crowd.

“If America gets Canada, things will change? First of all, the Northerners will be enthusiastic about the war.”

If you win the war, many things will change.

Right now, only Southerners are enthusiastic about anti-British policies, so most of those who curse England are only interested in slaves.

However, if Canada, or more precisely the Great Lakes, becomes the stage for war, the situation will change.

The mainstream of America, the North, will become interested in the war.

“Take the oath, Mr. Hamilton.”

Suddenly, at Chief Justice Livingston’s words, Hamilton replied in a trembling voice.

“I, Alexander Hamilton, swear to execute the United States Constitution without discriminating against people, to execute justice, to treat the poor and the rich equally, to faithfully and fairly fulfill all obligations, and to faithfully implement the United States Constitution and laws.”

Hamilton was supposed to die in 1804.

Even if he had lived, he would never have returned to politics due to the disgrace of adultery.

But now Hamilton has become the 4th President of the United States.

“So help me, God.”

The moment he finished the words derived from Washington’s famous oath, Eugene approached and shook hands.

“Mr. President, congratulations on your inauguration.”

“Thank you, Viceroy of Nouvelle France!”

“But don’t forget the bill.”

Hamilton inhaled and nodded at Eugene’s very low words.

“I’ll have to accept it even if I don’t want to. I remember.”

January 1805.

The 4th President Hamilton was born.