"England!" America greeted, smilingly brightly as he entered the room after Clayton. "How have you been?"
"Well," England replied, the usual testiness present in his voice. Gradually, the two moved away from their mediators. "And yourself?"
"Good!" the younger blond continued, unfazed by the elder's sharpness. "I've made some new friends."
"You're not referring to Mexico, are you?" England inquired, tone a mixture of disbelief and scorn. "Because that's really not the way I heard it…"
"No," America sighed, thinking back to his last encounter with the other Nation. "No, that didn't end up too well. I meant Japan."
"Japan?" England pronounced the name with an intentional lack of interest.
"Yeah…" A silence passed between the two, during which both of their attentions drifted back towards their negotiators.
"They've pretty much got this settled out, it looks like," England commented. Indeed the two men were shaking hands, smiles on both their faces.
"Yeah," America mimicked their expressions. "I'm glad that something worked out so easily for once. Joint control…"
"…demilitarized…" England finished. Another pause.
"Well, it was nice speaking with you," England got up, extending his hand courteously, although the action seemed forced, rigid.
"You too, Iggy," the younger Nation replied brightly, as if hoping his cheerfulness would, for once, rub off on the Brit, instead of initiating the usual annoyance it seemed to receive. When England left the room, trailing after Bulwer, America thought he saw a faint upturn of the older Nation's mouth. Although it always could have been wishful thinking.
"Hello!" America greeted, extending his hand to his newest president.
The older man blinked a few times, before taking the younger man's hand in his grasp, and shaking it firmly. "Hello. And I guess you would be…America?" His tone was obviously hesitant, laced with a good deal of incredulity, as if talking to one of England's unicorns.
"Yes," the young Nation replied, trying not to laugh at the man's befuddled expression. "It takes some awhile to get used to it. Those that I haven't known beforehand, anyway."
"I see," Pierce responded, smiling at the Nation as he set his things down. "It's just a little strange, talking to…my country. They would commit a person for saying something like that." He chuckled, and America joined in.
"I look forward to working with you, sir," America announced, once the laughter had dissipiated.
"As do I," Pierce responded, looking about the office, as he didn't yet have any paper work.
So many presidents, America thought to himself. How many has it been already? Twelve? Thirteen? I can't even remember, they come and go so quickly.
He glanced out of the window, his usual spot of residence in the office. But they're each different in their own ways, each unique and memorable…
Yet as he stood there, watching the clouds draw over the sun, he couldn't help but wonder how many more he'd be able to keep track of. How much longer he'd be able to keep his mind straight.
"¡Hola!" Spain greeted, the usual overly-cheerful smile on his face. America felt something inside of him grow cold, as he thought back to the meeting he had just attended with Soulé.
"Hi," he returned uncertainly, watching the Spaniard for a reaction.
"I've been hearing some funny rumors, chico," he continued on, the ever present grin looking almost malevolent to America, as his heart picked up.
He knows, he knows...America's panicked mind repeated. Why did they have to say it like that? "Like what?" he said instead, chuckling slightly with nerves as he feigned innocence.
"Like…you trying to 'wrestle' Cuba away from me," he replied offhandedly. America knew Spain was weaker now, but still a shudder ran down the boy's spine as he remembered the ruthlessness that could light behind those kindly green eyes.
'Wrest' he means, 'wrest'...America corrected in his mind, although he said nothing aloud. Because, really, what difference did it make? The intent had been the same. "Of course not!" he laughed instead, feeling the nervous tic in his cheek, and knowing Spain could see it. America had never been much good at lying.
"Olvídalo, chico," Spain replied buoyantly before walking off, leaving the young Nation alone and perturbed.
Historical Notes: Northerners often helped runaway slaves, whether raising money to free them, or helping them get to Canada. However, many individuals were afraid to act on their own, and most slaves were returned without incident. Southerners were still outraged by the interference. The Fugitive Slave act was the "main promise" of the Compromise of 1850, and it was loosely enforced on constitutionality basis. Northerners—even those who were not abolitionists—were disturbed by the sight of "harmless human beings being hustled off to a life of slavery".
The "Young America" spirit of Manifest destiny transferred to promoting democracy in the rest of the world, and faith in its success. Americas were enthusiastic about helping foreign liberals in their 'struggles against autocratic governments'. For example, when the Austrians crushed a rebellion in Hungary, Secretary of State Daniel Webster addressed an insulting note full of vague threats to the Austrian diplomat in Washington. Hungarian revolutionary hero Louis Kossuth visited the United States, looking for help, in 1851 and 1852; President Fillmore put the USS Mississippi at his disposal, and great crowds turned out to cheer him. Kossuth was disappointed, however, when he learned the United States had no intention of going to war to win independence for the Hungarians.
In 1855, a freebooter named William Walker—backed by an American company engaged in transporting migrants to California across Central America—seized control of Nicaragua and elected himself president. Two years later, he was overthrown, but he made repeated attempts to regain control until he died before a Honduran firing squad in 1860. He and another would-be dictator, "General" George W. L. Bickley—who tried to organize an expedition to conquer Mexico—showed the prevailing mood of lighthearted expansionism, adventures for their own selfish desires, despite northern accusations of them engaging in plots to get a hold of more territory for slavery.
The rapid development of California created a need for improved communication with the West Coat. A canal across Central America would cut weeks from the sailing time between New York and San Francisco. In 850, Secretary of State John M. Clayton and British minister to America, Henry Lytton Bulwer, created a treaty assuring that any such canal would be demilitarized and under joint control of Britain and the US. This became known as the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty.
In the Election of 1852, Stephen A. Douglas—a short, but powerful man, in support of popular sovereignty and expansion—was passed over as the Democratic candidate. Instead Franklin Pierce was chosen. The Whig candidate was General Winfield Scott from the Mexican War. The Whig part was falling apart, the "Cotton" Whigs alienated by northern Whigs, who were dived between the "Silver Gray" faction and the "Conscience Whigs". Pierce beat Scott with an electoral vote of 254 to 42.
The Caribbean gained increasing importance to the United States, the desire to obtain Cuba growing stronger. In 1854, Pierce instructed his minister to Spain, Pierre Soulé to offer $130 million for the island. Since Soulé was rather hot-headed, a conference with in Belgium with the American ministers to Great Britain and France—James Buchanan and John Y. Mason—was set up so that they could make a plan to persuade Spain. The result was the Ostend Manifesto, a confidential message to the State Department suggesting that 'if Spain refused to sell Cuba, "the great law of self-preservation" might justify "wresting" it from Spain by force'. News of this leaked out, Northerners outraged at the 'slaveholder's plot', and Europeans shocked. The government had to deny the policy, and any hope of obtaining Cuba or any other Caribbean territory vanished.
Spanish Translations
Olvídalo, chico: Forget it, boy
I don't know why Spain keeps coming off as so borderline evil in here ._. Maybe it has something to do with it being America-centric, but wow…
I know America technically made friends with Japan after the whole thing with England at the beginning…but I can bend time a little, right? I'm sure I've done it before, unintentionally, apart from that mishap last chapter.
On an unrelated note, I bought my tickets for Connecticon…I don't suppose any of you are going to that one? And 333 reviews...three threes :3 Auspicious, yes?