DIPLOMACY AND WAR TIME RECONSTRUCTION - Tim Beck · TOWARDS WAR The Civil War mirrored the issues of class conflicts in Britain: • The Union stood for popular government, equal

DIPLOMACY AND WAR TIME RECONSTRUCTION

VALERIA MARTINEZ IB HISTORY OF THE AMERICAS FALL 2013

KING COTTON Cotton Gin •  Created by Eli Whitney in 1793. •  Allowed cotton fibers to be separated from their

seeds much faster than by manual separation. •  Single invention that most dramatically changed

the cotton industry. •  Produced 138,000lbs of cotton the first year after

it was invented, increased to 1,600,000lbs within two years.

KING COTTON Effects of cotton gin •  As a result of the cotton gin, the Southern

economies became even more dependent on the production and exporting of cotton.

•  The number of slaves in the South increased from 700,000 in 1790 to just over 3,200,000 in 1850.

KING COTTON “King Cotton” – slogan used by Southerns in 1860 to support the succession from the Union. The main argument was that the money made on the cotton exports would be enough to support the Confederacy. Thought that global dependency on cotton would force European powers such as England and France to help them.

PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENT “If we never acquire another foot of territory for the South, look at her. Eight hundred and fifty thousand square miles. As large as Great Britain, France, Austria, Prussia and Spain. Is not that territory enough to make an empire that shall rule the world? With the finest soil, the most delightful climate, whose staple productions none of those great countries can grow, we have three thousand miles of continental sea-shore line so indented with bays and crowded with islands, that, when their shore lines are added, we have twelve thousand miles. Through the heart of our country runs the great Mississippi, the father of waters, into whose bosom are poured thirty-six thousand miles of tributary rivers; and beyond we have the desert prairie wastes to protect us in our rear. Can you hem in such a territory as that? You talk of putting up a wall of fire around eight hundred and fifty thousand square miles so situated! How absurd.”

PRIMARY SOURCE DOCUMENT

“Cotton is King” speech made by Senator James Henry Hammond before the United States Senate. O: Speech made by South Carolina Senator on the admission of Kansas. P: The purpose of this document is state how much more money the South makes than the North, and to talk about all the prosperity in the South. V: It showcases all the exports made in the South, especially that of cotton, which was considered the most important export. It also shows the way in which Southerners viewed themselves in comparison to the North. L: It was a speech given by a senator from the South, so it was incredibly biased, and of course, favored slavery.

TRENT AFFAIR James Mason

•  US Representative and US Senator from Virginia •  Represented the Confederacy and served as

commissioner of the Confederacy to England and France during the Civil War.

John Slidell

•  American lawyer, politician, and businessman. •  Moved to Louisiana as a young man, and become and

strong supporter of Southern rights – became a Representative and Senator.

•  Represented Confederacy overseas in France.

TRENT AFFAIR Trent Affair (also known as Mason and Slidell Affair) – On November 8, 1861, USS San Jacinto intercepted the British ship, RMS Trent, and removed two Confederate diplomats (Mason and Slidell). They were headed to England and France to try and get Confederate diplomatic recognition in Europe. This unauthorized seizure angered the British a great deal, many of the citizens called for war.

IMPORTANCE OF TRENT AFFAIR The unauthorized seizure violated England’s stance on neutrality during the war. British government demanded an apology from Union government, and for the Confederates to be released. The Union had no wish to be in two wars at once, so they issued the apology, and had no choice but to release the Confederate diplomats.

BATTLE OF ANTIETAM On September 16, 1862, Major Gen. McClellan and the Union Army of the Potomac confronted Lee’s army at Sharpsburg, Maryland. Single bloodiest day in American military history. Considered a draw from a military point of view, although Lincoln and the Union claimed a victory. Gave Lincoln the “victory” that he needed before delivering the Emancipation Proclamation.

NORTHERN BLOCKADE

NORTHERN BLOCKADE At the beginning of the war, Southerners thought that their supply of cotton to the rest of the world would bring them natural allies. However, after they declared succession, the North declared a blockade on all Southern ports. In order to get cotton supply, the blockades would have to be broken, thus provoking a war with the North. The blockade meant the war was not merely an internal issue, as Lincoln insisted, it has international implications.

EUROPEAN REACTION After the Battle of Antietam, European powers saw that the Confederates had a much lower chance of winning than originally thought. France was of the opinion that Britain, France, and Russia propose a six month armistice, during which the blockade would be suspended. This greatly favored the South, and Russia turned it down immediately, and the British after short deliberation did as well.

EUROPEAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WAR

The Civil War mirrored the issues of class conflicts in Britain: •  The Union stood for popular government, equal

rights, and dignity of labor. •  The South stood for aristocracy, privilege, and

slavery. British upper class disliked the Northerners, they really wanted to see their cherished Democracy destroyed. They obviously favored a Southern win.

EUROPEAN ATTITUDE TOWARDS WAR

Englishmen had supported the Greek fight for independence, the struggle of Hungary, and Italian states to throw off Hapsburg rule. They viewed the South’s rebellion against the North in the same light. The catch with supporting the South was of course slavery. The English prided themselves in their role of suppressing transatlantic slave trade, and abolishing slavery in the West Indies.

SOUTHERN RECOGNITION

The Confederacy spent lots of time and effort throughout the war trying to get diplomatic recognition from European powers. Recognizing the South as an independent country would mean two things: 1.  Supporting a country that was essentially fighting for slavery,

despite their protests that they were not. 2.  It would cause conflict with the Union, which was highly

inconvenient because of the diplomatic and trade relationships.

10% PLAN FOR RECONSTRUCTION Also called the Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction. It had three parts: 1.  Allowed for full pardon and restoration of property

to all those engaged in the rebellion, with the exception of the highest ranking Confederate officials and military leaders.

2.  Allowed Southern states to be readmitted into the Union when 10% of the eligible voters had taken an oath of allegiance to the United States.

3.  All southern states that were readmitted in this fashion were encouraged to enact plans to deal with the freed slaves, so long as these plans compromise the freedom of the freed slaves.

OPPOSITION TO THE BILL The Radical Republicans did not agree with Lincoln’s plan because they thought it was “too mild.” Proposed the Wade-Davis Bill: •  This bill proposed that 50% of the state’s white males

be required to take loyalty oath in order to be readmitted into the Union.

•  Also required that the states give blacks the right to vote.

The bill passed in Congress, but was killed when Lincoln vetoed it. He repeatedly stated that he wanted tolerance, not speed, in order to reconstruct the Union.

WORKS CITED McPherson, James. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York:

Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. Selections from the Letters and Speeches of the Hon. James H. Hammond, of

South Carolina (New York: John F. Trow & Co., 1866), pages 311-322. "Lincoln Issues Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction." History.com.

A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/lincoln-issues-proclamation-of-amnesty-and-reconstruction>.

Gates, Henry L., Jr. "Why Was Cotton King?" Theroot.com. The Root, 4 Feb. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.theroot.com/articles/history/2013/02/why_was_cotton_king.2.html>.

"The Trent Affair." Britannica.com. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/604278/Trent-Affair>.

"The Crowning of King Cotton." The Crowning of King Cotton. U.S History Online Textbook, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/27a.asp>.

Handwritten copy of Wade-Davis Bill as originally submitted 1864; Records of Legislative Proceedings; Records of the United States House of Representatives 1789-1946; Record Group 233; National Archives.

"Antietam." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. <http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.html?tab=facts>.