The President’s Message:
Did you know that the United States Navy fought pitched battles with
Japanese forces in 1863 and 1864?
The United States, despite the Civil War, became involved in the
internal struggles of Japan.
The problem centered around the recent encroachment of American
and European traders into the “closed empire” of Japan.
I will be speaking about this interesting and little known part
of history.
Gerridine LaRovere
December 11, 2024 Program:
Gerridine will present
How soldiers celebrated Christmas
during the December meeting.
How King Cotton was Dethroned
Contributed by a Round Table member
The insatiable European demand for cotton was a result of the Industrial
Revolution. Machines were
able to process raw cotton into clothing that was better and cheaper
than hand-sewn products.
European and New England purchases of cotton soared from 720,000 bales
in 1830 to 2.85 million bales in 1850, to nearly 5.1 million in 1860.
The increase in cotton production renewed the demand for slavery.
The more cotton that was grown, the more slaves were needed to
harvest the crop. In 1860,
cotton accounted for almost sixty per cent of American exports at a
value of $200 million.
Cotton’s place in the national and international economy was of great
importance. This led
Senator James Henry Hammond of South Carolina to make a famous boast in
1858 to Senator William H. Seward of New York.
“Without the firing of a gun, without drawing a sword, should
they (Northerners) make war upon us (Southerners), we could bring the
whole world to our feet.
What would happen if no cotton was furnished for three years?
England would topple headlong and carry the whole civilized world
with her. No, you dare not
make war on cotton! No
power on earth dares make war upon it.
Cotton is King.”
Hammond believed that cotton ruled not just in the South but in the
United States as well as worldwide.
Many economists agreed.
In 1855, David Christy titled his influential book,
Cotton is King.
Cotton indeed drove the Southern economy.
It affected the social structure, politics, and land usage.
During the Civil War, it dominated international relations of the
Confederacy through “cotton diplomacy.”
“King Cotton” is the slogan that summarized the strategy used before the
Civil War by pro-secessionists in southern states to claim the
feasibility of secession and to prove there was no need to fear a war
with the northern states.
The theory was that control over cotton exports would make a proposed
independent Confederacy economically prosperous.
If large quantities were sent to England rather than the New
England states, the United Kingdom would support the Confederacy
militarily. The slogan
“King Cotton” aided in mobilizing support for secession.
In 1861, to demonstrate the alleged power of cotton, many Southerners
held on to their cotton and refused to ship it out.
Many in the South believed that
they could use cotton to lure England and France into recognizing an
independent Confederacy. Although
Jefferson Davis wanted to avoid any appearance of international
blackmail, the Confederate Congress never formally approved an embargo.
However, state governments and
private citizens voluntarily withheld the crop from the market hoping to
cause a “cotton famine” overseas causing mills to shut down.
Getting cotton to Europe became
a problem due to the Union blockades at Southern ports.
By the summer of 1861, the Union
navy blockaded every major Southern port and 95% of exports never got
through.
Southerners watched cotton prices soar and an economic crisis hit
Britain and New England and in turn caused a backlash with British
public opinion. The British
mills had large stockpiles of cotton and suffered no immediate injury
from the embargo. Warehouses in
Europe were bulging with surplus cotton and the value of the stockpiled
cotton increased. To add to the
Southern state’s misery, production of cotton increased in other parts
of the world. India and Egypt were able to meet the demand.
A British-owned newspaper in Buenos Aires,
The Standard, in cooperation
with the Manchester Cotton Supply Association succeeded in encouraging
Argentinian farmers to drastically increase production of cotton and
export it to England.
The South’s cotton famine policy did not have much of an effect on Great
Britain and it proved to be a failure for the Confederacy.
It did not help the South’s
economy. In addition, the
blockade prevented goods from being exported.
There was an unrealistic
assumption that if England and France recognized the Confederacy as an
independent country, the War could be won.
Confederate leaders made little
effort to ascertain the views of European industrialist or diplomats and
made wrong assumptions that were costly.
Relying on cotton diplomacy was a serious flaw in the South’s strategy.
The value of “white gold” was
greatly overestimated. By 1862,
Union forces moved into the cotton regions of the South and acquired all
the cotton available. It was
sent to Northern textile mills or sold to Europe.
Cotton production was very
successful in India and Egypt. In
1860, Brazil also started growing cotton.
The world was becoming saturated
by cotton from other countries.
Last changed: 11/05/24 |
