The Knights Of The Golden Circle: The Secret Civil War Society That Wanted To Build An Empire Of Slavery

[j brown's body]

"The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Círculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico (which was to be divided into 25 new slave states), Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900 km) in diameter.[1][2

Originally, the KGC advocated that the new territories should be annexed by the United States, in order to vastly increase the number of slave states and thus the power of the slave-holding Southern upper classes. In response to the increased anti-slavery agitation that followed the Dred Scott decision (1857) the Knights changed their position: the Southern United States should secede, forming their own confederation, and then invade and annex the area of the Golden Circle to vastly expand the power of the South.[3] In the United States, the new country's northern border would roughly coincide with the Mason–Dixon line, and within it were included such cities as Washington D.C., St. Louis, Mexico City, and Panama City."

Link


The proposed territory of the “Golden Circle” included the Confederate States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern parts of South America.

Link

I was not aware of this group and their overall designs. Seems to contradict the idea that slavery was fading out before the Civil War.

 

[The Mark]

"The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Círculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico (which was to be divided into 25 new slave states), Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900 km) in diameter.[1][2

Originally, the KGC advocated that the new territories should be annexed by the United States, in order to vastly increase the number of slave states and thus the power of the slave-holding Southern upper classes. In response to the increased anti-slavery agitation that followed the Dred Scott decision (1857) the Knights changed their position: the Southern United States should secede, forming their own confederation, and then invade and annex the area of the Golden Circle to vastly expand the power of the South.[3] In the United States, the new country's northern border would roughly coincide with the Mason–Dixon line, and within it were included such cities as Washington D.C., St. Louis, Mexico City, and Panama City."

Link
View attachment 67397529

The proposed territory of the “Golden Circle” included the Confederate States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern parts of South America.

Link

I was not aware of this group and their overall designs. Seems to contradict the idea that slavery was fading out before the Civil War.

Slavery in the USA didn't end until about 1941, when someone on FDR's staff told him Nazi Germany would use it's continued existence as propaganda against the war effort.
So he ordered the DA's to start prosecuting people for enslaving others.

Edit: I'm talking chattel slavery here, not arguing about various other stuff since which some call slavery, like prison labor. Although the specific method of continuing the slavery until 1941 was via rigged legal and prison systems.

Edit 2: It is entirely possible that limited examples existed after this, but I do not know for sure.

 

[Dayton3]

"The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Círculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico (which was to be divided into 25 new slave states), Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900 km) in diameter.[1][2

Originally, the KGC advocated that the new territories should be annexed by the United States, in order to vastly increase the number of slave states and thus the power of the slave-holding Southern upper classes. In response to the increased anti-slavery agitation that followed the Dred Scott decision (1857) the Knights changed their position: the Southern United States should secede, forming their own confederation, and then invade and annex the area of the Golden Circle to vastly expand the power of the South.[3] In the United States, the new country's northern border would roughly coincide with the Mason–Dixon line, and within it were included such cities as Washington D.C., St. Louis, Mexico City, and Panama City."

Link
View attachment 67397529

The proposed territory of the “Golden Circle” included the Confederate States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern parts of South America.

Link

I was not aware of this group and their overall designs. Seems to contradict the idea that slavery was fading out before the Civil War.

Would their military have been called "The Golden State Warriors"?

Sorry. Had to say it. Suffering NBA withdrawal.

Long live Steph Curry!!!!!

 

[joluoto]

I doubt they'd be succesful with that even if the Confederacy had won and become independence. My money in a offensive war between the Confederacy and Mexico is on Mexico.

 

[CaughtInThe]

I thought the war was just about States rights?

 

[j brown's body]

I doubt they'd be succesful with that even if the Confederacy had won and become independence. My money in a offensive war between the Confederacy and Mexico is on Mexico.

They were certainly determined to preserve it at quite a cost. One might argue that our imperialism was born out of this.

 

[The Mark]

I thought the war was just about States rights?

It was.
State's rights to have slaves.

 

[Bezukhov]

I doubt they'd be succesful with that even if the Confederacy had won and become independence. My money in a offensive war between the Confederacy and Mexico is on Mexico.

Mexico would not have been alone. I'm sure at least Venezuela and Columbia would have had Mexico's back

 

[joluoto]

Mexico would not have been alone. I'm sure at least Venezuela and Columbia would have had Mexico's back

Nah, neither really had the troops to move to aid Mexico, and if they did they'dbe vulnerable to their neighbors. South American nations had border disputes and watched each other like hawks for weaknesses they could exploit to seize disputed territories at the time.

But in a offensive war deep into Mexican territory, that is inhabited by Mexicans who would be hostile to the invasion (and the invaders hostile to them), I don't see that expedition ending in any other way than a retreat back to Confederate territory.

 

[yankintx]

I thought the war was just about States rights?

Its what Southerners like to tell them selves. It was a war to preserve their economy based on slave labor, pure and simple.

 

[Oozlefinch]

"The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Círculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico (which was to be divided into 25 new slave states), Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900 km) in diameter.[1][2

Originally, the KGC advocated that the new territories should be annexed by the United States, in order to vastly increase the number of slave states and thus the power of the slave-holding Southern upper classes. In response to the increased anti-slavery agitation that followed the Dred Scott decision (1857) the Knights changed their position: the Southern United States should secede, forming their own confederation, and then invade and annex the area of the Golden Circle to vastly expand the power of the South.[3] In the United States, the new country's northern border would roughly coincide with the Mason–Dixon line, and within it were included such cities as Washington D.C., St. Louis, Mexico City, and Panama City."

Link
View attachment 67397529

The proposed territory of the “Golden Circle” included the Confederate States, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern parts of South America.

Link

I was not aware of this group and their overall designs. Seems to contradict the idea that slavery was fading out before the Civil War.

Interestingly enough, Harry Turtledove is one of the foremost "Alternate History" authors of the last 40 years. Most of his books are based on the concept that one simple change was made in history, and everything changed after that onto a new path.

One of his series is alternately called the "Southern Victory Timeline", or "Timeline 191". And the idea was rather simple and based on history.

Robert E. Lee wrote "Special Order 191" of 1862 was a series of orders to Generals Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet and A.P. Hill for their invasion of Maryland. However, a copy of the orders was lost in an encampment that General Hill had left, and was discovered by Union forces. And with the knowledge of Lee's movements and orders, they were able to stop them at Antietam. However, in the series of novels, he had the orders recovered by Confederate forces and the Maryland campaign was a success. There was no Union victory there, DC and Philadelphia were captured, and the Emancipation Proclamation was never given.

And the map of the "Confederate Nation" is rather close to that map.

The only major difference being the cast-strapped Mexico sold their border region to the Confederates (and started a second "Civil War" when the Union protested), and Confederate dominance in much of that area of the country.