| November 8 |  |
Editor says, what if the British Government threw some fuel on the fire during the American 1833 crisis? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s). This story was published in the November 2009 edition of Changing the Times Magazine.
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In 1832, over a month before John C. Calhoun resigned the Vice Presidency to join forces with his rebellious comrades in South Carolina, agents provocateurs of Her Majesty's Government secretly arrived in Charleston Harbour, triggering a sequence of events that would lead inexorably to a rematch with their nemesis from 1812, the "Old Hickory" Andrew Jackson (pictured).
"Disunion by Force", 1833 Crisis Part 1 by Ed. & Scott PalterBecause the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Marquis Richard Wellesley - elder brother of the Duke of Wellington - was intent on "the dissolution of the American Confederacy, which I think would be a great benefit to the civilized world".
"The dissolution of the American Confederacy would be a great benefit to the civilized world" ~ WellesleyOf course the biggest driver for dissolution was purely economic. Because high federal tarrifs might be good for protecting Northern manufacturers from imports, but they were frankly disasterous for the cotton and rice planters in the South who depended on export trade. Worse still, secession was an unspeakable word in Washington, because the loss of the southern states would cost the Federal Government millions in lost revenue.
Invoking a strict interpretation of the Tenth Amendment, South Carolina nullified the tarrifs, infuriating President Jackson who believed that the State was about the destroy the Union. Soon enough Jackson would be dispatching a warship, the Natchez, to Charleston Harbour, to extract - if necessary by force - federal tarrifs from merchant's warehouses.
The War would soon be joined, and yet the conflict would take a shape few anticipated. Because the State of South Carolina overestimated its support in the south. "By the God of Heaven, I wil uphold the law!" ~ JacksonAnd Andrew Jackson was determined to fight, predicting that "I expect soon to hear that a civil war of extermination has commenced. When everything is ready, I shall join them myself". The President was also secretly pledging to arrest Southern leaders, and hang them.
Starting with the hero of the South. Because already medals were being issued, with the clandestine assistance of British agents provocateurs, emblazened with "John C. Calhoun, First President of the Southern Confederacy". In the words of Daniel Webster, America faced "Disunion by Force".
The Story Continues in Part 2
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© American Lion, Andrew Jackson in the White House by John MeachamStory Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: War of 1833 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Andrew Jackson, Conquistadors, Mexico, Aztec, Demon. Editor says, The facts and sentences are from the source article with the exception of course that whilst Richard Wellesley did write these words, wasn't the Prime Minister.
~ Throwing in the UK changes everything. London had the power to send the RN to force open Charleston harbor.
~ Yes, but (a) in our history, one reason the Nullification Crisis didn't lead to civil war was that South Carolina had no support from its Southern neighbors, and (b) this wouldn't have changed in the South Carolinians' favor if that state accepted aid from Britain, America's mortal foe in the Revolution and the War of 1812.
It's likely that instead there would have been a third U.S.-British war, with South Carolina branded as a British tool. Assuming a third American victory (not guaranteed), the state would have been stigmatized for decades, perhaps making it harder for the South Carolinians to lead other states into secession in the 1860s and perhaps even forestalling secession itself. (The South essentially panicked after Lincoln's election; if it had hesitated, it might have realized he wasn't the abolutionist Antichrist its hotheads claimed--in which case, Southerners might have kep their slaves years, perhaps decades, longer.)
~ That would not have been good...
~ Thanks for comments,appreciate that. I guess Part 2 should therefore be Calhoun returns to South Carolina, talks hot heads out of secession, even exposes British treachery to bring it to a head, then SC withdraw whilst Natchez and the unnamed RN vessel fight it our in Charleston Harbour. Any thoughts welcome.
~ This assumes that Britain had an interest in interfering in US internal affairs. The supreme interest in the US was balance of industrial exports with cotton imports, mostly with the south. They didn't want to see this trade interrupted. This is the sole reason for pro-Southern sentiment in British official circles during the civil war, a desire to resume trade.
December 28
Editor says, what if by circumstance VP Calhoun was forced to prevent disunion by force in the American 1833 crisis? Please note that the opinions expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect the views of the author(s).
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In 1832, in order to dissuade his hot-headed, rebellious comrades from prematurely seceding from the Union, John C. Calhoun (pictured) resigned the Vice Presidency and returned post-haste to his home State of South Carolina on this day. Of course his own position was a matter of timing rather than principle. Because from Washington he could clearly see that there was insufficient support from neighborough states to create the Southern Confederacy that he hoped to head as First President.
.. continued from Part 1
Forcing Charleston Harbour, 1833 Crisis
Part 2 by Ed., Eric Lipps & Scott PalterHis arrival was none to soon. Because unbeknown to the Vice President, agents provocateurs of Her Majesty's Government had been stirring up some real trouble in South Carolina for the previous month. Because he was shocked to be presented with medals emblazened with "John C. Calhoun, First President of the Southern Confederacy".
Those medals had been manufactured in London under orders from the Prime Minister of Great Britain, Marquis Richard Wellesley. Worse, the Royal Navy vessels upon which the medals were transported had just forced upon Charleston Harbour. The USS Natchez would soon arrive upon the scene. Dispatched by US President Andrew Jackson for the purpose of seizing by force the federal tarrifs by South Carolinians, this vessel would soon become entangled in the first shots of the 1833 Anglo-American War. And the matter of South Carolina's nullification of those federal tarrifs became, rather rapidly, something of a non-issue.
Entry posted by Todayinah Editor
© American Lion, Andrew Jackson in the White House by John MeachamStory Tags
Permalinks: Post, Day. Browse Thread: War of 1833 Source: Wikipedia Labels: Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, America, South, Confederacy. Editor says, The facts and sentences are from the source article with the exception of course that whilst Richard Wellesley did write these words, wasn't the Prime Minister.
~ Quite well done. USN would have done no better against the RN in 1833 than they did in 1812-15. However they would have been able to run enough guns in to enable SC's independent government to hold the lowlands around Charleston. Holding the Piedmont is of course quite another story. Wrapped in the flag and fighting the British Jackson could have raised enough troops to take them. The funny part is that the war destroys slavery in SC.
~ The second that British involvement becomes generally known, even a lot of SCarolinians would balk...anti-British feeling was still very common and bitter for almost all the 19th century.
~ Civil War 1833, great possibilities. Probably see Jackson as President leading the troops, a first for America.
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