Few details of American history. Many are convinced from the school curriculum that all that "noble" contingent that emigrated to the lands of the New World could not eat or sleep or play cards, but only dreamed of how to free the blacks in the South of the country.
So …
The Republican Party in the North emerged out of nowhere in 1854, formed from the remnants of the Whig Party, the Free Land Party, which opposed the spread of slavery to the west due to its low economic efficiency, but did not call for its abolition in the southern states, and the party Know –Nothings, which sought to curb immigration (especially from Germany, Ireland and other Catholic countries). Republicans were against slavery, and demanded a powerful national government to fund industrialization in the north. The new Republican Party grew rapidly. Not surprisingly, its main investors were northern capitalists - financiers, industrialists, shippers, etc. In addition, two of its founders - Salmon P. Chase (first senator, then governor);and William Seward (also governor and senator) were strong political leaders.
At the Republican convention in Chicago in 1860, Chase and Seward were the favorites for the presidency of the country. Lincoln was a dark horse. In politics, he only spent one two-year term - 1847-49. worked in the Chamber: he left Congress 11 years before! Only three things were known about Lincoln: he was considered a political lightweight who could be easily manipulated by those in power; his home walls could help him, since he himself was from Illinois, where the conference room was located; both he and his campaign manager, David E. Davis, were extremely dexterous politicians.
In 1860, the vast majority of Republicans did not want war. But relatively benign - Seward has previously said a few phrases that have led many to mistakenly believe he was a warmonger. Although if Seward could probably lead the country to war, then the hot Chase could probably start it. But unknown to anyone, Lincoln muttered a few calming words about the world, which spread throughout the country. Meanwhile, he and Davis have resorted to such behind-the-scenes manipulation at this convention that modern scoundrels from politics can only turn green with envy.
As a consequence, Lincoln began to represent the Republican Party in elections.
The Republican election campaign of 1860 had two issues on the agenda that worried southerners to such an extent that the southern states subsequently decided to secede. First of all, it was about the republican party platform of 1860. In essence, the capitalists of the North wanted the US government to tax only the Southern states and as deeply as was necessary to finance the industrialization of the North and the transportation network necessary for that. There was no income tax in those days. The federal government received most of its revenue from tariffs (taxes) on imported goods. The southern states imported most of the manufactured goods they used for work and life from England. Therefore, it was they who paid the most taxes, which supported the federal government. The northerners imported very little and therefore paid much less taxes.
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Second, the Republican Party - unlike any other major political party - was a purely regional party in the North, not a national party. If the Republicans somehow managed to gain control of Congress and the White House, then they could force the federal government to adopt and implement its party platform and thus turn the thriving states in the south into the impoverished agricultural colonies of northern capitalists. And given the demographic trends of the 19th century, the southern states in this case would never have gained the strength to influence the process of impoverishment. In this case, the goals of the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution would be completely trampled: the southern states would no longer be governed with the consent of the local population and they would simply fall into the clutches of the Northern majority,who will mock them mercilessly. The natural question was, why actually stay in such a Union?
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party, which was nationwide and much larger than its opponent, was preoccupied with slavery problems that were destroying it. Therefore, when the results of the 1860 election were announced, it turned out that the Republicans won the White House, and received a significant majority in the House of Representatives and Senate. When this information finally settled in the minds of the Southerners, they began the process of separation from the Union, starting in South Carolina on December 20, 1860. True, some citizens said that the main issue of the conflict was the protection of slavery, but this argument was directed exclusively to local consumption by people who thought only in terms of simple slogans. Southern legislators were good at counting. Therefore, they, like no one else, knew wellthat the only truly safest way to defend the institution of slavery was for the southern states to stay in the Union and simply refuse to ratify any proposed constitutional amendment aimed at freeing slaves.
The fact is that the Constitution specifically protected the institution of slavery, and to remove such protection, it was necessary to make amendments, which had to be ratified by three-quarters of the total number of states. In 1860, there were 15 slave states and 18 free states. If the number of slave-owning states remained constant, then in order to ratify the amendments on the abolition of slavery, 27 more free states would have to be admitted to the union, which gave a total of 60 states. It is unlikely that this could happen in the near future. But the separation of the southern states made it possible to solve the problem of slavery with the help of force of arms for a while. After Republicans gained control of the presidency and Congress in the post-1860 elections, eleven southern states eventually withdrew from the Union specifically toso as not to turn into helpless agricultural colonies of northern capitalists.
This step took the northern bourgeoisie by surprise. South is like a little boy who always shouted "wolves" a little. The southern states have always threatened to withdraw from the Union. Therefore, the Northerners no longer took these threats seriously. But with the South on the side, there could be no talk of federal funding for the industrialization of the North, since the citizens living in the North, of course, would never agree to taxation in order to pay for it. What was much worse was that many capitalists from the North, who made fortunes from processing the southern cotton crop, transporting it, and selling it to textile factories in New England, suffered financial ruin. The South used to buy its manufactured goods in the UK. Now, as a sovereign state,The South could easily have negotiated much better deals for all the necessary services with English financiers, shipowners and textile factories, leaving the northern capitalists in a state of poverty.
It's Lincoln's fault! If he had not been elected, the Southern States would have remained in the Union; and the northern capitalists would not have found themselves in such a difficult situation.
So, Lincoln was elected president, and only after that did he really understand how cruel he was. He had the attributes of an armchair, but not true power, which could help him calmly carry out his duties; he had no strength against the attacks of his scandalous political enemies. Both Seward and Chase had well-established power machines (financial backers, newspapers, magazines, personal political organizations, friends in Congress, etc.). Both of them were very anxious to get the place that Lincoln took. Both of them were simply waiting for the first opportunity to push him into a political trap; then subject him to a stream of deadly public ridicule and then bring him to his knees.
Of course, over time, Lincoln, who took over as president, could rivet his own formidable power machine, but at the very beginning of his term, he was in a very shaky position. Therefore, he needed the support of the northern capitalists.
Lincoln was actually a Whig, but he was acting under the guise of a Republican, because now it was profitable. The problem of slavery did not bother him; he preferred the tactic of waiting with the abolitionists. But he could not hesitate with the northern capitalists. He had to immediately drag the South back into the Union, or he would simply be kicked out of the saddle and discredited very quickly; then Seward or Chase would really take the reins of government, and Lincoln could forget about re-election in 1864, which was unthinkable for him. But at this stage of the game, there was no way Lincoln or anyone else in the GOP could persuade the southern states to return back to the Union; so he had to defeat them in the war. In addition, he assumed that the war would only last 90 days and the Union Army would win in one battle. If you read Lincoln's speech at his first inauguration carefully, you will see that it was nothing more than a declaration of war on the South. Moreover, it was filled with lies and specious reasoning. In 1861, the US Constitution was the only binding document for official power in the United States. When drafting it, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (and some of them were then the most cunning politicians in the country) specifically excluded from it the "eternal union" clause, which was the main feature of the non-working articles of the "Confederation and Eternal Union" of that very official document. which preceded the US Constitution. In 1861, the US Constitution was the only binding document for official power in the United States. When drafting it, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (and some of them were then the most cunning politicians in the country) specifically excluded from it the "eternal union" clause, which was the main feature of the non-working articles of the "Confederation and Eternal Union" of that very official document. which preceded the US Constitution. In 1861, the US Constitution was the only binding document for official power in the United States. When drafting it, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (and some of them were then the most cunning politicians in the country) specifically excluded from it the "eternal union" clause, which was the main feature of the non-working articles of the "Confederation and Eternal Union" of that very official document. which preceded the US Constitution.which preceded the US Constitution.which preceded the US Constitution.
In accordance with these articles, no state (state) could secede by law, unless all states secede at the same time. But the Constitution, which Lincoln was sworn to uphold, does not contain such a clause (or any similar clause), so any state could secede at any time perfectly by law. This is why the Southern States have seceded legally. Honest Abe (Lincoln's nickname) was just lying when he said it wasn't in his inaugural address; and he subsequently used his blatant lies to kill 623,000 Americans and Confederates in the first place to stay in office.
Lincoln said he was going to war to "keep the Union." But in order to start a war, he had to provoke the South into the first volleys, because Congress did not want war and would not declare war of its own free will.
The most likely hot spot in a country where Lincoln could start his war was, of course, Charleston, where gunfire had already rang out as an angry reaction to Governor Buchanan's rule. But the newly elected new governor of South Carolina, Francis Pickens, was aware of the danger that Lincoln might, as an excuse, move the US Navy to Charleston, ostensibly to bring food to Fort Sumter, where Major Anderson remained loyal to the Union was hiding. Pickens then began negotiations with Major Anderson, and agreed that he could safely send boats to the market in Charleston once a week, where Anderson's people were allowed to buy whatever food they wanted. This agreement remained in effect until the US Navy ships entered Charleston. But Major Anderson wrote in a private letter to friends that he hopedthat Lincoln would not use Fort Sumter as an excuse to start a war, and send in US Navy ships to replenish its supplies.
Prior to his inauguration, Lincoln sent a secret message to General-in-Chief of the US Army Winfield Scott, asking him to prepare to lift the siege of those Union forts in the south that were surrounded immediately after Lincoln took office. Lincoln knew exactly what he was going to do.
Southern President Jefferson Davis sent his commissioners to Washington to negotiate a peace treaty with the Lincoln administration. Lincoln refused to meet with them; and forbade Secretary of State Seward to meet with them.
After Lincoln became president, his top generals recommended that he immediately evacuate Major Anderson's people from Fort Sumter in Charleston, due to the fact that they were now on the territory of a foreign state. Replenishing the fort with supplies by force was now a deliberate act of war against the Confederate States of America. It turned out that Lincoln's chief postmaster, Montgomery Blair, had a cousin, Gustav W. Fox, a retired Navy captain who wanted to return to service. Fox came up with a plan to resupply Fort Sumter that would force the Confederates to fire the first shots under circumstances that would make them guilty of the war. Lincoln sent Fox to Fort Sumter to negotiate a plan with Major Anderson; but it turned out that Anderson didn't want to be part of this plan.
Lincoln made Fox bring his plan to the office twice. For the first time, the majority said that Fox's plan could lead to war and refused to approve. But the second time, the cabinet members correctly understood Lincoln's message, and capitulated.
Meanwhile, Congress got wind of the plan. Horrified, they summoned General Scott and other witnesses. Scott and others stated that they did not want any involvement in the anti-Confederate movement in Charleston; which Congress did not want either. Congress demanded that Lincoln, and that was the right of Congress, Fox's report to Major Anderson's reaction. Lincoln categorically refused to hand it over to them, contrary to the Constitution.
Lincoln sent Secretary Cameron (for transmission to Secretary Wells) an order, written in his own handwriting, to prepare the ships Pocahontas and Pony, as well as the warship Harriet Lane, for dispatch, along with the passenger ship Baltic (!) - which followed used to transport troops, and two ocean-going tugs to help ships enter the shallow and difficult port of Charleston. This naval force had to transport an additional 500 soldiers in order to bolster Major Anderson's 86-man force at Fort Sumter, along with a massive amount of ammunition, food and other supplies. The Confederation would of course resist this invasion and start shooting by the US flag. Unarmed tugboats, if necessary, would enter the harbor first, after which they would probably be fired upon by the Confederates,and that would provide Lincoln with excellent propaganda material that he could simply flood the northern newspaper with and then begin gathering troops from all over the North.
Lincoln gave orders to the naval forces during their passage so that they entered Charleston Harbor on April 11 or 12. Next, Lincoln sent a messenger, with an ultimatum to Governor Pickens on April 8, stating that Lincoln intended to deliver supplies to Fort Sumter by peace or force. Lincoln's message was so clear that it left no room for illusion.
Lincoln prepared the perfect trap. He gave President Davis plenty of time to build up his forces and begin firing at US Navy ships. If Davis, instead of preparing, had agreed to the terms of the ultimatum, then Lincoln could have simply begun dispatching an expeditionary force to reclaim all the former Allied strongholds in the south, where Confederate troops were now stationed; sooner or later Davis would have to fight; and the more he allowed Lincoln to bring the Union of forts in the south back into power, the weaker the military position of the Confederate States of America would have been. Davis had virtually no choice.
Accordingly, the CSA, having learned about the following US Navy ships, demanded that Major Anderson immediately surrender the fort. Anderson refused; General Beauregard's artillery razed Fort Sumter to the ground (while all who were in it miraculously survived); whereupon Anderson surrendered with all the honors. The US Navy approached during the bombing of the fort, but due to the fact that various parts of the expedition were late for various reasons, they did not participate in the fight. The Navy was allowed to take Anderson's men back to the United States. After Lincoln wrote a letter to Fox, in which he assessed the result of the mission as a great success. Lincoln ended his letter with the words: “You and I assumed that by trying to bring provisions to Fort Sumter, even if it did not succeed, the country would receive even more arguments, so that the result met our expectations,is not a weak consolation.”A simple enough thought for anyone who wants to understand. Now Lincoln got an excuse for the war (by continuing to lie about it); but there was still no reason to think that Congress would declare war on the South at will; in fact, there were all indications that it would not. Thus, instead of obeying the Constitution and calling Congress in an emergency session and asking him to declare war and put the army under arms (which, in accordance with the Constitution, only Congress had the right to do), Lincoln simply declared war himself and recruited into the army, calling CSA's defense of its sovereignty in Charleston by an "uprising" against the US government. Lincoln did not call Congress a few months later, when his war had gone so far that Congress could in no way end it.and had only to assent to the president.
So, almost single-handedly, Lincoln began the "War of Northern Aggression" (the one that is today called the "American Civil War" in the North).
Africa was the main "supplier" of slaves. In total, from 1500 to 1900, according to various estimates, up to 16.5 million people were delivered to the United States; in total, over its history, the African continent lost 80 million people. The top "leaders" included Central Africa, the bays of Benin and Biafra. At the end of the 17th century, every fourth ship under the British flag carried slaves on board. Of the five slaves, only one "safely" made it to his new "home", dying during the "hunt for people" or as a result of appalling transportation conditions. The leading market players were the British - they transported 2.5 million people to America, followed by the French (1.2 million) and the Dutch (500 thousand). But the most active were the Portuguese - their "catch" was 4.5 million people.
Lincoln is the liberator of American slaves. This dictum is well known to everyone from school. However, more important to Lincoln was not the abolition of slavery, but the salvation of the Union. He wrote: "If I could save the Union without freeing a single slave, I would do it, and if I had to free all the slaves to save it, I would also do it." In the course of a protracted war, full of setbacks, the presidential views changed: from the gradual emancipation of slaves on a compensation basis to the complete abolition of slavery. The amendment introduced not only changed the character of the war, which has now become "liberation", but also allowed the army to be saturated with new blood: by the end of the war, there were 180 thousand former slaves in it.
With the entry into force in December 1865 of the Thirteenth Amendment to the American Constitution, the beginning of the destruction of the system that had existed in the American colonies of Britain since 1619 was laid. During 1865, 27 states passed the Enforceable Amendment, which was enough to bring it into legal force. However, some states ratified the document much later: Kentucky only in 1976, and Mississippi even in 2013. So, in fact, slavery in all states of America officially ceased to exist only in February 2013.