Assessing Lincoln’s Presence
Despite common knowledge of his domestic responsibilities and actions as Commander-in-Chief for the duration of the war, President Lincoln’s role in shaping and carrying out foreign policy is overshadowed. While Secretary of State Seward operated as a face for American interests, Lincoln’s own influences remained. Explore the views of the 16th president on Civil War diplomacy, and how his character was received on the world stage.
Mapping The Cruise of the CSS Alabama
Bereft of navy that could effectively challenge Union blockade lines, the Confederate government looked past the Union line for opportunities to counter it. Out of this move came a controversial method through which apply pressure the North, raising lasting legal questions on both sides of the Atlantic. Through maps, follow the journey of the commerce raider Alabama from its origins in an England shipyard through its numerous attacks on Union shipping.
Abolition and Emancipation
The issue of slavery – the continuation of its practice in the expanding West – divided the United States in the decades prior to war. The issue drew the attentions of European governments, some of whom – Britain and France among them – had moved to abolish the practice. In the aftermath of Lincoln’s first moves towards ending the practice, discover British reactions to his 1863 Proclamation – including public support and doubts over its success.
Ol’ King Cotton: 3D Printing an Antebellum Icon
The cotton crop formed the backbone of the Southern economy – built up by decades of growth and gradually carried westward with the tide of settlers. The importance of Southern production to the factories of the North, Britain and France, drove up demand for labor, supplied by slaves. With the advent of war, cotton became an avenue of Confederate diplomacy, yet never produced results. Learn about the development of ‘King Cotton,’ the failure of the South’s wartime ‘cotton diplomacy,’ and how such themes were depicted in Antebellum and Civil War art.