Civil War History - Secession and PoliticsWas it Slavery, or was it States Rights? Perhaps it was the election of Lincoln? What were the real reasons for Southern Secession and what were the political issues in this time of war? Find your answers here in the Secession and Politics Disussion.
"The cooly slave trade is still continued, and it will continue in our own vessels until Congress shall suppress it. Judge Black, our late Attorney General, says, in a letter to Mr. Cass, dated March 11, 1859:
'I am of opinion that such trade (the cooly trade) does not come within the provisions of the act of Congress prohibiting the slave trade. All the communications of the American commissioner show that the cooly trade is sometimes accompanied by cruel circumstances calling for restraint or prohibition. No remedy seems to be afforded by existing laws. The evil is one which Congress alone can remedy.' "
Rep. Thomas D. Eliot (MA), House of Representatives, 15 January 1862
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The importation of coolies from China in American ships was legal to 19 August 1862.
The importation of coolies from other Asian countries was legal throughout the Civil War and beyond (1869).
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
New York Times, 27 September 1861
Last edited by Battalion : 08-08-2007 at 01:45 PM.
"Americans moved on from the opium trade to what was called the 'pig trade.' American ships began to transport indentured laborers from China to British colonial plantations in the Caribbean, including Cuba. They were called 'coolies' --- from the Hindi word 'kuli,' meaning unskilled labor. Impoverished young Chinese peasants were tricked or kidnapped, and made to sign dubious labor contracts. They were held in baracoons --- or pig pens --- until they were packed onto ships, often in chains . The vast majority were brought to Latin America where they were simply worked to death. In 1866 alone, five American ships smuggled three thousand coolies from a southern Chinese port not officially open for foreign trade. In 1861, as the first shots were being fired in our civil war, the American ship Norway made a harrowing journey from Macau to Havana with 1,037 Chinese men aboard. During the voyage 130 of them died from dysentery and gunshot wounds." http://www.committee100.org/media/media_eng/050500.html
"Many of the coolies would be in chains, and if a fire should break out the captain and crew would simply abandon ship, leaving their human cargo to die in the flames or smoke or be trampled to death in the stampede for the hatches. The vessels were truly floating hells, the conditions of which no modern traveller can really imagine."
Sons of the Yellow Emperor: A History of the Chinese Diaspora, p.49
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
New York Times, 27 September 1861
Last edited by Battalion : 08-08-2007 at 01:27 PM.
I guess the Statue of Liberty stands in New York harbor facing Europe. She sure doesn't face Africa or China it apprears.
Terrible. Regrettable.
Its hard to believe that them goody two shoes Yankee Abolitionsits didn't have something to say about the "coolie" trade. They must not have known about it.
Its just as hard to believe that Yankee Re-constructionists would permit such human rights violations after we had just fought a war to free the black African slaves. My Gosh, they must not have known about it.
But then they really didn't care all that much about the Red Man, did they.
That's the only thing I can think Battallion. They must not have known about it.
From the snippets that started this thread, it appears that the north had something very important to say about the Coolie Trade.
Do you people not read your own snippets?????
Yes, I read where the trade in Chinese coolies was outlawed (1862)....but why only Chinese?
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
Are you sure, about what you are arguing??
In 1862, slavery was legal in all the states of the Union, north and south.
The 1862 Legislation, in effect, made it illegal for American citizens or foreigners living in or traveling to the US to build, possess or equip vessels to transport coolies, as slaves, to America or any foreign country, port or place 'Whatever' .
As a first step in eventually freeing all slaves, it's intent is well taken and being as the Federal Gov't was involved in a bloody Civil War at the time, it was nevertheless timely and if not as inclusive as necessary, it was indicative as to where the gov't was heading and as reality, instructed, other timely legislation was sure to (and did) follow and that legislation would advance freedom, not retreat from it.
As the historical record showed, so also, the legislation enacted by the north showed the north advancing freedom and the south preserving slavery.
Are you sure, about what you are arguing??
In 1862, slavery was legal in all the states of the Union, north and south.
The 1862 Legislation, in effect, made it illegal for American citizens or foreigners living in or traveling to the US to build, possess or equip vessels to transport coolies, as slaves, to America or any foreign country, port or place 'Whatever' .
This only applied to the subjects of China...and why only China?...
Are we to assume that the coolies of India received better treatment on American ships?
Quote:
Originally Posted by OpnD
As a first step in eventually freeing all slaves, it's intent is well taken and being as the Federal Gov't was involved in a bloody Civil War at the time, it was nevertheless timely and if not as inclusive as necessary, it was indicative as to where the gov't was heading and as reality, instructed, other timely legislation was sure to (and did) follow and that legislation would advance freedom, not retreat from it.
As the historical record showed, so also, the legislation enacted by the north showed the north advancing freedom and the south preserving slavery.
The Confederates oulawed the slave trade in their Constitution (1861) while England, France and the United States had merely replaced the Atlantic slave trade with the Pacific.
__________________ POWER & MONEY
"Your New-York bankers and merchants are shrewd people, but I never gave them credit for so much sagacity as when they took the Government Loan. It was not merely patriotism, it was a high stroke of policy. It has saved the Government, and what they will regard as equally important, saved them from a great financial disaster."
This only applied to the subjects of China...and why only China?...
Are we to assume that the coolies of India received better treatment on American ships?
Do you have evidence that there were coolies from India being carried in American ships or brought to America in 1862? Or is it likely that American legislators only knew about the Chinese ones and so didn't think to mention India?
Tim
__________________ "Let us, then, consider all attempts to weaken this Union, by maintaining that each state is separately and individually independent, as a species of political heresy, which can never benefit us, but may bring on us the most serious distresses."
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney of South Carolina, 1740-1824, Revolutionary War soldier, one of the authors of the US Constitution in 1787, speaking at the South Carolina Ratifying Convention in 1788.
The snippets and the historical record show a clear (and rapid) progression of legislation to control and eradicate slavery of any kind and as various groups tried to continue the ILLEGAL practice, more restrictive legislation followed, as day the night. (and each new day saw a new birth of Freedom).
Nit Picking over the little that was not being done, while ignoring the earth changing political and social changes that was being accomplished at the same time, requires a blindness so complete, that it surely must be self-willed.
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