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Resolution: "...the African slave trade appears to be rapidly increasing..."
House of Representatives, 26 March 1860
Come now. If the African slave trade was rapidly increasing it was because of growing demand in the Americas for slaves -- largely by Cuban and American sugar planters and Brazilian and American cotton planters. But it was also suffering greatly from the efforts of the Royal Navy, which was tough on everyone but the Americans in the 1850s. That's why people like the Portuguese were trying to make use of US flags-of-convenience in their operations.
In Brasil, the British finally got tired of 20 years of diplomatic efforts and sent the RN in to teach Brasil a lesson. RN warships fought it out with Brasilian forts; Marines landed, slave ships were cut-out in Brasilian harbors and burned or taken out as prizes.
By 1860, the pressure was building steadily -- and with American efforts added/stepped up, a decided crimp was put in the slave trade. That is why, for example, you start to see talk of importing Chinese coolies into the South in the late 1850s and why the Cubans were starting to bring coolies in by the early 1860s -- a shortage of new slaves brought from Africa, largely due to British (and after 1859 US) interceptions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by battalion
"It is probable, judging from the increased activity of the slave trade and the vigilance of our cruisers, that several similar captures may be made before the end of the year. An appropriation ought, therefore, to be granted large enough to cover such contingencies.
President James Buchanan, Message to Congress, 19 May 1860.
In the first 2 years of the Buchanan administration (1857-58), the US African squadron (which was usually 4-6 ships)was cut to 3 ships. Enforcement was weak.
In 1858, the new Republican Party makes a very strong showing in the elections and gains many seats in Congress. Democratic Party politicians in the North become worried about their fate in 1860.
Suddenly, with Republican support and northern Democrats catering to the need for votes soon, the Buchanan administration goes from weak to strong on the Atlantic Slave Trade issue.
Instead of three ships, the African Squadron suddenly has eight -- more than at any other time in its forty year history. They also get a much larger appropriation for support, including moving to a new base in the heart of the African slave trade area to make them more effective. They get a new, aggressive commander with instructions to crack down. This is in March-June of 1859 -- right after the weak showing of northern Democrats in the election of 1858.
By September of 1859, an entirely new, never-before-existed force of four modern steamers (built for the 1857 punitive expedition against Paraguay) is established and deployed in Florida to intercept slavers approaching Cuba (i.e., those who had managed to evade the patrols off Africa). Captures made by this force (several were made) are not due to any "increased activity of the slave trade". They are due solely and entirely to the fact that the US made no effort to intercept slavers in that area before September of 1859 -- and now they did try.
By November of 1859, the Harriet Lane, a Treasury revenue cutter, was assigned to patrol the US coast to intercept slavers. Once again, this was something that had never been done before.
This is a clear pattern. In the first two years of the Buchanan administration, anti-slave-trade work by the USN was cut back. Appropriations for it were low. Then the Republicans made a strong showing and gained strength in Congress -- also threatening Democratic prospects in the 1860 election. All of a sudden, much larger appropriations can be pushed through Congress for anti-slave-trade work despite resistance from Southern interests. The force delegated to act goes from 3 ships to 13. Commanders are given orders to crack down. Not surprisingly, with the patrols more than quadrupled, the effectiveness of enforcement goes up.
There were 2 years in the 1850s when the US actually captured no slave ships (1850 and 1855, IIRR). In 1860, they captured 18.
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.
Jog my memory, please. Congress forbade US importation in 1808 or thereabouts. When did it make the slave trade to other ports illegal?
England did its own thing in imposing its anti-slavery policy on other countries. When did the US officially join in the effort. I emphasize "officially" as it is obvious that there was little actual enforcement forthcoming from the southern-dominated federal government.
Congress passed and Jefferson signed a bill ending the import of slaves to US ports in 1807, to become effective in 1808. Most US states had already passed some form of limitation (for example, South Carolina had banned it in the 1790s and then repealed the law). One result of the approaching national ban was a surge in imports of slaves in about 1802-1808.
The US signed a treaty with Britian in 1820 that recognized the slave trade as an act of piracy. Under the Constitution, that made it have the impact of US law.
However, US enforcement was very lax from 1820 to 1859. As noted elsewhere, the Buchanan administration appears to have sudenly "gotten religion" on the issue after the Republican surge in Congress following the 1858 elections.
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.
Come now. If the African slave trade was rapidly increasing it was because of growing demand in the Americas [almost exclusively Cuba] for slaves...
Tim
There's no IF about it-
"The Increase of Slave Trade.
All accounts from the coast of Africa represent the slave trade to be very brisk and to be prosecuted chiefly in American vessels. A letter from…the U.S. Ship Portsmouth, of the African fleet, says:
‘The trade has increased beyond measure….the whole slave coast is, we may say, lined with slavers, who are generally from New York, cleared from the Custom House, bringing all the appliances of the trade with them…’
The Waupun Times (Wisconsin), 14 March 1860
"How Vessels For The Slave Trade Get Their Clearance.---The increase of the slave trade, and the fact that all the vessels engaged therein appear to have cleared out of the port of New York, begin to attract attention at Washington and in other quarters....we believe we do not overstate the matter in announcing that an average of two vessels each week clear out of our harbor bound for Africa and a human cargo....N.Y. Leader."
The Newport Daily News, 12 June 1860
~
You say the increase in ships begins in 1859-
"...the African Squadron suddenly has eight -- more than at any other time in its forty year history. They also get a much larger appropriation for support, including moving to a new base in the heart of the African slave trade area to make them more effective. They get a new, aggressive commander with instructions to crack down. This is in March-June of 1859..."
Captures by U.S. Ships 1859 March...........0 April.............2 May..............0 June..............0 July...............0 Aug..............0 Sept..............1 Oct...............0 Nov..............1 Dec..............1..........Total -5- for 1859
"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."
"The Increase of Slave Trade.
... You say the increase in ships begins in 1859-
"...the African Squadron suddenly has eight -- more than at any other time in its forty year history. They also get a much larger appropriation for support, including moving to a new base in the heart of the African slave trade area to make them more effective. They get a new, aggressive commander with instructions to crack down. This is in March-June of 1859..."
Captures by U.S. Ships 1859 March...........0 April.............2 May..............0 June..............0 July...............0 Aug..............0 Sept..............1 Oct...............0 Nov..............1 Dec..............1..........Total -5- for 1859
Nope. The increase in the slave trade did not come suddenly in the middle of 1860. It had been ongoing for several years, picking up speed with the Panic of 1857.
What you are looking at is normal ramp-up time for an effort to become effective. The new ships authorized in 1859 have to get to the station; the new base needs to be established for them to use; they themselves ned to spend time working at the task to become good at it; the new commander has to arrive, take command, and familiarize himself with conditions and get the command operating as a unit.
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.
Nope. The increase in the slave trade did not come suddenly in the middle of 1860. It had been ongoing for several years, picking up speed with the Panic of 1857.
What you are looking at is normal ramp-up time for an effort to become effective. The new ships authorized in 1859 have to get to the station; the new base needs to be established for them to use; they themselves ned to spend time working at the task to become good at it; the new commander has to arrive, take command, and familiarize himself with conditions and get the command operating as a unit.
Tim
Already thoroughly refuted....twice...
...but the biggest flaw in your argument is-
What were those "anti-slavery" Republicans doing about the slave ships rolling out of their own harbors?
Not much.
__________________ 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."
Learnin ones history from the newspaper columns. If its not in the newspapers it didn't happen.
I posted four items. Three of these were-
A message from the President of the United States.
A resolution from the House of Representatives.
An article with a report from the Africa Squadron.
__________________ 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."
What is your point with all of this? Do you not see the distinction between the illegal activities of private individuals and official government policy?
Why wouldn't Federal enforcement be lax? In a world with limited resources, you would essentially be proposing to fit out and pay a squadron of vessels to intercept ships leaving Africa with slaves on board.
You would have to be out of your mind not to defer to the English on that one; Brittanica rules the waves in 1860. At the outset of the Civil War, we all know the US Navy is insufficient to blockade Southern ports.
Why wouldn't Federal enforcement be lax? In a world with limited resources, you would essentially be proposing to fit out and pay a squadron of vessels to intercept ships leaving Africa with slaves on board.
And let's not forget who was in control of the Federal Government.
ole
__________________ I never knew a man who wished to be himself a slave. Consider if you know any good thing that no man desires for himself. A. Lincoln
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