The Trent Affair Research Paper

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The Trent Affair was a diplomatic crisis that happened between the United States and Great Britian. The Trent Affair took place place during the American Civil War. The cabinet incorporated the official letter to Sewards Albert's suggestions that would let Washintonton to disavow Wilkes' actions and any Americans insulting the British flag. The British still demanded an apology from the Americans and the release of the Confederate emissaries. On November 8, 1861, the USSSan Jacinto, commanded by the Union's Captain Charles Wilkes, he intercepted British mail packet RMS Trent and then removed it as a contraband of war, two confederate diplomats James Mason and John Slidell. While the military's preperations were ready, the diplomacy would be …show more content…
Britain with its worldwide interests, had to have a military policy regarding the United States in the cotton diplomacy. The initial reaction of the United States was to celabrate the capture against Great Britain's threatening war. President Abraham Lincoln and his special advisors did not want to risk a war with Britian. In the Confederate States, the hope was that the incident would cause a permanent rupture. This would increase British concern over the threat of the confederate privateers and union privateers by blocking British rights, and Milne was reinforced. On June 1 the british ports were closed to any naval prizes it was a policy that had a great advantage to the Union. The Confederates then realized their independence potentially depended on a war between Britain and the US. In outrage towards the vialation of nuetral rights and insult to their national honor. The British then decided to demand an apology and the release of all of their prisoners, while it took steps to strenghthen its military forces in Canada and even the Atlantic. After several weeks have gone by the tension and the loose talk of war, the crisis was then resolved when the Lincoln administration realeased the envoys and then disavowed Captain Wilkes's actions. No formal apology was issued. Mason and Slidell just resumed their voyages to Britain but failed in their goal of acheiving diplomatic