The Consequences Of The Trent Affair

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The Trent Affair occurred in 1861 and was a minor mistake that almost brought on major consequences. The entire fiasco could have been avoided if both parties, America and England, had slowed up a little bit, but in the heat of the moment both made rash decisions. To make matters worse, America and england were still on thin ice with each other, something that didn't help promote peace between the two nations.
On November 8, 1861 Confederate diplomats James Mason and John Slidell paid their way onto a small british mail vessel, the Trent, headed to England. Their goal was to arrive in England and somehow persuade the english to help the confederacy in the American Civil War. While on the high seas, the Trent was intercepted by an american patrol boat, the USS San Jacinto. The captain of the boat, Captain Charles Wilkes, immediately ordered the capture and arrest of John Slidell and James Mason. The arrested the two men and shipped them …show more content…

The english were outraged, they felt that Captain Wilkes had encroached on their vessel and violated the international law. Their policy was that anyone who paid for passage on their ships was entitled to british protection and guarantee of fair and equal passage. Not only did they feel that Captain Wilkes had violated Mason and Slidell's rights, they believed that America itself had intentionally broke their guarantee of safety and delivery on each voyage. Basically they felt like America was messing with them just for the fun of it. They sent word to america demanding the release of the two men and requiring an apology to amend the wrong done. Without even giving America a chance, the British cut off war material exports to the U.S and stationed british troops in Canada to prepare for war. After hearing of the mess, the French hopped in and sided with the British, vowing to back them up if war was to

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