General Sherman's prophetic letter, written on the eve of the U.S. Civil War
The blockade of the south triggered some businesses in Brirain for example to evade the blockade, trading munitions and luxuries for cotton for UK mills.
Then this happened:
"Despite high unemployment, some Manchester cotton workers refused on principle to process any cotton from America, leading to direct praise from Lincoln, whose statue in Manchester bears a plaque which quotes his appreciation for the textile workers in "helping abolish slavery".
These stories need films.
During the Irish Potato Famine, the Choctaw Nation heard pf the privation of the Irish people, and donated to the people of Ireland. Statues still exist in Ireland AIUI, and the event still marks a point of gratitude in Irish culture today.
In 1847, 14 years after the Trail of Tears ended, Choctaw people in Oklahoma learned of the Irish famine... made donations... equivalent of several thousand dollars ,
.." lasting friendship it created between the two nations."
@kevinrns That I knew of. :-)
Here's another story we didnt know.
During the Irish Potato Famine, which drove 1/3 of the country to the colonies, and a third to the grave, Ireland exported more food to England than any time before, in Irish History.
@kevinrns Sounds like that would be an interesting set of facts to analyze. I would imagine that class divisions are at the root of it. Seems the only explanation for how a population can be exporting food and starving at the same time.
@shuttersparks
Well, at its simplest, not a democracy.
@kevinrns Yeah. Exactly.
@kevinrns @shuttersparks I feel like this should be a regular part of any high school US History curriculum.
@shuttersparks
The stories we dont know eh?
We dont know the stories of the draft dodger organizations keeping southern whites out of the confederate army.
We dont know the stories of the British overthrowing the Vietnamese who had defeated Japan in Vietnam, in ww2, and putting the VN govt in jail, until the French could militarily retake "their colony."
@shuttersparks
Heres another one, the pivot point being the mills, not the blockade.
When Ghandi was fighting for independence, one strong tool was boycotting UK cloth from those SAME mills, British government and mill owners tried to drive a wedge between workers and Indian independence.
When Ghandi went to negotiate with Britain, he wore one bolt of Indian made cotton.
In a negotiation pause, he went up to the mills around Newcastle, and recieved by workers like well loved hero.