historical bits that were interesting; extra post

Henry Adams’ view of England
While this book is full of facts and quite a slow read, some parts are interesting because they are historically important. For instance, the chapter on Diplomacy (starts on page 81), brought up aspects of diplomacy I was not familiar with. Before reading this book, I had not heard much about England’s relationship with the US during the Civil War. In history class, I remember the focus being on North vs. South…because obviously it was a domestic dispute. The way Adams framed it, England recognizes the Confederacy because it makes the US less of a threat. In addition to that, England needed the Southern exports. I suppose breaking up one big power (the US) would also leave England more powerful --- only two smaller countries would be left. While Adams viewed certain English diplomats as either completely against the North or subtly against the North, his reaction to their treatment of his family was interesting. I found it ironic that he felt alienated when present in English society, and then acted like he didn’t care to be a part of any private social circles. He then quickly contradicted himself because his job as a private secretary is to make connections for his father to use.
Henry also acted as if his education didn’t mean anything, partly because according to Henry his father had little power as a diplomat. Furthermore, he acted humble but he actually submitted a number of letters and stories to major newspapers such as the Boston Courier. This seemingly continual irony and attitude of humility also led him to say that his life would be more pleasant being in the army in the US. He doesn’t want to miss out on the war, but it begs the question: does he actually know what he is saying? Henry Adams is an intellectual who travels and tries to become educated… So again, the irony.
On another subject, I looked up a few events to refresh my memory. Here is a little bit (in addition to my blog post) about the Trent Affair, which was mentioned in this chapter. Thank you Wikipedia:

“The Trent Affair, also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the American Civil War. On November 8, 1861, the USS San Jacinto, commanded by Union Captain Charles Wilkes, intercepted the British mail packet Trent and removed two Confederate diplomats, James Mason and John Slidell. The envoys were bound for Great Britain and France to press the Confederacy’s case for diplomatic recognition by Europe.
The initial reaction in the United States was enthusiastically in support of the capture, but many American leaders had doubts as to the wisdom and the legality of the act. In the Confederate States, the hope was that the incident would lead to a permanent rupture in Union-British relations, diplomatic recognition by Britain of the Confederacy, and ultimately, Southern independence. In Great Britain, the public expressed outrage at this apparent insult to their national honour. The British government demanded an apology and the release of the prisoners while it took steps to strengthen its military forces in Canada and in the Atlantic.
After several weeks of tension during which the United States and the United Kingdom came dangerously close to war, the issue was resolved when the Lincoln administration released the envoys and disavowed Captain Wilkes’ actions. No formal apology was issued. Mason and Slidell resumed their voyage to England but failed in their goal of achieving diplomatic recognition”