Between 1861 and 1865, several southern states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The united states government rejected the southern secession and declared that the act was a rebellion. The Confederate states fought against the northern states about slavery and political decisions in a war. In 1865 the war ended with the North defeating the south. Britain and France both proclaimed neutrality in the war. But Britain’s cotton business was doing really well, and they needed their cotton shipments from South america. Ships from the north started doing blockades against these shipments, but Britain started using fast small ships instead of big slower ones as a solution. This made North Americans suspicious because even though Britain declared neutrality, they were still favoring the south. This increased tension between Americans and the British.

The Trent Affairs

November 1861, an American Warship stopped the British Mail ship called “Trent”, which was carrying 2 agents back to Britain. They were going to Britain to ask for support for the “Confederate Cause”. Even though they were on neutral waters, the Americans took the two agents prisoners. Britain threatened retaliation if the prisoners weren’t released. American President Abraham Lincoln freed the prisoners because he didn’t want to go to war with Britain while also fighting the Confederates. Tension still remained, and Americans wanted revenge. Britain dispatched 14,000 troops to BNA.

St. Alban’s Raid

In 1864, a group of Confederate soldiers attacked the town of St. Alban’s, Vermont, using Montreal as their base. After the attack soldiers escaped back across the border to avoid prosecution. The United Sates government was angry and they would threaten BNA if future attacks were not turned over to American authorities. This threat from the US made the British realize that they have no defense.

United States Expansionism: Manifest Destiny

The Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to control all of North America. During the 1840s, the Americans were expanding across the continent. The US saw the North-West lands of the continent as a rich sources of natural resources. The outbreak of the American Civil War strengthened the sense of Manifest Destiny. A group of American vocal expansionists believed the United States should turn its attention to the annexation of British North America. Although the ultimate goals of Manifest Destiny were never reached, the popularity of the idea undoubtedly weighed on the minds of many British North American leaders and Presidents.

Using the above, explain how the political context in the 1860s would encourage the BNA colonies to unite or stay apart:

It would encourage them to unite because they were dealing with a common enemy. The Confederate States.