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had been created and, therefore, ended its life. sought to have newly freed slaves returned to Africa, and they opposed the international ban of the African slave trade that exported additional slaves from that continent. Start by marking "The Knights of the Golden Circle: The History and Legacy of One of 19th Century America's Most Notorious Secret Societies" as Want to Read: . Its capital would be in Havana, Cuba and its influence would extend over southern North America into Mexico territory, Central America, much of the Caribbean, and parts of northern South America. In the decade leading up to the Civil War, a fledgling group called the Knights of the Golden Circle joined forces with a well-establish Southern society known as the Order of the Lone Star.The Knights were the brainchild of George W.L. While the North was certainly not slavery-free, its economic system did not rely solely on the forced labor of enslaved African-Americans. 11What are the three pillars of the Golden Circle? Unfortunately for the Knights, however, the tensions around slavery would come to a head in 1861 when the Southern Confederate States went to war with the Northern Union States in the Civil War, making their goals impossible to achieve. He even served as a consultant to the 2007 movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which touches on this legend. In late May 1864, Booth invested in an oil company in western Pennsylvania. After seeing no immediate profit, he backed out of the operation, losing most of his savings. American Civil War/End dates decided to send undercover New York City detectives to Baltimore to root out the conspiracy. Originally, the KGC advocated that the new territories should be annexed by the United States, in order to vastly increase the number of slave states and thus the power of the slave-holding Southern upper classes. Timothy H. OSullivan/U.S. [15] In May 1861, members of the KGC and the Confederate Rangers attacked a building which housed a pro-Union newspaper, the Alamo Express, owned by J. P. Newcomb, and burned it down. In the spring of 1860, a small group of K.G.C. James Armstrong had expanded his business in the 1840s by merging with the rival candle and soap firm known as Charles Webb and Sons. At that time the order's prime objective was said to be to raise an army of 16,000 men to conquer and "Southernize" Mexico, which meant making slavery, not legal in Mexico, again legal, while supporting the "Knights of the Columbian Star"those in the KGC's highest level of membershipfor public office.[7]. In 1854 a small group of pro-slavery sympathizers formed the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secret society whose goal it was to create a vast new empire for slaveryone that traced a "golden circle" from the deep South through Mexico, Central America, parts of South America, and the Caribbean. The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society founded in 1854 by American George W. L. Bickley, the objective of which was to create a new country, known as the Golden Circle (Spanish: Crculo Dorado), where slavery would be legal. Due to a lack of funds and a lack of faith in Bickleys leadership, or perhaps a lack of organization as some have speculated, the Knights attempt at annexation fizzled out. Booths fellow actors remember his chilling words upon hearing of Kanes arrest: I know George P. Kane well; he is my friend, and the man who could drag him from the bosom of his family for no crime whatever, but a mere suspicion that he may commit one some time, deserves a dogs death.. Sam Houston, who reportedly became an initiate. Alerted to a sudden change in plans by a Confederate courier, Colonel Kane rode his horse south day and night in time to rendezvous with the retreating Jeff Davis train in Danville. 1,880 likes. C.O. Alexander the Greats epitaph expressed the sentiment that the world is not enough. In the mid 19th century United States, a group of Southern men known as the Knights of the Golden Circle subscribed to a similar philosophy. European colonialism and dependence on slavery had declined more rapidly in some countries than others. Ollinger Crenshaw, The Knights of the Golden Circle: The Career of George Bickley, American Historical Review 47 (October . They opposed the U.S. governments war policy, actively encouraged desertion, prevented enlistments, and resisted the draft. A few agitators, some of them encouraged by Southern money, talked of a revolt in the Old Northwest, with the goal of ending the war. The group is said to have included men such as Albert Pike, John Wilkes Booth (assassin of President Abraham Lincoln . These conspiracy stories associated with the Knights of the Golden Circle are now part of the historical record associated with the organization, but none of them can be reliably documented. as the source of the immense treasure, worth more than $10 million dollars in todays economy. Simon Sinek's Golden Circle encourages you to 'start with why' for a purpose-driven approach to business, marketing and life. Adagio Overview; Examples (videos) during a ceremony at a house in his neighborhood. Many top Baltimore officials are said to have attended Booths swearing-in, done in the houses parlor which was decorated with busts and paintings of Southern politicians and heroes. According to the book titled JESSE JAMES WAS ONE OF HIS NAMES by Jesse James III (the grandson) and Del Schroeder, Jesse James was indeed a prominent member of the KGC and hid large quantities of stolen riches in various locations on behalf of the secret society. The Knights of the Golden Circle really did exist. Although nominally a secret society, the existence of the Knights of the Golden Circle was not, in fact, a secret. Henry Grob and Theodore Jones showing off their find. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. It became strongest among Copperheads, who were Democrats who wanted to end the Civil War via settlement with the South. Section 107 related to Copyright and Fair Use for Non-Profit educational institutions, which permits the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA), to utilize copyrighted materials to further scholarship, education, and inform the public. Every dollar helps. And if that drastic plan failed, the K.G.C. Much of the Knights mission was based on another older secret society called the Order of the Lone Star (OLS). All copyrighted materials included within the Handbook of Texas Online are in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Charles Webb and his brother James were high-ranking Freemasons, with Charles having been selected to be Marylands youngest-ever Grand Master of Freemasonry in 1853. An army of 16,000 men would protect the emigrants and the terms of the treaty with Mexico, thus ensuring American dominance. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. would spring into action to bring about Southern secession and the formation of the Confederate States of America. The Order of the Golden Circle is the womens auxiliary of the United Supreme Council, 33, Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry, Prince Hall Affiliation, Southern Jurisdiction, USA, Inc. Golden Circle is an alternative perspective to existing assumptions about why some leaders and organizations have achieved such a disproportionate degree of influence. Upon his release, Kane headed to Canada where he joined the Confederate Secret Service office in Montreal as Colonel Kane. They decided to hire Allan Pinkerton and his Pinkerton Detective Agency to spy on the Baltimore conspirators. You must there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that's only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. Mayor Brown and Marshal Kane were soon arrested and thrown into jail without trial. It's the 'soul' of who you are, as Sinek explained: "It's why you exist and get out of bed in the morning". The country would have been centered in Havana and would have consisted of the Southern United States and a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico (which was to be divided into 25 new slave states), Central America, northern parts of South America, and Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and most other islands in the Caribbean, about 2,400 miles (3,900km) in diameter.[1][2]. A New York railroad C.E.O. Dante The Opera Artists; Dante Virtual Opera; Divine Comedy; About IOT. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The TSHA makes every effort to conform to the principles of fair use and to comply with copyright law. There exist reports of the KGC continuing after 1864 as a secret group which planned to start fighting the Civil War again, as soon as a generation or two had passed and they had regained their manpower and resources." . We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Then, as Booth and his henchmen planned for yet another attempt at seizing Lincoln and holding him hostage, Union forces succeeded in surrounding Richmond. By March 1865 Booth and his conspirators were involved in at least two attempts to seize Lincoln as he traveled down Washington, D.C. roads in his carriage. One such cache was actually discovered by two Baltimore boys in 1934 who found 5,000 gold coins worth $10 million in todays dollars. The Knights of the Golden Circle (K. G. C.) was a secret society founded by George W. L. Bickley on July 4, 1854. Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at 4:27 PM. The scene of the confrontation and following riot began at the foot of Concord Street, in front of the offices of James Armstrong & Associates, where Armstrong, Saulsbury, and Webb were all employed. An Authentic Exposition of the "K.G.C.", "Knights of the Golden Circle": Or, A History of Secession from 1834 to 1861. This book explores this group in fine detail, in fact remarkable detail given it was a secret organization, yet provides an engaging read. The order itself had little influence in the South and had few or no Northern adherents. . If Spain did not want to sell Cuba to the Knights, they would attack the island and take it over by force. Signup today for our free newsletter, Especially Texan. The Knights were one of the country's more successful "Southern Rights Clubs" which agitated for more political power for the South. Could this somehow all be a coincidence?? Discover more about Copperhead opposition to Abraham Lincoln during the U.S. presidential election of 1864, This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Knights-of-the-Golden-Circle, Texas State Historical Association - Handbook of Texas - Knights of the Golden Circle. Everyone thought Bob was bonkers . For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. convention held in 1860, the organization was originated at Lexington, Kentucky, on the fourth day of July 1854, by five gentlemen who came together on a call made by Gen. George Bickley. Bickley then occupied himself with other projects during the mid-1850s, and the K.G.C. To recap, Charles Webb, a Southern Democrat-sponsored as Grand Master of Maryland Freemasonry by K.G.C. While we dont have too much detail on the Knights and their history is mired in rumor, we do know their ultimate goal: to create an empire that would stretch from the Caribbean to the Pacific built on tobacco, cotton, sugar, and the blood and sweat of slaves. members also sought to add new slaveholding territories through the peculiar 19th-century institution known as filibustering. When Texas was annexed from Mexico by slave-owning Americans and added to the Union as a newly minted slave state, other Southerners saw an entrepreneurial opportunity of immeasurable proportions. Indeed, with that kind of representation, slave-holding states could stop any and all abolitionist policies organized by free Northern states. Operating as the strong-arm military branch for the society, its plausible that the KKK was an offshoot that grew into its own organization over time. Plots were hatched to invade Cuba, Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, and other lightly-defended Latin American countries. northwestern lacrosse. These Knights of the Golden Circle The symbols of Rich Mountain fit the mid-1800's timeframe for the Knights of the Golden Circle, a secretive organization formed in 1854 to establish a slaveholding empire from the South as well . Many plots, including the plot to infect the North with a yellow fever epidemic, would be hatched at The Fountain. According to the Texas State Historical Association. assassins in Baltimore. His case galvanized abolitionists in the North. In response to the increased anti-slavery agitation that followed the Dred Scott decision (1857) the Knights changed their position: the Southern United States should secede, forming their own confederation, and then invade and annex the area of the Golden Circle to vastly expand the power of the South. In late 1860, it shifted its focus to supporting the secession movement and intimidating Unionists in the South. How did John Wilkes Booth react to Lincolns speech? Donald S. Frazier, Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1996). The contradiction severely weakened the partys chances to defeat Lincoln. KGC members also figured prominently among those who, in 1861, joined Lt. Col. John Robert Baylor in his temporarily successful takeover of southern New Mexico Territory. About IOT; The Saillant System; Flow Machine. The following year, the Knights began publishing their own newspaper and established their headquarters in Washington, D. C. In 1860, during . These investigators also allege that many famed characters from the Civil War era, including John Wilkes Booth and Jesse James, belonged to and acted under the influence of the Knights. The Knights Of The Golden Circle: The Secret Civil War Society That Wanted To Build An Empire Of Slavery, A foodie, wanderlust victim, professional Francophile, and history nerd, Andrew Milne is a freelance writer who has worked at outlets like Bon Apptit and Food Network, and currently runs content at, How The Eastern Front Decided World War II, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch.