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Jqwan Williams Dr.Odioabmbo Sociology 02/01/2020 The Knights of the Golden Circle The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was formed as a strategy to operate as secret society that would annex territories in Mexico, Central America, and Confederate States of America, including the Caribbean as slave states. The members of the Golden Circle aimed at using the cheap slave labor to grow crops on their lands and make enormous profits. The Dred Scott Decision of 1857 was impactful in increasing the abolitionism in the United States and it was the main reason that the members of the Golden Circle went for the option of a separate confederation of slave states. The other significant step in the developmental stages of the Golden Circle was the effort to align with the U.S. states and other slave states (Duke at al. 26). The most significant goal of the Golden Circle was to increase the power of slave-holding in for the Southern upper class and build a strong foundation that could not be destroyed. The technical strategies of getting hold of government powers and using the army focused on the end result of creating an empire under the rule of the Golden Circle that would be from the Caribbean to the Pacific and they would grow cotton, sugar, and tobacco. Rise of the Golden Circle The foundation of the Golden Circle by George Bickley alongside other five men was initially aimed at providing a force that would colonize the northern Mexico and the West Indies. The determined focus on the expansion of slavery territories was largely motivated by the goal of establishing control (Huston 125). The rise of the Golden Circle and the establishment of slave

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control was a replacement of the forces from the Order of the Lone Star. The Order of the Lone Star had put efforts to conquer Cuba and Nicaragua with the aim of getting slave territories (Baker 105). The events that unfolded before the fall of the Order of the Lone Star included a forceful removal from power and control by the coalition of neighboring states. The strategies used by the Knights of the Golden Circle included involving Cabinet Secretaries of the President James Buchanan’s government in the Circle such that their efforts were supported by their influence in the federal government. The goal of the Golden Circle was to build an empire whose growth and development would be fueled by the slave labor, given its availability and affordability. The targeted empire would stretch to a total diameter of 2,400 miles and the capital would be in Havana, Cuba (Hall at al. 10). The Golden Circle aimed at establishing control and extending to the Mexico territory, Central America, and the Caribbean, which could also include a significant part of the northern South America (Baker 116). The Golden Circle was basically a system that wanted to establish a slave exploitation system that would never end. One of the approaches included dividing the acquired land according to slave-holding and then appointing a congressman to rule over it. The contributions from the America’s southern upper class would ensure that there were materials and resources to run a global monopoly in the products they wanted such as tobacco, cotton, and sugar (Duke at al. 38). The agenda of the Golden Circle in establishing a slave-powered empire was a continuation of the efforts started by the Order of the Lone Star who raided South American countries and sought to establish control on behalf of America. The focus on establishing a strong control over slaves called for three types of memberships including military, financial, and governing (Keehn at al. 5). All the three unique forms of memberships had their roles in enabling the agenda of the Golden Circle.

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Fall of the Golden Circle The Golden Circle suffered major setbacks in their conquest to establish the empire and using slave labor. One of the most significant challenges was in 1861 when a war broke out between the Southern Confederate States and the Northern Union States, such that the agenda for establishing control was completely disabled by the Civil War (Lind at al. 25). Despite the challenge caused by the Civil War, the Golden Circle still acquired new memberships and it advanced its operations by developing bylaws, rituals, and a constitution (Duke at al. 67). The membership had reached an estimated number of about 50,000 by 1860s. A breakdown of the membership showed that California had 16,000 members, Teas 8,000, Kentucky 8,000, and other areas. The Golden Circle had also successfully established castles in Alabama, Maryland, Missouri, Virginia, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina (Baker 134). The membership of the Great Circle had increased significantly due to the new members who joined after dissolution of the Order of the Lone Star. In addition to the increasing membership of the Golden Circle, they wanted to continue advocating for legislative representation and they offered attractive terms for the Americans who would join the course (Hall at al. 14). For instance, the annexation of the entire peninsula to the United States would allow an allocation of each American emigrant with land to farm and slaves. The American emigrants would receive 640 acres of land and an army of 16,000 was supposed to protect their security and interests. Failure of the Golden Circle The orderliness and successful raids that were supposed to help in annexing Mexico were largely dependent on the input and presence of Gen. Bickley and anarchy would ensue immediately he took time off from the meetings of the Knights. The American Civil War caused a serious setback on the agenda of establishing slavery (Duke at al. 150). The plans of

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effectively controlling Mexico were never achieved. However, the Golden Circle also suffered from lack of effective internal controls and discipline. A good example was when Bickley had taken time to raise funds for the Circle and the Knight who met in New Orleans broke into fights that ruined the entire meeting (Baker 156). The efforts to march towards Rio Grande and invade Mexico seemed to be picking momentum, but the gathered men lacked direction and their intentions were unclear. The attempt to attack Mexico died down with several allegations such as lack of faith in Bickley’s leadership and insufficient funds to fund the exercise. The dissolution of the Golden Circle was contributed significantly by the American Civil war that ended slavery in the United States. The Civil War that took place between 1861 and 1865 defined the fate of the Golden Circle because the Confederate States lost to the Union States and subsequently wiped out the hopes of establishing an empire and using slave labor. The Knights were die-hard supporters and fighters for the Confederacy. However, the involvement of Bickley in the army as a surgeon led to his capture and death in 1867 and the leadership of the Golden Circle crumbled. The Golden Circle lost a considerable amount of support after the abolition of slave trade and slavery and the final blow was the reintegration of the Southern into the Union. The Knights of the Golden Circle definitely lost purpose in pursuing the establishment of an empire since there would be no slaves. However, there are rumors that the Golden Circle remained active by operating as an underground society of power.

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Works Cited Baker, L. C. The Ones That Got Away: Knights of the Golden Circle Exposed. Createspace Independent Pub, 2014. Duke, Daniel J. Jesse James and the Lost Templar Treasure: Secret Diaries, Coded Maps, and the Knights of the Golden Circle. Simon and Schuster, 2019. Hall, Andrew B., Connor Huff, and Shiro Kuriwaki. "Wealth, slaveownership, and fighting for the confederacy: An empirical study of the American civil war." American Political Science Review 113.3 (2019): 658-673. Huston, James L. "Slavery, Capitalism, and the Interpretations of the Antebellum United States: The Problem of Definition." Civil War History 65.2 (2019): 119-156. Keehn, David C. Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War. LSU Press, 2013. Lind, Douglas W. "Andrew Duncan Duff; Southern Illinois Judge, Prisoner of State, and Frontier Legal Educator." Unbound: Rev. Legal Hist. & Rare Books 11 (2019): 5....