I was born and raised in a small Kansas town. On January 29th
I, along with hundreds of school children across the state, acknowledged its’
153rd birthday. So I decided to write my first Sidetrack about
Kansas (a tip of the hat if you will).
My hometown was burned during the Kansas/Missouri border
raids of the late 1850-60s, which the local historical society re-enacts every
year. Needless to say, from a very young age I was aware of the violence and
intrigue that accompanied Kansas entering the Union. Members of both parties
are fighting within the state, while others poured inside the borders in order
to swell the vote. Why? What was so important about this small, seemingly
nondescript, territory at that particular time?
In 1861, Kansas is about to become a state and that’s going
to affect the balance of power in Congress. There are a whole lot of people
interested in whether it enters the Union as a pro- or anti- slavery state,
also an indication of the predominant political party. Before elections, the
Southern Democrats held the majority in the Senate while the Northern
Republicans had the vote in the House. Now, in real life, Kansas joined as a
Republican majority, anti-slavery state. The Republicans gained the majority in
both houses, some Southern states seceded, and war broke out not long after. I
wonder what would have happened if Kansas had entered as a Democratic,
pro-slavery state.
Let’s face it – this war was going to happen. The change in
Kansas politics, leading to a continued divided legislature, would not have prevented the conflict. The Republicans would have had the majority as soon as
West Virginia entered the Union as an anti-slavery state in 1863. It might have postponed the war though. This
delay in the change of power gives us (and the South) some time to play with;
and time could have been all the South needed.
A delay would give the South time to prepare. The main
advantage of the North was industrialization. With another two years of
political side stepping in the works, the South can begin to build the
necessary factories that would assist in the war effort. Don’t get excited.
They would not be able to construct enough to make self-arming a winning
factor. But, let’s not forget the politics. Politics also win wars.
At this time, the South is the main supplier of cotton for
most of the world. Cotton has become popular because it is lightweight,
durable, and easier to clean than other fabrics. It is the South’s main
bargaining chip. Leaders of the Confederate States of America want to bargain
with Great Britain in particular. A more industrialized South could be an
easier ally for Britain to back than a completely agrarian one, so Britain
might be willing to negotiate.
If Great Britain had allied itself with the Confederate
States, the industrialization factor would have been practically negated, as
well as the North’s blockade. At the very least, it would have been a
completely different war. Both the Southern soldiers and the civilian
population would have been better equipped. Aside from the obvious benefits of
this, Southern morale would have stayed high so it would have been harder for
the North to break Southern will to fight. At the most, we might have had a
victorious South, and ended up with two different countries on the North
American continent.
The South winning is an intriguing possibility. Don’t worry,
I’m not going to leave you hanging forever – but that is a Sidetrack for
another day.