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. Linked to the Freemasons and the ceremonies of Freemasonr. Perhaps this should be expected, after all, for a secret society. Image Credit: "The origins of the Knights of the Golden Circle can be traced to Cincinnati con man George Bickley." The hope was that in establishing a large and successful domain run on slavery, the South could then secure the use of slavery nationwide. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) During this time, the pro-slavery, human-trafficking South and the anti-slavery, "woke" North wanted to expand their borders and create new . K.G.C., Records of the KGC Convention, 1860, Raleigh, N.C. (http://gunshowonthenet/AfterTheFact/KGC/KGC0571860.html), accessed August 27, 2010. One by one as the Southern states began to secede, a startled Lincoln ordered Northern troops from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts to hurry south to protect Washington, D.C. played a role in reducing the vote for Constitutional Unionists (see CONSTITUTIONAL UNION PARTY) in November 1860 and in keeping Unionist voters from the polls when the state held a referendum on secession in February 1861. KGC Meeting. He feared secession of the Northwest.
Heritage History | Expose of the Knights of the Golden Circle by Member Although civil and military authorities made strenuous efforts to uncover the order and charges abounded in newspapers and in political oratory, no single member or unit of the organization was ever conclusively brought to light. served in the Confederate Army not as members of the societys military division per se, but simply as soldiers in the southern cause. 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. We need your support because we are a non-profit organization that relies upon contributions from our community in order to record and preserve the history of our state. 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. With the abolition of slavery and the reintegration of the Southern United States into the Union, the Knights of the Golden Circle lost any popularity they mightve had. 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. For their assistance, Maximilian rewarded the Knights of the Golden Circle $12.5 million in gold, and Jesse James $5 million. Bickley, a quack Cincinnati physician, the Knights were dedicated to supporting pro-slavery policies and promoting the American conquest of Mexico. The Knights of the Golden Circle gain power in the American South and industrialise the area during the 1850 and 1860s, They increase their autonomy and then instead of engaging in civil war with the north they invade and/or unite with various slave holding powers in the Caribbean. Some examples of golden circle are Apple, the Wright brothers and Martin Luther King Jr. Roy Sylvan Dunn, The KGC in Texas, 1860-1861, Southwestern Historical Quarterly 70 (April 1967). What is the difference between endocervical and cervical? Chapter I. Background'Southern Rights' Clubs. : The Confederate States of America, the Confederacy's defeat in the Second Great War, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. According to the Texas State Historical Association. Booth had lived on Exeter Street and is said to have been inducted into the K.G.C.
Knights of The Golden Circle / Freemason Symbols With the national rise to power of Abraham Lincoln and his Republican Party, the K.G.C. The legend of this ill-gotten treasure lives on perhaps most strikingly in a man named Bob Brewer, who believes his ancestors may have hidden the gold in Arkansas and has since devoted his lifes work to finding it. Sir Harry Andrews spent more than 50 years building a headquarters for members of the Knights of the Golden Trail brotherhood. Wikimedia CommonsDred Scott in 1857. They were all staunch supporters of slavery, and they could see that slavery was under attack. Everyone thought Bob was bonkers . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The group's original goal was to provide a force to colonize the northern part of Mexico and the West Indies.
Knights Of The Golden Circle | Codes And Conspiracies The History of Baltimore City and County, Maryland records that Mr. It should come as no surprise then that the K.G.C.
The Golden Circle Conspiracy | Ross Eric Gibson, Local History About the Author: Jack Myers is the author of several books, including Row House Days, Row House Blues, and The Delco Files as well as his book Knights Gold. The group included notable figures such as Elkanah Greer, a colonel of the Third Texas Cavalry, and future governor of Texas L. Sullivan Ross. However, that hasn't stopped some people from suggesting that the organization is still active as an underground society . This measure, which supported the goal of the KGC, failed to be adopted. C.O. During the Civil War, leaders of the K.G.C. .
The Golden Circle - FragenDatabase He was born and raised in Philadelphia and has worked as a teacher, newspaper reporter, newspaper editor, pizza shop proprietor, and technical writer. Donald S. Frazier, Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest (College Station: Texas A&M University Press, 1996). If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Although nominally a secret society, the existence of the Knights of the Golden Circle was not, in fact, a secret . This secret society hatched a plot to protect and extend slavery, arguably the most contentious issue in the history of the United States. 65: 8086. is its contribution to creating the emotional excitement necessary to persuading southerners to rebel against the United States. European colonialism and dependence on slavery had declined more rapidly in some countries than others. Signup today for our free newsletter, Especially Texan. An army of 16,000 men would protect the emigrants and the terms of the treaty with Mexico, thus ensuring American dominance. On May 20, 1863, the creek became the site of the so-called " Battle of Pogue's Run ." At the Indiana State House, approximately 10,000 Democrats including Copperheads and suspected members of the pro-Confederate Knights of the Golden Circle gathered to protest the Lincoln administration. The group is said to have included men such as Albert Pike, John Wilkes Booth (assassin of President Abraham Lincoln . Knights of the Golden Circle, a semi-military secret society that was active in the Midwestern states during the American Civil War.
Knights of the Golden Circle - GlobalSecurity.org The Knights of the Golden Circle was a pro-slavery secret society founded in the decade before the American Civil War.
Knights Of The Golden Circle | Encyclopedia.com . It amassed billions in stolen gold and silver. [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. The K.G.C. He even served as a consultant to the 2007 movie, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, which touches on this legend. Was John Wilkes Booth in the Knights of the Golden Circle? The organization was founded by a man named George W. L. Bickley,. They also unite with Mexico and the rest of Central America. Records of the KGC convention held in 1860 state that the organization "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". At a Freemason memorial service for Grand Master Charles Webb, his Masonic brothers recited a poem in his memory a poem written by Albert Pike, the most powerful Freemason of his generation and the long suspected head of the secretive Knights of the Golden Circle. The Knights of the Golden Circle really did exist. Besides, Morgans Raid, like the Knights own attempts, failed. This secret society hatched a plot to protect and extend slavery, arguably the most contentious issue in the history of the United States. In 1864, it became the Order of the Sons of Liberty, with the Ohio politician Clement L. Vallandigham, most prominent of the Copperheads, as its supreme commander. The KGC's proposal grew out of previous unsuccessful proposals to annex Cuba (Ostend Manifesto), parts of Central America (Filibuster War), and all of Mexico (All of Mexico Movement). The Golden Circle would ensure that the sun never set on the American system of exploitation. Library of Congress via Getty ImagesWilmer McLean and his family sit on the porch of his house, where Confederate General Robert E. Lee signed the terms of surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865 in Appomattox Court House, Virginia. and at other times to different treasonous groups. Warren Getler and Bob Brewer, Rebel Gold: One Mans Quest to Crack the Code Behind the Secret Treasure of the Confederacy (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004). Abraham Lincoln sent his secretary, John Hay, to investigate. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. After he retired, Bob Brewer embarked on an adventure to find the missing Confederate gold, supposedly hidden by the mysterious Knights of the Golden Circle of the late 1800s to finance a second Civil War. He used his status to accost Lincolns abolitionist efforts on his tours throughout the North and South. But people believe there are still more treasures to be found across the United States and potentially in Canada. Their early purposes included expanding southern imperial interests into the "golden circle" of Mexico, Central America . The Knights of the Golden Circle or K.G.C. Though there were rumors that the Knights were involved in the infamous Confederate incursion known as Morgans Raid, which garnered some 2,000 men to draw out Union troops in Ohio and Indiana, these are not substantiated. [5] Some Knights of the Golden Circle active in northern states, such as Illinois, were accused of anti-Union activities after the Civil War began in 1861. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.