What if the Confederates offer to join the British Empire ?

Absolutely. And almost everyone who ever met Rhett soon came to realise this.

Unfortunately for them, he was so very full of himself that he just kept going, regardless of his lack of authority. Basically, he was that guy who is wrong about everything, can turn all sympathisers into dedicated foes, never listens to others etc. He sent letters to foreign officials as if he were authorised to speak on behalf of the Confederate government, even though he had no such authority. He tried to pretty much write the Confederate constitution by himself, and his plans consisted of... exactly the worst kind of proposals. (Basically the most extreme we-can-never-ever-abolish-slavery clauses one can imagine, paired with the most extreme states' rights ideas. For instance: he wanted to constitutionally prohibit both Confederal and state governments from financing or being involved in any kind of public works... including railroads and harbours. This during a time of war.) He also believed that he, and no-one else, was fit to be Confederate president. And apparently decided to hate all other candidates for the position forever, on principle. And when it was pointed out that he was merely a congressman, and a pretty zany one at that, he decided there and then that he would spend the rest of his time in office virulently attacking the government via his own newspaper. Which he did, sowing nothing but discord.

In a way, it's almost poetic. This rabid fire-eater unintentionally ended up hindering the Confederate cause at every single turn. He was everything that was wrong with the CSA personified, and he screamed it from the rooftops for all the world to hear.

Maybe he was an undercover Union agent? :D
(just kidding).
 

Saphroneth

Banned
Worth noting that there were degrees of being in the British Empire - you could be a protectorate, for example, instead of a province.

But that doesn't change the general conclusion, which is that the British viewed Southern independence (as a possible outcome) as a great way of being able to bully them to give up slavery... since they could no longer threaten Canada :p
 
Worth noting that there were degrees of being in the British Empire - you could be a protectorate, for example, instead of a province.

But that doesn't change the general conclusion, which is that the British viewed Southern independence (as a possible outcome) as a great way of being able to bully them to give up slavery... since they could no longer threaten Canada :p

I would just love to the CSA's reaction on being offered a similar status to forex Lesotho.

("You want to treat us like n-----s??"

"That depends. I'm not sure you've earned the right to be treated like Zulus, but the Sotho can probably give you some useful tips on how to set up a country."

"---------!!")
 
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