Synthesized answer
The secession of the Southern States from the Union in 1861 on the issue of slavery, and their subsequent establishment of a separate government under President Jefferson Davis, marked the beginning of the events leading to the "Alabama" Arbitration [1]. Hostilities commenced with the Confederate capture of Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861 [1]. In response, President Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of the southern ports on April 19, 1861 [1].
The situation escalated when the British government issued a proclamation of neutrality on May 14, recognizing the Confederates as belligerents, a move followed by France and other nations [2]. This recognition, along with other perceived unfriendliness, formed one of the two main grievances the United States government alleged against Great Britain [3]. The other grievance concerned breaches of neutrality, specifically the allowance of Confederate vessels like the "Alabama," "Florida," and "Shenandoah" to be built and equipped on British territory [3]. The "Alabama" itself was built by Messrs. Laird at Birkenhead and was intended for use as a man-of-war [2]. After a destructive career, the "Alabama" was sunk by the "Kearsarge" in 1864 [3].…
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From the book
← Alabama 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 "Alabama" Arbitration by Montague Hughes Crackanthorpe Alabama River → See also Alabama Claims on Wikipedia ; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer . 244259 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica , Volume 1 — "Alabama" Arbitration Montague Hughes Crackanthorpe “ALABAMA” ARBITRATION. —This is one of those arbitrations on pecuniary claims, made by one state, on behalf of its subjects, against another state, which are referred to in the article Arbitration, International . The case is important, both from a historical and a juridical point of…
tes on the 13th of April 1861. On the 19th of April President Abraham Lincoln declared a blockade of the southern ports. On the 14th of May the British government issued a proclamation of neutrality, by which the Confederates were recognized as belligerents. This example was followed shortly afterwards by France and other nations. The blockade of the southern ports was not at first effective, and blockade-running soon became an active industry. The Confederates established agencies in England for the purchase of arms, which they despatched in ordinary merchant vessels to the Bahamas, whence…
rpool in two British ships. Captain Semmes there took command of her under a commission from the Confederate government. After a most destructive career she was sunk off Cherbourg by the “Kearsarge” on the 19th of June 1864. On these facts the United States government alleged against Great Britain two grievances, or sets of grievances. The first was the recognition of the Southern States as belligerents and a general manifestation of unfriendliness in other ways. The second was in respect of breaches of neutrality in allowing the “Alabama,” the “Florida” (originally the “Oreto”, the…
. With respect to the “Alabama” claims the British commissioners suggested that they should be submitted to arbitration. The American commissioners refused “unless the principles which should govern the arbitrators in the consideration of the facts could be first agreed upon.” After some discussion the British commissioners consented that the three following rules should apply.
d waters, and as to all persons within its jurisdiction to prevent any violation of the foregoing obligation and duties. The arrangements made by the commission were embodied in the treaty of Washington, which was signed on the 8th of May 1871, and approved by the Senate on the 24th of May. Article 1, after expressing the regret felt by Her Majesty’s government for the escape, in whatever circumstances, of the “Alabama” and other vessels from British ports, and for the depredations committed by these vessels, provided that “the claims growing out of the acts of the said vessels, and…
More questions about this book
- If you were explaining the public domain status of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica to a friend, how would you articulate the core reasons for its status and the implications of the "rule of the shorter term"?
- The "Alabama" Arbitration is presented as a "conspicuous example of the value of arbitration as a means of averting war." How would you explain the specific circumstances described in the text that illustrate *why* this arbitration was crucial in preventing further conflict?
- The British government issued a proclamation of neutrality but simultaneously recognized the Confederates as "belligerents." How is it possible for a nation to be neutral while also recognizing belligerents, and what were the practical implications of this distinction according to the text?
- Consider the construction of the "Alabama" in England while Britain maintained neutrality. How did the actions of the shipbuilding company, the U.S. consul's alert, and the subsequent involvement of British legal and customs officials reveal the intricate challenges of upholding international neutrality obligations within a sovereign nation?