Slaves and Slaveholders in the Choctaw Nation: 1830-1866 Page: 58
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CHAPTER 5
CIVIL WAR AND ABOLITION
It is well-documented that the American Civil War affected countries outside the United
States and had significant implications for the institution of slavery. Restrictions of the cotton
supply affected manufacturing economies like Great Britain and others across the Atlantic
Ocean. The abolition of slavery in America was also a catalyst for the end of slavery in Brazil.
Historian Robert Conrad explained that "The...war in the United States... reverberated in the
[Brazilian] Empire like an immense and frightful thunderclap; it was the voice of God speaking
through the mouth of cannons." It is reasonable to assume that the same impacts of the Civil
War affected the economy and institutions of the geographically connected Choctaw nation.
Moreover, the Choctaws differed from these other nations in more than just proximity to the
conflict as they actively participated in the conflict both with formal treaties and combat
regiments. Effects of their participation in the conflict mirrored the Confederate States in many
aspects. These included the abolition of slavery and attempts at establishing rights for freedmen.
This chapter outlines events leading up to and during the Civil War from a Choctaw perspective
and examines the resulting effects on the institution of slavery. 101
The chronology of Choctaw involvement in the Civil War requires outlining in order to
understand the role of slavery in their actions. Slaveholding states concerned with a perceived
rise in abolitionism began meeting together in 1860. Choctaws and other slaveholding Indian
nations had not been included in these discussions despite having "a common interest in the
institution of slavery" and the fact that they "would be common sufferers in its overthrow." The
United States Government was obligated to protect the Choctaws, but federal troops abandoned
101 Robert Conrad, The Destruction of Brazilian Slavery, 1850-1888 (Berkley: University of California
Press, 1972), 70.58
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Fortney, Jeffrey L., Jr. Slaves and Slaveholders in the Choctaw Nation: 1830-1866, thesis, May 2009; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28371/m1/64/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .