Colossal Ambitions and Confederate Exceptionalism with Adrian Brettle
Greetings all!! I am very please to welcome Dr. Adrian Brettle to The Rogue Historian. A native of London and graduate of Cambridge University, Adrian earned his PhD in history from the University of Virginia. He joined ASU as a lecturer in August 2018, and is now associate director of the Political History and Leadership program. A specialist on placing the Civil War in a global context, and he is the author of Colossal Ambitions: Confederate Planning for a Post-Civil War World, which we will be discussing today. Currently, there is an exhibit at the American Civil War Museum in Richmond based on Adrian’s research: “Southern Ambitions” War for the Future.” Adrian also lectures on nineteenth-century American history, War and Political Thought, and the history of globalization of that period. Adrian breaks the story down…and I was especially interested in how the Rebs saw themselves as world leaders, once they had secured independence, of course. We discuss…
What compelled Adrian to write the story of what would never be
Confederate expansion - the creation of new slave states
Confederate/Mexican relations and “regeneration”
Confederates and Cuba; Confederates and Brazil
Cotton - the “king” and the Rebels” vision for the future
Free trade and free market capitalism Confederate style
Considering diversification
Confederate relations with indigenous peoples in the West
The Confederate Homestead Act
Confederates in a global context - how they saw themselves as world leaders
What became of the Confederate visionaries once their efforts fell apart?
Have a listen…
And because I know you were wondering…Adrian’s forthcoming essay chapter in Reconstruction and Empire, under contract with Fordham University Press (publication Fall 2021), argues that these Civil War plans remained relevant for ex Confederates in Virginia during Reconstruction. This summer (were it not for COVID), the Pacific Coast Branch of the AHA would have heard Adrian’s presentation on his next research project, Anglo-American rivalry in the Pacific during the Californian and Fraser River gold rushes of the 1840s and 50s: Adrian explores how both nations used their military to not only project their power, but also cooperate to suppress anarchy in this tumultuous region. Meanwhile, migrating miners established their own institutions of self-government, such as law courts, often exercising an arbitrary mode of justice. Looking further forward, Adrian plans for this essay to be part of a larger enterprise illuminating about how the gold rushes of the nineteenth century drove state formation around the world.
Of course, I will most certainly welcome Adrian back to the show to discuss when this hits the shelves. Until then, grab a copy of Colossal Ambitions and let me know what you think. And of course make sure to follow Adrian on Facebook and Twitter. AND…don’t forget to subscribe to The Rogue Historian Podcast and leave a rating on Apple Podcasts or your favorite app so you never ever ever ever miss a show. That would be dumb.
With compliments,
Keith