What was the Trent affair and how was it settled?

Answer 1

The Trent Affair

The Trent Affair would have been a minor conflict between United States and Great Britain, but because of the circumstances during this time period, it lead to an international outrage. In the end, the Trent Affair had an abrupt effect of building confidence between the governments of Britain and the U.S.

"Trent Affair was an incident during the American Civil War involving the doctrine of freedom of the seas, which nearly precipitated war between Great Britain and the United States. On Nov. 8, 1861, Captain Charles Wilkes, commanding the Union frigate San Jacinto, seized from the neutral British ship Trent, two Confederate commissioners, James Murray Mason and John Slidell, who were seeking the support of England and France for the cause of the Confederacy (Britannica)." Because this happened during the American Civil War, the seizure of the two men, in November 1861, without bringing the ship to port, was seen as a violation of the laws of the sea. In addition, the Trent Affair challenged the traditional concepts of freedom of the seas and the rights of neutrals and almost caused a war between the United States and Great Britain.

"The issue was resolved when the Lincoln administration released the envoys and disavowed Captain Wilkes' actions. No formal apology was issued. Mason and Slidell resumed their voyage to England but failed in their goal of achieving diplomatic recognition. The Union had successfully navigated its way through its most crucial diplomatic challenge of the war (Wikipedia)."