Gadsden, James (1788-1858) to John Cripps
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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC03587.09 Author/Creator: Gadsden, James (1788-1858) Place Written: Washington, D.C. Type: Autograph letter signed Date: 22 February 1854 Pagination: 8 p. : address ; 25.4 x 20 cm. Order a Copy
Writes to his Secretary reporting that the treaty is before the Senate Committee of Foreign Relations and expects a favorable decision which he hopes will upset Ward. Recaps the road to their success but adds a few caveats relating to unwanted amendments to the treaty. Discusses the importance of keeping the people involved in the treaty process honest and why it is their duty to do it. Discusses the replacement of African slaves with tropical and Mexican Indian slaves. Mentions the inevitable possession of Cuba. Adds personal news. Postmarked 22 February, Washington, DC., and 17 March, possibly Acapulco.
Gadsden was a railroad promoter and advocated a Southern rail system, the purpose of which would be to control the trade of the South and the West, thereby freeing those regions from their dependency on the North. To further this end he promoted Southern commercial conventions, and at a convention in 1845 he boldly urged the construction of a railroad to the Pacific. In 1853, when Jefferson Davis was Secretary of War in Pierce's cabinet, Gadsden was appointed minister to Mexico to negotiate for territory along the border. The result was the Gadsden Purchase. He was recalled in 1856 for exceeding his instructions. Cripps was General Gadsden's Secretary and a sawyer by profession.
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