George N. Sanders

George Nicholas Sanders
Former United States Consul to London From: 1853–1854
Predecessor	???
Successor	???
Information
Party	Democrat
Spouse(s)	Anna Johnson Reid

George Nicholas Sanders (February 22, 1812 – August 13, 1873) was an activist for the radical-liberal wing of the Democratic Party in the mid–19th century known for spearheading the "Young America" movement advocating Manifest Destiny, free trade, white supremacy, and various progressive reforms in accordance with Jacksonian tradition. American history textbooks, however, mention next-to-nothing about his role as an entrenched Democratic leader, in order to conceal crucial facts from the public.

Sanders was known for acting as a proxy agent between Democratic president Franklin Pierce and Italian radicalist leader Giuseppe Mazzini, facilitating deep-seated political schemes between the interests of the white supremacist Democrats in the U.S. and European revolutionary efforts to overthrow governments.

Political career

Young America movement

The wing of the national Democratic Party Sanders represented was an insurgent branch of progressive Jacksonianism denouncing the "old fogey" faction led by the aging Lewis Cass. Historian Merle Curti described the movement as "a crusade for European republicanism would divert attention from sectional controversies, open European markets to American surplus, and fulfill the American mission of furthering the cause of democracy and freedom throughout the world."

He told Democrats in 1852:

“	This continent is for white people, and not only the continent, but the islands adjacent, and the negro must be kept in slavery at Cuba and [Haiti], under white republican masters.	”
—George Sanders, Democratic Review, 1952

Foreign policy endeavors (1853–54)

In 1853 under the new Pierce Administration, Sanders was appointed U.S. consul to London via recess appointment, evidently due to unlikelihood of Senate approval. He then established a London residence which became a meeting location for revolutionaries, namely Lajos Kossuth of Hungray in addition to Italian leaders Giuseppe Garibaldi and Giuseppe Mazzini. Despite hard-fought efforts to gain financial backing for the European revolutionary leaders, such support was never obtained.

The following year, after returning to the U.S. where much of the federal legislative body held considerable skepticism of Sanders's activities, the United States Senate thwarted his confirmation sought by President Pierce. Despite this setback, however, Sanders found extensive connections within the Democratic Party due to both his domestic and diplomatic initiatives.

Sanders fights for the Confederacy

During the Civil War, Sanders supported the Confederate States of America over the Union, serving as an operative for the South. He was involved in diplomacy between the Confederacy and England, attempting to construct vessels as a means of blockading Union forces.

Lincoln assassination involvement?

According to the Library of Congress:

“	Although not charged in the conspiracy, Sanders went into exile for several years after the Civil War. Sanders’s sons Reid and Lewis also undertook secret missions for the Confederacy, and Reid’s imprisonment in 1863 by Union authorities at Fort Warren in Boston, Massachusetts, led to his death in 1864.	”
—George Nicholas Sanders papers, p. 4

External links

• Profile at Find a Grave