On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Civil War, thousands of Southern men joined a secret society complete with castles, passwords, elaborate oaths, medieval costumes, and dreams of conquest. They called themselves the Knights of the Golden Circle, and beneath all the pageantry was a serious ambition: expand slavery by building a vast new empire across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean.

Mark Kawar, author of America but Bigger, and David C. Keehn, author of Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War, share the strange story of the organization that ultimately discovered that dreaming of an empire was much easier than building one.

Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)

On this episode of Our American Stories, before the Civil War, thousands of Southern men joined a secret society complete with castles, passwords, elaborate oaths, medieval costumes, and dreams of conquest. They called themselves the Knights of the Golden Circle, and beneath all the pageantry was a serious ambition: expand slavery by building a vast new empire across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. Mark Kawar, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fdp%2FB0GX34L3Z7%3Flv%3Dshuf%26channelId%3D500%26plpRedirect%3DmhFallback&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C409bf7affc354118a29408def95fad64%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639222386525605371%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=LEHMV%2BeK5%2Bf4hEx8B9y6KM0KJtlnsi5ITthLl8NpPnA%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="2">America but Bigger</a>, and David C. Keehn, author of&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FKnights-Golden-Circle-Conflicting-Dimensions-ebook%2Fdp%2FB00B119JF4%3Fref_%3Dast_author_mpb&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7C409bf7affc354118a29408def95fad64%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639222386525638103%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=wKsqq2KwpCy0SZMVua%2BDxXAY7EGVFDKwJ70N8jkO%2F2U%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">Knights of the Golden Circle: Secret Empire, Southern Secession, Civil War</a>, share the strange story of the organization that ultimately discovered that dreaming of an empire was much easier than building one.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

The Knights of the Golden Circle: America's Would-Be Slave Empire Builders?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ccc02388-f70a-490b-99a1-b4a60175b73f/transcript