The Golden Circle was a pan-Caribbean political alliance proposed by in the 1850s that would have included many countries into a United States-like federal union. The Golden Circle was centered in Havana and was 2400 miles in diameter. It included northern South America, most of Mexico, all of Central America, Cuba, Haiti and most other Caribbean islands, and the southern United States. The circle's border roughly coincides with the Mason-Dixon line, and it includes the cities of St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Mexico City, and Panama City. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Map of Central America Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. ... General Census definition: The Census Bureau official, general perspective of all the Southern states. ... For the fictional character, see Mason Dixon (Rocky Balboa character). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges, P-Burgh, The Burgh Motto: Benigno Numine Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area    - City 151. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... It has been suggested that Mexican Federal District be merged into this article or section. ... Country Panama Province Panama Municipality Panama City Founded 1519 Seat of the Government Capital of the Nation Mayor Juan Carlos Navarro Area    - City 275 km²  - Metro 2,560. ...

Many supporters of the Federal Republic of Central America that had failed in 1840 saw the Golden Circle as its natual extension ^{[citation needed]}. Never realized as a political unit, the Circle was competitive with and threatened the establishment of strong federal governments in the United States and Mexico ((fact)). In the years after the Mexican-American War, many Americans felt that the largely weak and corrupt governments in Latin America should be reformed into democracies, by conquest if necessary((fact}}. Image File history File links Golden_Circle_Map_labeled. ... Capital Guatemala City; in 1834 moved to San Salvador Created 1823 Dissolved 1840 Demonym Centroamerican Currency Central American Republic real States of the Federation The Federal Republic of Central America (also known as the United Provinces of Central America) was a short-lived Latin American state in Central America. ... Combatants United States Mexico Commanders Zachary Taylor Winfield Scott Stephen W. Kearney Antonio López de Santa Anna Mariano Arista Pedro de Ampudia Strength 7,000 - 43,000 18,000 - 40,000 Casualties KIA: 1,733 Total dead: 13,283 Wounded: 4,152 25,000 killed or wounded (Mexican government...

One of the political arguments in favor of the Golden Circle involved slavery. European colonialism and the African slave trade had declined more rapidly in some countries than others, and by 1850 slavery had been abolished in all British and French territories, along with the northern U.S. states. Slavery was, however, still practiced in the Spanish colonies of Cuba and Puerto Rico, and in the Brazilian Empire. In the years prior to the American Civil War, abolitionism was one of several divisive issues in the country. In the United States, despite the closing of the slave trade, the slave population continued to grow during this time through natural increase. The Empire of Brazil was a political entity that comprised present-day Brazil under the rule of Emperors Pedro I and his son Pedro II. Founded in 1822, it was replaced by a republic in 1889. ...

The delicate balance of power between the northern and southern U.S. states was threatened by the proposed Golden Circle. Federalists feared that a new Caribbean-centered coalition would align the new Latin American states with the slave-state side. This would tilt the balance of power southward and weaken U.S. federalism in favor of the pan-American confederalist union. Gold Circlists believed that an alignment with the remaining slaveholding Caribbean territories would reinforce their political strength.

The Knights of the Golden Circle was the U.S. organization formed to promote and help create the pan-American union of states. It was organized in 1854 by George W. L. Bickley, a Virginia-born doctor, editor, and adventurer living in Cincinnati. It grew slowly until 1859 and reached its height in 1860. The membership, scattered from New York to California and into Latin America, was never large. The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society originally founded to promote Southern interests and prepare the way for annexation of a golden circle of territories in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean which would be included into the United States as southern or slave states. ... George Washington Lafayette Bickley was the founder of the Knights of the Golden Circle around the time of the American Civil War. ...

After the civil war, many Americans moved their slave-based operations to Cuba and Brazil (see Confederados), where slavery remained legal into the 1880s. The Confederados are a cultural sub-group in the nation of Brazil. ...

Other American adventurists in Latin America echoed some of the ideals of the Golden Circle; William Walker was the most successful of those individuals who attempted to build a Latin American empire. Some historians and anti-American politicians think that the Spanish-American War was a continuation of these policies (see details at American Empire). William Walker William Walker (May 8, 1824 - September 12, 1860) was a U.S. physician, lawyer, journalist, mercenary and soldier of fortune who attempted to conquer several Latin American countries in the mid-19th century. ... Combatants United States Republic of Cuba First Philippine Republic Spanish Empire Commanders Nelson A. Miles William R. Shafter George Dewey Máximo Gómez Emilio Aguinaldo Patricio Montojo Pascual Cervera Casualties 3,289 U.S. dead (only 332 from combat); considerably higher although undetermined Cuban and Filipino casualties Unknown[1... This article is about views of the historical expansionism and current international influence of the United States. ...

In fiction

The fictional speculative movie C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America which looks at a Southern victory in the Civil War, was inspired by a brief mention of the concept of the Golden Circle in Ken Burns' documentary The Civil War (see section on 'Directors Comment)' - though it is interpreted in the film as a plan enacted after the war, rather than one that ended in 1860 before the war started. The Civil War was a highly popular and acclaimed PBS documentary about the American Civil War created by Sam Sim, and released on PBS in September 1990. ...

Further reading

• Robert E. May, The Southern Dream of a Caribbean Empire, 1854-1861, (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1973).