Paraguay expedition facts for kids
The Paraguay expedition (1858–1859) was a special trip by the United States to Paraguay. The U.S. President, James Buchanan, sent a large group of ships and diplomats. Their goal was to solve problems and get apologies from Paraguay. If Paraguay refused, the U.S. ships were ready to take over its capital city, Asunción.
However, many people now believe that President Buchanan's reasons for this trip were not fully fair. The main problem was that neither country had good diplomats to talk things through. Some also think President Buchanan might have wanted to distract people from problems happening in the U.S. at the time.
This expedition was the biggest group of navy ships the U.S. had ever sent out. It made a big impression in the Platine region of South America. Even so, if a war had started, Paraguay was in a strong position. Also, the U.S. ships had some problems because of poor planning. Because of this, some people have called the expedition "not good enough" for a real fight. They also said it was "a military bluff" that worked well.
Luckily, the U.S. diplomat, Judge James B. Bowlin, was very understanding. He didn't follow all his strict orders. Also, Paraguay needed friends with other countries. Because of this, the two countries became friends again. Only one U.S. ship actually went into Paraguay's waters, and that was with permission.
The expedition cost the U.S. about $3 million. Paraguay paid a small amount, $9,412, just to keep the peace. President Buchanan still said it was a big success for his foreign policy. But some of the information shared about the expedition was not true. Some of these false ideas are still believed today.
The True Story Behind the Expedition
When President Buchanan wrote about his time in office, he said the Paraguay expedition was a "great success." He made it sound like U.S. ships got very close to Asunción. He also claimed Paraguay gave "ample apologies," but Paraguay never actually apologized.
Buchanan also mentioned that Paraguay paid $10,000 for a helmsman (a person who steers a ship) who had died. But he didn't say that his government had demanded at least $500,000 for a company from Rhode Island, which ended up getting nothing.
About the cost of the expedition, Buchanan said:
It's amazing that all the costs were paid using the regular money for the navy. Congress didn't give any extra money for this. Except maybe $289,000 to buy seven small, shallow-water steamers. These ships were worth more than they cost and were used later in the navy.
However, a group called the Republican Congressional Committee disagreed. They pointed out that the U.S. Navy's spending during Buchanan's last two years was almost $27 million. This was double what the navy spent during the war with Great Britain under President Madison.
Some of these untrue stories from that time accidentally became part of history books. They have even lasted until today.
