British  writers  now  refer  to  us  in  the  most


THE  ALABAMA  CLAIMS  2i;

friendly  terms  with  frequent  pleasing  refer
ences  to  the  fact  that  we  are  the  offspring  of
the  mother  country,  and  the  like.  This  vary
ing  attitude  of  the  English  only  proves  them
human.  America  has  won  her  present  stand
ing  by  toiling  upward  for  a  century.  A  young
author  or  business  man  or  statesman  must  win
and  earn  recognition  before  he  can  hope  to
receive  it.  It  is  so  with  nations,  and  America
could  expect  recognition  as  one  of  the  Great
Powers  only  when  it  had  earned  and  was  in  a
position  to  command  it.  There  is  now  no
question  of  our  standing  among  the  nations ;
and  while  it  is  difficult  for  many  Americans
to  forgive  the  British  for  their  earlier  neglect
of  their  struggling  kinsmen,  it  is  very  gratify
ing  to  note  the  genuine  expressions  of  relation
ship  and  friendship  at  the  present  time.
We  must  now  advert  to  the  subject  before
us.  During  the  Civil  War  and  the  years
immediately  following,  the  most  serious  ques
tion  between  her  Majesty's  Government  and
the  United  States  (excepting  possibly  the
short-lived  affair  of  the  Trent}  was  that  which
took  the  general  name  of  the  Alabama  Claims ;


2l8      SIDE   LIGHTS  ON  AMERICAN   HISTORY

that  :s,  claims  of  the  United  States  Government
against  Great  Britain  for  damages  wrought  by
a  score  or  more  of  Confederate  vessels  built  in
English  shipyards.
