Alice in Wonderland Wedding Cake

One of the descendants of this Confederates who came to Americana (Brazil) was the Brazilian singer Rita Lee, a member of Os Mutantes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Os_Mutantes), tropicalia-rock band of the '60s.

in 1866, an year after the South's defeat, the city of Americana (São Paulo State in Brazil) was the destiny of fleeing confederates

Not exactly to 'Conquer Latin America' anymore than south-Vietnamese refugees that populated US after Hanoi debacle...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americana,_S%C3%A3o_Paulo

America continues to conquer lands. They are just more subtle about it now. Packaging their colonialism as "Freedom" and "Democracy".

My family is from Honduras and always spoke of William Walker as a sort of Pirate. My Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather had him put to death, and was then assassinated 2 years later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Santos_Guardiola

Calling Lincoln anti-slavery is being a bit generous. Before the war he was against the *expansion* of slavery (with the end of perhaps abolishing it eventually) and once the war broke out he was primarily concerned with saving the Union, even if it meant preserving slavery. Initially he didn't even allow his generals to free slaves in captured territories. He didn't start to free the slaves in the South (with the Emancipation Proclamation) until the war was going pretty badly for him and he needed some momentum.

He did make it clear that ethically he did support the suffrage of slaves, though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln_on_slavery

I know southern expansion seems radical now, but given the views of the day, it seems to be the logical follow up to western expansion. Why stop when you hit the Pacific? Just hang a left!

Rob very VERY good point.