The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society of the mid-19th century. The original objective of the KGC was to annex a "golden circle" of territories in Mexico, Central America, Confederate States of America, and the Caribbean as slave states.

In July, 1854, George W. Bickley organized the first 'castle' in Cincinnati, but was hounded by creditors and travelled throughout the East and South, promoting an expedition to Mexico.

United States Senator Sam Houston introduced a resolution in the U.S. Senate in 1858 for the "United States to declare and maintain an efficient protectorate over the States of Mexico, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and San Salvador." This measure failed.

In 1859, Elkanah Greer established KGC 'castles' in East Texas and Louisiana. He became general and grand commander of 4,000 Military Knights in the KGC's Texas division of 21 'castles'.

The KGC reorganized and in 1864 Ohio politician Clement L. Vallandigham, most prominent of the Copperheads (an anti-abolitionist/anti-Civil War faction), became its supreme commander.

After the Civil War, little was heard of this organization.

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