The Great Plains and America’s woodlands could have been full of wild elephants today. Could have, but to the everlasting sorrow of elephant lovers are not, because of Abraham Lincoln. Thanks a lot, Honest Abe. Below are some interesting facts about what could have been.

The Real Life King From The King and I

King Mongkut, titled Rama IV of Siam (1804 – 1868) is not that well known in the twenty first century outside his kingdom. The relative few who recognize the name probably know it as that of a character in The King and I, a 1950s musical that was remade into a film about his relationship with English governess Anna Leonowens. King Rama IV was a real life nineteenth century ruler who reigned in Siam, now Thailand, from 1851 until his death in 1868.

Rama IV was a progressive who introduced Western influences to Siam, and initiated the cultural and technological modernization of his kingdom. Indeed, he became known as “The Father of Science and Technology” in his country. Rama hoped to not only modernize Siam, but to also hold off Western encroachments – and it worked, at least for a while. He wanted to be recognized as an equal among global rulers, and corresponded with many of them. In one of his exchanges with an American president, Rama offered to fill America with elephants.

We Could Have Had Wild Elephant Herds Roaming America’s Wilderness

It is normal for new American presidents to receive diplomatic overtures, congratulations, and gifts. Few overtures received by a new president though were as unusual as that received by Abraham Lincoln in 1861. He got an offer to fill America’s wilderness with wild Asian elephants. It accompanied a package from Rama IV that included huge elephant tusks, an expensive handmade sword, and photos of the king and his daughter. It was sent before the results of the 1860 presidential election were known in Siam, as so was was not meant for Lincoln per se.

Instead, the Siamese monarch sent his presents to “whomsoever the people have elected anew as chief ruler in place of President Buchanan”. Elephants were important beasts of burden in Asia, and in a letter, the king offered them to the United States. He proposed to ship young elephants to be set free so they could reproduce in the country’s wilderness. As he put it: “[A]fter a while they will increase till there be large herds as there are here on the continent of Asia until the inhabitants of America will be able to catch them and tame and use them as beasts of burden making them of benefit to the country”.

Turning Down Free Elephants

Honest Abe politely refused: “This Government would not hesitate to avail itself of so generous an offer if the object were one which could be made practically useful in the present condition of the United States. Our political jurisdiction, however, does not reach a latitude so low as to favor the multiplication of the elephant, and steam on land, as well as on water, has been our best and most efficient agent of transportation in internal commerce”. If Lincoln had not refused, we might wild elephant herds roaming the Great Plains and America’s wilderness. Thanks a lot, Honest Abe.

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Some Sources & Further Reading

American Battlefield Trust – Lincoln Rejects the King of Siam’s Offer of Elephants

Emerging Civil War – Reality vs Myth Regarding Abraham Lincoln’s War Elephants

History Halls – Abraham Lincoln: Hall of Fame Wrestler