Answer:
Lincoln's handling of the Trent affair was important because US was undergoing a civil war then and angering Britian could have proven to be dangerous.
Step-by-step explanation:
- In the Trent affair, President Lincoln walked a thin diplomatic line.
- The Trent Affair was a diplomatic crisis that occured between the US and Britain from November to December 1861, during the U.S. Civil War.
- This mishap occured after the captain of the USS San Jacinto demanded the arrest of two Confederate messengers travelling to Europe aboard a British mail ship, the Trent, in order to seek support for the South in the Civil War.
- The British, who had remained neutral in the war, were angered and claimed the seizure of a neutral ship by the U.S. Navy was a violation of international law. And they took immediate action banning export and preparing for an immediate armed conflict.
- The messengers were later released to avoid potential war.