Role Abraham Lincoln Played During the American Civil War

A furniture designer and exporter for Kalalou, Jon Dan Fasano leverages his product design skills including welding to come up with unique creations. Prior to his design venture, Jon Daniel Fasano worked as a United States Marine Corps in special operations where he was a recipient of multiple awards. Jon Dan Fasano has a keen interest in the American Civil War.

The American Civil War was fought from 1861-1865 and involved the United States of America against the Confederate States of America which comprised of 11 southern states. The eleven states had pulled out of the union in 1860 and 1861 because of a conflict over slavery.

The war was fought during the reign of President Abraham Lincoln who took a strong stance against slavery that led to the walkout of the 11 states soon after his election in 1860. Lincoln was determined to rule the United States as one nation and declined to recognize the independence of the breakaway Southern states as a sovereign union.

This led to the eruption of war in 1861 that continued until 1863 when Lincoln issued an Emancipation Proclamation. This proclamation was aimed at freeing slaves especially in areas that were considered to be rebelling against the United States. The proclamation also laid the foundation for slaves to regain their freedom across the entire country. He was re-elected in 1864 after triumphing over opponents who wanted a peace treaty signed in the Southern states only to be assassinated on April 14, 1865, by a southern sympathizer, John Wilkes Booth. 

The Story of Kalalou's Unique Products

When he graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Mississippi, Jon Daniel Fasano enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. After serving in the special operations division for ten years, Jon Dan Fasano sharpened his welding skills, eventually accepting a position with Kalalou, a wholesale business based in Jackson, Mississippi.

A vacation to Jamaica in 1984 inspired founders Doug and Susan Williams to establish Kalalou when they discovered how affordable handmade baskets sold for on the island compared to how much similar products cost back home in Mississippi. The couple first built the business around imports of baskets from Jamaica and eventually expanded to more than 1,500 categories of products from nine countries.

Originally known as Country Originals, the Williams' wholesale business earned a spot on the list of "500 Fastest-Growing Privately Held Companies" published by Inc. Magazine in both 1991 and 1992. The couple changed the name to Kalalou as a nod to a type of Creole soup served in Caribbean countries, like those where the company does business. 

The Northern Strategy That Finally Won the Civil War

Joe Daniel “Dan” Fasano serves as a product designer for a gift importer in Jackson, Mississippi. As a member of the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations forces, Joe Dan Fasano has an avid interest in military history, especially the Civil War (1861-65).

The Civil War’s early years brought scant reward to the Union. The North had won only one state (Tennessee) and a few smaller areas. President Lincoln’s chances for reelection were doubtful.

Three things hindered the North. First of all, advances in weaponry and fortifications greatly favored the defense. Secondly, the Southern rail net allowed it to move troops quickly to trouble spots. Finally, armies of that era needed massive amounts of food and ammunition, and faced with longer supply lines, Northern generals had to divert troops to protect those links. Even so, Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Lincoln managed to create a plan that coordinated military, economic, and diplomatic initiatives.

Grant devised a two-pronged attack. His own army concentrated on defeating General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. To his subordinate, General William Sherman, he gave the task of capturing the key city of Atlanta and eroding civilian morale by destroying infrastructure.

The North had blocked access to Southern seaports for the entire war. As a result, upper-class Southerners had trouble importing luxury goods, which impacted political support. The blockade also crippled the banking system that financed the war.

Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation shifted the moral high ground to the North. In addition to convincing freed slaves to join the fight, it let Northern diplomats paint Southerners as defenders of slavery, offending many Europeans.

Although 1864’s campaigns came at a high price, Grant’s strategy ended Confederate hopes of victory. Northern armies did more than kill soldiers and ruin Southern industry. They also convinced their foes that returning to the Union, while undesirable, was less painful than fighting a losing war.

Kalalou - a Gift Company That Began on Vacation

Jamaica Photo by Jose Espinal from Pexels

A highly honored veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Joe Don Fasano now serves as a furniture designer and exporter for Kalalou, a gift seller located in Jackson, Mississippi. Joe Dan Fasano is familiar with the company’s unique origins, which date back to a vacation in Jamaica.

In 1984, Susan and Doug Williams were a young couple who supplemented their income by making artwork and selling it at flea markets. According to the company website, Doug Williams saw an immediate opportunity when his wife paid two dollars for a basket in Jamaica that sold for $40 back home.

The Williams and their best friends, Andy and Debbie Kilpatrick, purchased and carried as many baskets as possible on the flight back home. (This was before the days of tight limits on passenger carry-ons.) The products sold well. At a customer’s suggestion, the group set up shop in the Dallas Wholesale Show. Susan Williams was inspired to design a basket in the shape of a watermelon, and soon customers were lining up to buy them. The business was eventually incorporated as Country Originals, and what began as a small-scale moneymaking idea grew into a thriving business.

In 1991 and 1992, Country Originals was named one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies, and was also recognized by Entrepreneur Magazine. The company chose a new name, Kalalou, a Creole word referring to a soup that is made uniquely every time.

Kalalou sponsors several charity efforts that benefit some of the nine countries where they do business. The Williams and the Kilpatrick families remain friends and neighbors to this day.