The American Miners' Association was the first national union of miners in the United States. Formed in 1861 at a convention in St. Louis, Missouri, by English delegates from the bituminous fields of Illinois and Missouri, its short lived success and growth were primarily results of the Civil War. Through the leadership of Thomas Lloyd, first president of the organization, and Daniel Weaver, first secretary who wrote the Address that called for the organization and the constitution, the national union was able to spread itself into other mining districts in the United States.