The Other Front of the American Civil War: Anglo-American

Relations

Great Britain had a substantial impact on the tactics and strategies of

both the Confederacy and the Union. While no battle was fought on British soil, England played a crucial role in the tedious and

impactful Foreign affairs of 1862.

The war within the mother country was brewing due to the tensions between

the Aristocratic, the majority, and the radical

accompanied by their attempts to persuade a

nation. So, with all of this persuasion how close did

they come?

The enticing idea of a divided America

The voices of England: opinions that impacted

the Civil war

Lord Palmerston and Queen

Victoria

• Fear of “Americanization” was a popular phenomena among the elite powers in England, including both the Queen and Prime Minister of the nation during the Civil War.

• Americanization is defined as “a social and political process that fostered a licentious individualism and a pernicious egalitarianism” which “precipitated disorder in America” and lead to the “deterioration of society”. (1)

• This was a popular rallying point for the aristocratic society of England because it rejected the idea’s of extending power to the middle class.

• For these reasons, the elite who held power in Great Britain opted for neutrality so that the Civil war could quickly run it’s course leading to a fragmented U.S., prevention of American expansion, and economic restoration in Great Britain.

British dependence on Southern Cotton trade

• Many of England’s most prominent businesses relied not only on Confederate “King Cotton” but also the important naval ship market in port cities such as Liverpool. (2)

• Liverpool, and its businessmen were often referred to as the “headquarters of Southern sentiment”, donating to numerous relief efforts for the Confederate Army. (4)Naval ship sketched in the port of Liverpool

Works cited: (1) Dubrulle, H. (2001)."WE ARE THREATENED WITH . . . ANARCHY AND RUIN": Fear of Americanization and the emergence of and Anglo-Saxon confederacy in England during the American Civil War. Albion, 33(4), 583-613.

(2) The Times, Saturday, Oct 17, 1863; pg. 7; Issue 24692; col E Mr. Beresford Hope at the Liverpool Southern Club

(3) "The American Civil War: English Opinion." Dublin University Magazine, 1833-1877 60, no. 356 (1862): 246-256. Web. 23 Oct. 2012(4) Bennett, John. "The Confederate Bazaar at Liverpool." Crossfire - The Magazine of the American Civil War Round Table (UK), December 1999, Issue 61

(5) Jones, Howard. Union in peril: The crisis over British intervention in the Civil War. University of Nebraska Press, 1997.(6) Greenleaf, Richard. "British Labor against American Slavery." Science & Society 17, no. 1 (1953): 42-58.

• Both the cotton and ship making industries across British cities increased the favor of Englishmen to support the Confederate army in the Civil War. (5)Radicalism in Great

Britain: The Moral obligation to anti-slavery

John Bright and Richard Cobden

• Pro-Union supporters arose prevalently after the delivery of the Emancipation Proclamation by Lincoln. This formally admitted the issue of slavery as playing a prominent role in the Civil War as well as the struggle to maintain the United States. (6)

• By relying on morality as a cause to support the Union rather than the popular support of the Confederacy, British radicals made a valid and supportable argument because England did not support the institution of slavery.

Anglo-American relations during the Civil War was a very distressing issue for not only Great Britain, but also for both the Union and Confederacy. Had the attempts to hinder, persuade, or sway opinions of British policymakers been successful a much different outcome may have become reality, changing an entire aspect of history.