"Anglo-American relations during the Civil War" Topic

"The American Civil War only features slightly, if at all, in the British collective memory, but the war years 1861–1865 saw special strains placed on relationship between the two nations. In Britain the conflict became one of the most debated topics of the day, leading to a proliferation of pamphlets, newspaper reports and letter-writing campaigns, as well as pro-Confederate balls, anti-slavery petitions and cotton boycotts.

Even after the War of Independence and the War of 1812, there remained many commercial, social and cultural ties between Britain and the United State. The two nations were also often competitors, suspicious of one another, particularly with regard to the British northern provinces and in relation to Central and Southern America. British investment in the United States was considerable, and the cotton mills of northern Britain and Ireland relied on the Southern states for their raw materials. Industrial developments, notably the railways, were also often financed through British banks and companies. As part of the British Empire, the British North American provinces and the Caribbean formed important markets and sources of raw material…."

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Armand

In general, the upper classes supported the Confederacy, and the labor and middle classes back the Union.

Thanks.

Armand

The North was quite angry with the support Britain gave the South during the war and the chill in the relations between the two countries continued nearly into the 20th Century before things warmed up again.

there were tensions much of it concerned with cotton. a union trade blockade plus the self imposed confederate embargo did threaten relations and the support given to the south was not philosophical but commercial.

the funding of southern raiders like the Alabama was a
commercial act rather than a show of political support.

slavery was also not a major issue as the uk had abolished it decades earlier and actively used its naval power to stop the trade.

the control of the seas also worried britania blocking free trade and stopping ships on the high seas threatened the uks world status and the union navy was seen as a threat.

finally the status of canada – the us saw it as an integral expansion area and saw the population as crying out for freedom, but canada was filled with loyalists from the independence war so not so keen on joining the union and the union had a huge army which may have threatened canada in fact the fenian raids post war will have reinforced that view.

Thanks also…

Armand

"The North was quite angry with the support Britain gave the South during the war and the chill in the relations between the two countries continued nearly into the 20th Century before things warmed up again."

But that "anger" sure as heck didn't stop the North from supplying Union troops in the field with Enfield's that the British were only too happy to sell to both sides.

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Cotton workers in Manchester voted to maintain the embargo…and were thanked by Lincoln for their sacrifice

The feelings within Britain were complex.

We always like seeing Brother Jonathan take down a peg or five. The public, as a whole, would have never supported any form of intervention in the Civil War on the side of the South because of the latter's support for the Peculiar Institution. The Trent Incident proved that.

Business interest in the UK also had invested far more in the North than the South.

If you've 45 minutes this explains the domestic situation:

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