British Public Opinion in the American Civil War
“English opinion is, after all, the opinion of the world, and we may hope that, in spite of affected indignation and high-flown eloquence, the good sense which has uniformly marked our consuls in this affair may at length prevail. ... As shot and shell burst the stillness of the morning, Mary knew that the American Civil War had begun. ... England had often become involved in the affairs of other nations, and the American rebellion would be no exception. Great implications rested on the question of which side to support in the American Civil War. ... Cotton was king in England, and over 4/5th of all the cotton entering the country was from the American South. The London Times reported that “so nearly are our interests intertwined with America that Civil War in the United States means destitution in the town of Lancashire.” Public opinion had become a huge political tool around the world. And in the political culture of mid-Victorian Britain, it was taken for granted that the way the public viewed an event in time influenced the policies adopted by the government. That was true of many events in British history, including the Catholic emancipation, the repeal of the Corn Laws, and the increasing flow of political reform. ... By the outbreak of the American Civil War, the mechanisms for molding public opinion had been established. A prime example of the movement of public opinion can be seen in the West Indies event, which was a full campaign to abolish slavery in the colonies. Pamphlets, broadsides, lectures and petitions were fully distributed in an effort to frame public opinion and pressure Parliament into giving the slaves freedom. The Civil War agitation and pressure of public opinion drew on this tradition. It was complicated by the fact that, often the issues that drew the greatest public support or disagreement were issue that the parliament could do nothing to prevent. The blockade was a great issue to much of the British public, but the government could do nothing but try to protect the economic interests of the nation. The people realized that, before the government would draw a line in the sand supporting North or South, the Parliament had to be convinced that the public was in favor of it. In order to understand how public opinion played a significant role in determining British involvement, several questions arise that must be answered. ... Are there factors that played a significant role in shaping public opinion? ... Did British public opinion truly sway the Parliament to remain neutral? This essay will examine these questions and further investigate the role of British public opinion in the American Civil War. From the early months of the war, the most obvious indications of public support revolved around social lines. ... Although the middle class was by far the largest societal group, they would play a small part in shaping public opinion. ... The upper echelon of British society showed the greatest support for the Southern cause. A fear of democracy and reform, coupled with a conservative political viewpoint were the most influential factors with the elite and their relationship with America during the war. As property owners and a small part of a once great aristocracy, the British felt themselves akin to the planter oligarchy of the South. ... ” It was obvious to them that universal manhood suffrage had not prevented civil war in the United States, nor would it prevent it in England. The Ultra-Tories began a movement in the early months of the war that helped to taint democracy even further. ... They were certain that the slaves would rise up and kill thousands of innocent women, old men, and children who were left on the plantation defenseless, their husbands gone to fight in the war. ... This was rock-solid proof to the Conservatives that Lincoln was a closet reformist that had meddle in an issue that he had strictly promised would not be an aim of the war. ... The elite hosted a variety of “southern clubs” to raise funds and create a venue for their public opinion. ... ” His treatise “The American Union”, published September 1861, was one of the greatest tools the organizations used to spread the gospel of the South. ... The middle classes were so deeply divided that their arguments underminded their attempts to control public opinion and weaken their lobbying strength. ... While he acknowledged that liberal “sentiment ran very strongly in favor of freedom,” he thought it “most confusedly bewildered when it comes to dealing with American affairs, hence we have men really wishing for the universial abolition of slavery expressing earnest wishes for the success of the section of a nation who are most deeply tainted with the crime of slavery. ... Similar to the elites at the war’s start, they strongly supported secession and the South, but did not support slavery and certainly did not want war.