Britain in the US Civil War

By: Jenson Phillips

Civil War breaks out: 1861• Abraham Lincoln elected into office in 1860

• 7 states succeeded after promise of ending slavery by Lincoln

• Fort Sumter attack began war

• Four other states succeed after the attack

• Real fighting begins in the following year.

Britain in the mid 19th century• Large amounts of industrial work beginning

to spring up

• Government reform in 1822

• First modern police force formed in 1829

• By1848 there were over 5,000 miles of railways in Britain

• Britain was the most powerful nation in the world

• 19th century was relatively peaceful for Britain

Let’s discuss!!

•What side did the English want to side with? •Why do you think that?

Britain’s Attitude Toward the US• Hotly debated topic in Britain

• Confederacy believed they would have the support of the British

• Attitude in Britain varied by social class and region

• The English government refused to recognize the Confederacy

Trent Affair• Occurred in 1861

• The USS San Jacinto intercepted RMS Trent with two Confederate diplomats aboard

• Britain requested the diplomats be given back

• Diplomatic compromise was reached and men were freed later, averting a larger war.

Double Sided Favors• Britain took advantage of the war

from an economic standpoint

• Britain’s economy grew substantially from the war

• Produced many items for both sides Guns Artillery Bullets Uniforms Machinery

CSS Alabama• Built by the British for the Confederacy

• Attacked Union naval and commercial shipping

How Views Changed• Emancipation Proclamation

• Over 50,000 Englishmen volunteered to help fight in the war

Post War Reactions• After the war England continued

alliance with the United States

• The Alabama Claims were given to the United States

• Treaty of Washington worked out agreement on the payment.

Relation to Unflattening

For Further Reading• “Anglo-American Relations During the Civil War.” British

Library. nd. Web. 15 Jun. 2015.

• Gambino, Megan. “The Unknown Contributions of Brits in the American Civil War.” Smithsonian. 9 Dec. 2011. Web. 17 Jun. 2015.

• Johnson, Ben. “Sir Robert Peel.” Historic UK. nd. Web. 16 Jun. 2015.

• Lambert, Tim. “A History of Britain in the 19thCentury.” A World History Encyclopedia. 2012. Web. 14 Jun. 2015.

• McPherson, James. “A Brief Overview of the American Civil War: A Defining Time in Our Nations’ History.” Civil War Trust. 2014. Web. 10 Jun. 2015.

• Smith, Jean Edward. Grant. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001.

• Sousanis, Nick. Unflattening. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2015.

Reprinted from Scholarly Voiceshttp://scholarlyvoices.org/unflattening/mini/britain-american-civil-war.html