The London Press and the American Civil War

Abstract

British opinion on the American Civil War was decidedly mixed and did not necessarily conform to traditional political or social cleavages. Scholars have explored how a variety of important issues, such as antislavery, democratic politics, American expansionism, and economic self-interest affected British reactions to the conflict, though not always in the manner that one might expect.¹ Older accounts of the war and Anglo-American relations offered a rather simplified dichotomy, with aristocratic and conservative groups supporting the South and radicals and members of the working classes backing the North.² More recent studies reveal a much more complex and shifting set of opinions on the civil war and American society. These studies persuasively argue that although sharp criticism of, or even hostility toward, the North was widespread in Britain, particularly after the winter of 1861–62, this rarely translated into genuine support for the South, primarily because of a deeply felt antipathy for slavery. In fact, as the conflict dragged on and certainly by the end of 1863 the majority of British journalists, politicians, and public intellectuals had reached the limits of their patience and simply declared a plague on both their houses.