Propaganda Use by the Union and Confederacy in Great Britain during the American Civil War, 1861-1862

At the beginning of the American Civil War, the United States (the Union) already had international diplomatic status, whereas the Confederate States of America wanted foreign recognition of its independence. The two governments sent agents and propagandists across the Atlantic, in particular to Great Britain to support their objectives. The Confederacy and the Union used various avenues, including rallies, talking with members of Parliament, and publications to convince the British that supporting the Confederacy was the correct action to take. The Union's most well-known weapon emerged in January 1863: the Emancipation Proclamation. From the moment President Abraham Lincoln announced in September 1862 that he would emancipate slaves in the rebelling states, the nature of the American Civil War as viewed by the British changed. It could no longer be viewed simply as a war for southern independence, for it became more explicitly about the maintenance or abolition of slavery. For the British, slavery was a moral issue that they would never countenance.

Name thesis:degree_name

MA

Level thesis:degree_level

Immediate Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Year dc:date.available

2012

Author dc:creator

• Policicchio, Annalise

Contributors dc:contributor

• Holly Mayer
• Perry Blatz

• 1861-1862
• American Civil War
• Confederacy
• Great Britain
• Propaganda
• Union

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1053

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dsc.duq.edu:etd-2069