The American Civil War and Lancashire cotton workers Figure of ‘Blind Joe’, Abraham Lincoln by William E Gallery Oldham Marshall, Touchstones Rochdale A handkerchief in Bust of Richard Cobden, memory of John Bright, Touchstones Rochdale Touchstones Rochdale © Revealing Histories 2009 www.revealinghistories.org.uk Statue of Abraham Lincoln, 1917 by George Grey Barnard This bronze statue of Abraham The American Civil War, Lincoln was sent from the USA to between the Union north and Britain to mark 100 years of peace the Confederate ‘rebel’ south, between the two countries. It was began on 12 April 1861. It led intended to stand outside the to a cotton famine in Lancashire Houses of Parliament in London. when the export of raw cotton from the USA dried up. Many The statue shows Lincoln as an cotton workers in the north west ordinary man of the people rather of England were unemployed than as a statesman, which was Statue of Abraham Lincoln, 1917 and starving as a result, but they controversial, so a different statue by George Grey Barnard © Paul Cliff still showed widespread support was sent to London. Manchester for Abraham Lincoln and abolition. took this one because of its connections with Lincoln during The statue of Abraham Lincoln the American Civil War. can be seen in Lincoln Square on Brazennose Street in Manchester. Abraham Lincoln was elected It says: ‘This statue commemorates president of the USA in 1860. One the support that the working people of his main policies was to stop the of Manchester gave in the fight for spread of slavery. The pro-slavery the abolition of slavery during the southern states which used enslaved American Civil War’. labour to grow cotton feared his election would destroy their way of life. Seven southern states, then four more, split from the northern anti-slavery Union states. Cotton famine flour barrel, 1862 Touchstones Rochdale The north west of England was On 9 February 1863, the relief directly affected by the American ship George Griswold, docked at Civil War. The region needed Liverpool, carrying food sent by raw slave-grown cotton from the Abraham Lincoln and the people southern states of the USA to supply of New York and Philadelphia to its cotton mills. Abraham Lincoln thank the starving people of blockaded southern ports in the Lancashire for their support of the USA to prevent the export of cotton northern anti-slavery states in the and to protest against slavery. USA. The ship was greeted on the dockside by a crowd of nearly This meant that no raw cotton 4,000 people. The cargo included came into Britain and led to the boxes of bacon and bread, bags Lancashire cotton famine of 1862- of rice and corn, and 15,000 63. It cost Lancashire mill owners barrels of flour. Cotton famine flour barrel, 1862, about £30m. It was a time of great © Touchstones Rochdale hardship and many cotton workers The barrel shown in the picture were unemployed and starving. is the only one remaining from Despite this, many people in the that cargo and is on display at north west of England still supported Touchstones Rochdale. the abolition of slavery. © Revealing Histories 2009 www.revealinghistories.org.uk Captain’s sword, CSS Alabama, 1864 Touchstones Rochdale One side of this sword says ‘Captn northern states of $6m. A young Raphael Semmes’ and the other man named Bell from Rochdale ‘Steamer Alabama CSN, 1864’. was on board the Alabama, when she sank some northern The southern Confederate states Union ships. He wrote in a letter in the USA needed ships to attack to his cousin: northern Union merchant ships but they had no ship building industry. ‘We have taken about 35 vessels. There was a secret mission to We fired a shot from the gun that Liverpool to buy arms and build I was at and it nearly knocked her ships. It was illegal for the British foremast down... A man of war to provide weapons and support steamer which we had to take by foreign wars. The steamer ship force we sunk in 17 minutes... we Captain’s sword, CSS Alabama, 1864 the Alabama was built disguised escaped with one man wounded © Touchstones Rochdale as a merchant ship and left in the mouth. He is now alright. Birkenhead with a British captain I must conclude as there is a full and crew. She was then fitted out rigged brig in sight... we can’t say as a warship away from the eyes exactly what she is but if she be a of the British government and North Yankee she will be on fire directly.’ American spies. The CSS Alabama was finally sunk Captain Raphael Semmes took in June 1864, outside the French command of the Alabama. She port of Cherbourg. The sword may sailed all over the world, putting out have been presented to Captain of action a total of 69 anti-slavery Semmes during his stay in Europe Union ships, at a cost to the following the loss of the Alabama. Questions 1 Who was Abraham Lincoln and why was he important? 2 What caused the American Civil War? 3 Who in the USA wanted slavery to continue and who wanted it to end? 4 What linked the American Civil War to the north west of England? 5 What was the Lancashire cotton famine and how did it affect cotton industries in Britain? 6 Were people in the north west of England pro or anti-slavery? © Revealing Histories 2009 www.revealinghistories.org.uk.