Durham E-Theses Race, Democracy and the American Civil War in the County of Yorkshire BENNETT, MARK,NEIL How to cite: BENNETT, MARK,NEIL (2018) Race, Democracy and the American Civil War in the County of Yorkshire, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/12846/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk 2 Mark Neil Bennett Race, Democracy and the American Civil War in the County of Yorkshire A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy History Department, Durham University 2018 The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without the author’s prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. Mark Bennett – Race, Democracy and the American Civil War in the County of Yorkshire Between the shelling of Fort Sumter and the fall of Richmond, the British public followed closely the course of the Civil War in the United States. However, the themes of race and popular government typically associated with the war were not isolated to the American context. Over the course of the 1850s and 1860s, contemporary understandings of such themes were continually tested, challenged, and rebuilt in the light of international developments. In order to better understand these themes, this thesis interweaves two historical strands. On the one hand, it explores responses to global events during the period: not just the American Civil War, but wars with China, rebellions in India, New Zealand and Jamaica, nationalist movements in continental Europe, and the transnational independence campaign of the Irish Fenians. On the other, it examines the domestic debate about the extension of the franchise, from the failure of Conservative and Liberal bills in 1859-60, to the eventual passage of the Second Reform Act in 1867. Based on a case study of the large, influential and diverse county of Yorkshire, the thesis considers the extent to which a national intellectual culture existed in Britain at the time. In doing so, it examines the mechanisms by which new views of race and democracy were disseminated at the popular, provincial level. Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1: The Political and Intellectual Geography of Yorkshire .................. 17 Local and national in British politics ............................................................ 17 Yorkshire in overview................................................................................... 30 Intellectual diffusion .................................................................................... 40 Chapter 2: India and China, 1857-9 ................................................................ 48 The 1857 election: the militarism of free trade? .......................................... 50 The Great Indian Rebellion .......................................................................... 61 Conclusion ..................................................................................................... 77 Chapter 3: Reform, 1859-60 ............................................................................ 78 January – March 1859: Overture to reform ................................................ 79 March – April 1859: Dénouements, parliamentary and popular................. 91 February – June 1860: Reform revived ...................................................... 105 Conclusion .................................................................................................... 111 Chapter 4: The American Civil War, 1861-5 .................................................. 113 Newspaper opinion ..................................................................................... 114 MPs’ public speech ...................................................................................... 128 Popular participation .................................................................................. 135 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 144 Chapter 5: Democracy and Reform, 1861-5 ................................................... 146 Democracy in the world .............................................................................. 147 Reform in Britain ........................................................................................ 158 Conclusion ................................................................................................... 175 Chapter 6: Race and Nation, 1861-5 .............................................................. 177 Race in America .......................................................................................... 179 Racial discourse in Britain .......................................................................... 191 Nationalism and noninterventionism ........................................................ 197 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 206 Chapter 7: Colonies and Empire, 1865-7 ...................................................... 207 New Zealand ............................................................................................... 208 Jamaica ........................................................................................................ 215 Ireland ........................................................................................................ 225 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 235 Chapter 8: Reform, 1866-7 ............................................................................ 237 1866: Liberal failure ................................................................................... 238 1866-7: extra-parliamentary interlude ...................................................... 246 1867: Conservative success? ...................................................................... 253 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 268 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 271 Appendix A: Corpus analysis methodology .................................................. 276 Working Men’s Conservative Association banquets ................................. 279 Lists of candidates ...................................................................................... 280 1857 ........................................................................................................ 280 1859 ......................................................................................................... 283 1865 .........................................................................................................286 Appendix B: Political affiliations of newspapers .......................................... 289 Bibliography ................................................................................................... 291 Acknowledgement The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of all those who contributed to this thesis, from supervisors to examiners to the friends and family who proof-read draft after draft. Any remaining flaws are entirely his responsibility. List of abbreviations BC Barnsley Chronicle BT Barnsley Times BvG Beverley Guardian BvR Beverley Recorder BO Bradford Observer BR Bradford Review CP Craven Pioneer DC Doncaster Chronicle DG Doncaster Gazette DR Dewsbury Reporter ECH Eastern Counties Herald HxC Halifax Courier HxG Halifax Guardian HgA Harrogate Advertiser HC Huddersfield Chronicle HE Huddersfield Examiner HA Hull Advertiser HP Hull Packet LE Leeds Express LI Leeds Intelligencer LM Leeds Mercury LT Leeds Times MM Malton Messenger PA Pontefract Advertiser PT Pontefract Telegraph RRC Richmond and Ripon Chronicle RA Rotherham and Masbro' Advertiser SM Scarborough Mercury SDT Sheffield Daily Telegraph SI Sheffield Independent ST Sheffield Times TP Tadcaster Post WE Wakefield Express WFP Wakefield Free Press WJ Wakefield Journal WG Whitby Gazette YH York Herald YG Yorkshire Gazette ERA East Riding Archive HC Debs House of Commons Debates (Hansard) NYCRO North Yorkshire County Record Office SA Sheffield Archives SIA Southern Independence Association UBSC University of Bradford Special Collections UES Union and Emancipation Society WMCA Working Men’s Conservative Association WYAS West Yorkshire Archive Service Page 5 of 312 Introduction The mid-Victorian period was one of strange contradictions. Globally- oriented history views it as one of disruption, as the continued growth of European hegemony in Africa and Asia destroyed traditional institutions and provoked