preview

A Brief Note On The American Civil War

Better Essays

Eastern Iowa Community College

European Involvement in the Civil War

Jillisa Halverson

History 151

Instructor: Dan Anderson

December 5, 2015

The American Civil War represents a significant period in United States history. In this essay we will explore foreign involvement in the Civil War. We will specifically look at the roles of France and Great Britain played and how they used military positioning in Canada and off the US coast to affect the war. Finally, we will look at which foreign entities backed both the North and South and to what extent their backing of each domestic side was in effect of proxy war if at all.
The Civil War had marked a critical time of frustrations and tensions in 1860-1861 …show more content…

The war caused a lot of hardships for the Southern citizens. The American Civil War had international implications. Great Britain and France were two major world forces that had to make the decision on how to handle the news of the conflict between the North and the South. Many look at the American Civil War as a battle that took place between the North and the South but it was also an international conflict. The United States trade economy was successfully growing in 1860 and had built a strong business relationship with Europe. Europe watched the events of the Civil War earnestly. They had a vested interest in the dealings between the North and the South and felt it best if they stayed on top of the current happenings between the two and how these dealings were or were not going to benefit them.
Britain and the United States had a destructive relationship after Britain was defeated by the US in the Wars of Independence. In 1812, United States tried to take over Canada and failed. Britain did not like the invasion of the US and in 1814 Britain attacked and burned the Capitol in Washington. The states in the North of the United States didn’t like the idea of a possible takeover by Britain. The Northern states required high import fees and that hit Britain’s export trading hard. The United States didn’t approve of Britain’s Free Trade tactics and many believed Britain’s influence over the South was an attempt to setup a British

Get Access