The Guardian Newspaper

[Le Ricain]

In the UK, The Guardian newspaper is the third largest broadsheet paper. The paper was founded in 1821 as the Manchester Guardian.

Yesterday, there was an article that might be of interest to ACW fans. Given that 2011 is the 150th anniversary of the start of the ACW and the paper was founded 40 years before that, the author wondered what had been the paper's position during the war?

The author's opinion, as a modern-day Brit, of the war was that the North was right and the South was wrong. Freeing the slaves and preserving the Union trumps retaining slavery and states' rights. Also, it was his opinion that Lincoln was one of America's greatest presidents.

The author was surprised to learn that during the war, Great Britian was divided between supporters of the North and those of the South. Also, the Guardian newspaper had supported the Confederacy and the author was even more surprised to learn that the reason for this support was not the obvious one.

Manchester, England, was the center of the British textile industry. The Union blockade of Southern ports had a devastating effect on the textile industry. Tens of thousands of textile workers were thrown out of work. The so called 'Cotton Famine' of 1861-1864 had a terrible effect on the region's population. Interestingly enough, these unemployed workers did not support the calls for Britain to intervene militarily in the war to break the blockade. It was the mill owners who were the loudest supporters of this policy. Instead these workers raised money to erect a staute of Lincoln in Manchester's city centre honouring him for freeing the slaves. The statue still stands. The newspaper followed its readers in condemning slavery and opposing intervention.

Earlier in the 1860's, the paper had supported the efforts of the Serbs, Hungarians and Egyptians to gain freedom and independence. If self determination was good enough for Serbs, Hungarians and Egyptians it was good enough for the Southerners. For this reason, the paper supported the South.

The author found the paper's attitude towards Lincoln interesting. The paper relentlessly attacked Lincoln and blamed him entirely and completely for the war. In 1860, the paper's opinion of his election was that it was the worst possible outcome. Even in the editorial written just after Lincoln's assassination, the attacks continued. Finally at the end of the piece, the editor showed some charity by noting that Lincoln's death was a pity as it would prevent him from trying to undo the great harm that he had done.

Needless to say, the modern day Guardian newspaper is a left-wing paper. It is interesting to note that its opposition to US Republican Presidents dates from the very first one.

[Cromagnonman]

Interesting. I'm a little confused by the 5th paragraph. The Guardian condemned slavery and opposed intervention, but did support the South?

[Le Ricain]

Interesting. I'm a little confused by the 5th paragraph. The Guardian condemned slavery and opposed intervention, but did support the South?

Yes, you read that correctly. The basis for the paper's support of the South was that the South had a natural right (called Self Determination) to leave the union and go its own way. The fact that the South maintained slavery did not mean that Southerners should not be able to be free and independent in the opinion of the paper.

Regarding slavery, one of the paper's strongest criticisms of Lincoln was that the Emancipation Proclamation did not free all of the slaves.