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Despite being across the world from the conflict, '''Australia was affected by the American Civil War'''. It saw a difference in immigration in its economics and immigration. It also saw the war almost erupting on its own shores, just outside of [[Melbourne]]. |
Despite being across the world from the conflict, '''Australia was affected by the American Civil War'''. It saw a difference in immigration in its economics and immigration. It also saw the war almost erupting on its own shores, just outside of [[Melbourne]]. |
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Revision as of 10:48, 15 February 2009
Despite being across the world from the conflict, Australia was affected by the American Civil War. It saw a difference in immigration in its economics and immigration. It also saw the war almost erupting on its own shores, just outside of Melbourne.
Most Australians favored the Union in its attempts to conquer the Confederate States of America. Sorrowful demonstrations were held in Sydney when news arrived that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.[1]
Economics
Together, Australian and New Zealand had 140 citizens who were veterans of the American Civil War, with almost 100 being born in the two countries.[2] Some of these were originally Americans who came to Australia during Australia's gold rush. Officers during the war including one who gave Tasmania its first telegraph service, and another officer who mined for gold in Ballarat.[3]
Confederate blockade runners occasionally supplied themselves in Australia.[3] The Australians had longed feared possible naval attack by Americans, due to American privateers during the War of 1812.[4]
The war caused the Lancashire Cotton Famine. As a result, Queensland saw a rise in its cotton industry. Another consequence of the cotton famine was the creation of a National Colonial Emigration Society, although it had little ongoing relevance. This came due to so many individuals from northern England being affected by the Southern United States being unable to ship cotton during the war.[5] Once the war ended, little cotton from Southern Australian was imported to England.[6] However, in the aftermath of the war some Australians were interested in acquiring the Fiji Islands and their cotton fields as a result of the war.[7]
Another immigration quirk that was caused by the war was Australia fighting with Canada and New Zealand over the glut of immigrants from Ireland, due to many of the Irish deciding against emigrating to the warring nations of North America.[8]
CSS Shenandoah
On January 25, 1865 the CSS Shenandoah made harbor at Williamstown, Victoria, near Melbourne. They were repairing damage received while capturing Union whaling ships. The United States consul William Blanchard insisted that the Australian government arrest the Confederates as pirates, but his pleas were ignored by Victoria's governor, Sir Charles Henry Darling, who was satisfied with the Shenandoah’s pleading of neutrality when requesting to be allowed to do repairs.[9][10]
The local citizenry was very interested in the Confederate ship being in Port Phillip Bay. While at Williamstown, James Iredell Waddell, the captain of the Shenandoah and his men participated in several "official functions" the local citizens began in their honor, including a gala ball with the "cream of society" at Craig's Royal Hotel in Ballarat and at the Melbourne Club. Thousands of tourists in Victoria came to see the ship every day, requiring special trains to accommodate them all.[9][11][10] After being treated as "little lions", the officers of the Shenandoah later reflected that the best time of their lives were given to them by the women of Melbourne.[12]
After leaving Australia, the Shenandoah would capture twenty-five additional Union whaling ships before finally surrendering at Liverpool, England in November, 1865. This included 42 Australians that joined the crew at Williamstown; sources differ if the Australian were stowaways or were "illegally" recruited.[13][3] However, Waddell did refuse to allow Australian authorities to see if Australians were aboard the ship prior to sailing from Williamstown on February 18. Four Australians were arrested to prevent them from joining the Confederate ships, and Governor Darling allowed the Shenandoah to sail away, instead of engaging in cannon fire.[10]
Aftermath
In 1872 the British government would pay the United States $3,875,000 due to the CSS Shenandoah and other Confederate ships being assisted in Victoria and other ports controlled by Great Britain, after an international jury ruled on the case in Geneva, Switzerland.[9][14] Another consequence of the Shenandoah was the residents of Melbourne realizing they were vulnerable to attack, and hurried to build coastal defense forts, particularly to ward off possible attack by Russia.[11] The government of Melbourne requested an ironclad ship to be sent to protect the colony, after the value of ironclads was demonstrated during the American Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads.[13] The monitor HMVS Cerberus was constructed during the late 1860s, and arrived in Victoria in 1871.
When forming their own self-government, Australia favored the British model as they soured over America after the war and how it created a powerful "monarchical" presidency.[15] Australia was also against the importation of "coloured labour", in fear of a similar civil war breaking out in Australia because of it.[16][17] A further attempt to prevent an Australia Civil War was to add the word "indissoluble" to the Federal Constitution of 1897-1898 in Adelaide, to prevent the "political heresy" of secession that the Confederacy engaged in.[18]
In 1972 the American Civil War Round Table of Australia was founded.[9] It's secretary, Barry Crompton, has the largest library dedicated to the American Civil War outside the United States, at over 4,000 pieces as of 2005.[19]
See also
References
- ^ Dowling p.24
- ^ Crompton, Barry (September 2008). "CIVIL WAR PARTICIPANTS BORN IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND". Archer Memorial Civil War Library & ACWRTA, inc. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b c Crompton, Barry (May 2000). "CIVIL WAR LINKS WITH AUSTRALIA". American Civil War Round Table of Australia. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Levi p.60
- ^ Jupp p.301
- ^ Dowling p.31
- ^ Levi p.58
- ^ Jupp p.451
- ^ a b c d Sinclair, Briar (February 1, 2005). "How we helped south in Civil War". Star News Group. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b c Mawbey, Vaughan (February 1, 2005). "When Civil War came to Willi". The Times. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ a b Stewart, Paul (January 9, 2005). "Last act of war". Sunday Herald Sun. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LEVI61
was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Mawbey, Vaughan (February 15, 2005). "Who said war's over?". The Times. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- ^ Jupp p.168
- ^ Jupp p.844
- ^ Irving p.434
- ^ Dowling p.73
- ^ Irving p.329
- ^ "Group gets Round Table to discuss romance, war". The Times. February 1, 2005. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
- Dowling, Edward (2008). Australia and America in 1892: A Contrast: A Contrast. BiblioBazaar, LLC. ISBN 0559173075.
- Irving, Helen (1999). The Centenary Companion to Australian Federation. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521573149.
- Jupp, James (2001). The Australian People: An Encyclopedia of the Nation, Its People and Their Origins. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521807891.
- Levi, Werner (1999). American-Australian Relations. U of Minnesota Press. ISBN 0816600449.