Episode Details

Workers against slavery: the US Civil War, the First International and the British working class. A Workers' Liberty pamphlet by Sacha Ismail. In 1865, slavery was abolished in the United States at the end of a four year Civil War. This Workers' Liberty pamphlet looks at the stand taken during the war by workers in Britain, who organised mass protests against slavery and against British ruling-class plans for military intervention in support of the slave-owners. It tells the story of how this internationalist and anti-racist struggle revived the British labour movement, gave workers the confidence to fight for the vote, and contributed to the birth of Karl Marx's International Working Men's Association, the "First International". PDF of this, including photos and scans, at https://workersliberty.org/workers-against-slavery All audio: https://workersliberty.org/audio Anti-racist resources: https://workersliberty.org/anti-racist-resources Contents: Title quotes Timeline Introduction Britain and the American Civil War Workers against slavery The Voice of Lancashire The Voice of London Renewing the labour movement The birth of the First International Enfrachising labour black and white Solidarity Picture captions: Karl Marx; Ernest Jones; Black soldiers; mass demonstration; Peterloo; Reconstruction; Slaves What to read