Public Diplomacy of the Union

Abstract

This case focuses more on the role public diplomacy played in American statecraft throughout the Civil War, specifically for the Union. Secretary of State William Seward and President Abraham Lincoln chose to use public diplomacy to counter Confederate attempts at European recognition by engaging the public in England and France. The Union’s public diplomacy is frequently undermined by Union war policies and Seward’s anti-British rhetoric. The case reiterates again the importance and need for public diplomacy, but also highlights issues regarding what role it should play, especially in terms of determining national policy, again relating to the general problems identified in Chap. 1. Key figures such as Charles Francis Adams reflect on the ethics of the government using foreign public engagement as part of the nation’s statecraft.

The secessionists have colored a glass for England – and all England looks through it. Some body [sic] should break the glass!

United States Consul Zebina Eastman in Bristol to Abraham Lincoln, December 10, 1861 ¹