Answered from No Such Thing As The Otters Circling · No Such Thing As A Fish · 2026-11-05
During the American Civil War, Lincoln's blockade cut off the Southern cotton that fed Lancashire's mills, about 75% of which had gone there. Despite starving and despite pressure for Britain to break the blockade, mill workers passed a resolution backing Lincoln and refusing cotton grown by slavery. Lincoln wrote to them in 1863 praising their sacrifice.
Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on No Such Thing As A Fish (2026-11-05). Read the whole episode summary →