The Socio‐Cultural Impact of the War of American Independence on Liverpool, 1775‐83

Abstract

Much has been written about how the American Revolutionary War affected the British Isles. However, Liverpool (arguably the second city of empire) rarely features within such literature. This article redresses this oversight, and considers the socio-cultural impact of the war on the town. Liverpool will illustrate three key themes: first, that, contrary to some suggestions, eighteenth-century warfare did impact on British society; second, that both the localities and the central fiscal-military state influenced the agenda; third, that warfare generated division and unity. This third point has important implications for our understanding of British opinion, imperial ideology and national identity c.1775-83.