European Philhellenism Crosses the Atlantic

Abstract

This chapter describes how Americans embraced European philhellenism and how it first evolved as a movement in the United States. Lord Byron's philhellenism and his subsequent pledge to join the Greek army particularly energized interest in the Greek cause on both sides of the Atlantic. Although the American philhellenic movement initially drew some momentum from its European counterpart, it quickly became a unique one in its own right. More than any other revolution of the nineteenth century, the Greek War of Independence saw Americans in both the North and South quickly connecting it with their own revolution, and they regarded it as their duty to raise public awareness and support for the cause. Americans quickly mobilized an active cause when it became obvious that the U.S. government would neither officially recognize Greek independence nor would provide the Greek army with military aid. This mobilization of popular support for the Greek cause generated what many newspapers termed “the Greek Fire.”