In 1863, he visited the United States, and on his return to England, he also began lecturing on the American Civil War, and in opposition to slavery.
[1][2] Jones was a supporter of Chartism, and was one of the main founders of the Reform League, chairing its early meetings, and speaking on its behalf, for which he was nicknamed the "Eloquent Irishman".
[1] Jones stood as a Liberal Party candidate in Coventry at the 1865 United Kingdom general election.
Initially, he remained supportive of the league, and attended its meeting in Hyde Park in 1866, but he gradually moved away from it.
[1] By this time, his main interests were disestablishment of the Church of Ireland and financial reform, and he was close to the Liberation Society.