What's the UK slant of the American Revolution

Hey, Texan. I'm not a Brit NOW There are a bunch of Brits on A2K, however, in addition to Kev.

McTag
Gautam(Brit by choice--East Indian by nature)
oldandknew
hiama
Steve
Fresco

There are more, but I've forgotten them, I'm afraid. You could start a thread entitled "Calling All Brits" or some such thing.

I read recently that had a vote been taken by "american" residents at the time of the revolution, we would still be flying the Union Jack.

absolutely, dys. The American Revolution was the most unpopular war in America's history. Might have even beat the Vietnam police action.

I can imagine what it was like for the coloniests. For the most part, they were given free passage and food to the new world and when they arrived, they were given basic farm implements and enough food to last until their first crop was harvested. So far I have found about 15 of my direct ancestors that fought in the Revolution.

Their decision to fight against a trained army must have been a hard one. Since the Crown had given them so much including free land, what must have been their reasoning to rebel? Albeit, the land was selected for them so as to create a buffer between the Native Americans and the coastal cities, it could not have been an easy decision.

If they win, all is well and if they lose, all will be hell.

Texan, at one time anyone south of the Mason-Dixon line referred to the Civil War as the War Between the States. Some still do. I am curious to know which war had the most U.S. casualties.

This may surprise you:
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/other/stats/warcost.htm

Letty, that does surprise me. I have always read that more soldiers died in the Civil War than in all other wars combined, but according to your link this is true only if you also add in "others."

I don't have much interest in the Civil War. I had a lot of ancestors in that war, but it is not a war that I can take any pride in. I'v found 15 of my direct ancestors that fought in the American Revolution and that is what interests me as I feel it was a just war.

The American Revolution was way back in The Days of Yore. It's old hat, much like the Napoleonic Wars or the Boar War in South Africa. Long ago & far away, just like the place we called "Once Upon A Time"
The AMREV was good for America, but now forgotten about by UK residents.........I don't think it gets much of a mention in school history lessons.

Hey, OAK man. Welcome back. I don't suppose that Independence Day gets much of a mention, either. but you do have a fourth of July, right?

we've had Independance since William the Concker came over from france. He's still treated as if he was some kind of Godfather & Just last week I went to the site of his altercation with King Harold in the Battle of Hastings. Something akin to the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Harold got killed as did Gen Custer.
Yes we do have a 4th of July in much the same same way as every other month has a 4th. Just another day on History Island.

Tex, When you say "if I am going" are you talking about my goodbye thread from 3 months ago? if so, thats dead as far as I'm concerned.

Or did I misunderstand what you meant?

I've known some to call it The War of Yankee Agression, too, Letty.

Well, Rog. That's a new one on me. Yankee aggression?

Like OAK says, the American revolution is not taught in schools (at least not the ones I went to). It gets mentioned in passing (they have to explain why the US speaks English for example) but most of what I know about it is from films & TV. Sad but true. In fact, the whole Empire thing was glossed over in my history lessons. I suppose we don't like being reminded that we were once once the most powerful countries in the world, and now we're not. Most of the history I learned at school was either 20th century, or early Britsih history (Romans, Vikings, William the Conqueror, Tudors & Stuarts etc). Especially the Romans & Vikings.

mmm me too. America doesn't really feature in history taught at school - it was years before i knew what the 'Boston Tea Party' was!

Our history as previously explained, tends to be older.

William the conq didn't actually give us independence though - he destroyed a lot of it. Prior to him men were free and under the Normans they were serfs who had no right to move and 'belonged' to the lord of the manor. It took many years to regain that freedom.

freedom really began with the Magna Carta many many years later - but many years before your battle of independence!

He built some great castles and churches though! Built 1066 onwards and still standing in 2003.


I'm all for autonomy though of any country

Vivien, I agree with you about the Magna Carta. In an earlier thread on the theories of the American Revolution which I posted in the history category, I wanted discussion on the fact that it may have been the feeling of the colonists that King George was attempting to deprive them of the Rights of Englishmen which King John had established under duress to prevent a civil war among his barons.

I am certain that the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are based on these rights, just as Jefferson's Declaration of Independence may have been based on John Locke's philosophy.

To paraphrase Isaac Newton--I accomplished what I did because I stood on the shoulders of giants.

Kev, I was refering to your post on why you were not going to partisipate on this forum any longer. I must not have noticed the date. I was just trying to explain that I was having some of the same feelings as you, but I attributed it to my being a newbie.

What a shame that you Brits aren't taught American History or at least about the Revolution. It would make for a better understanding of who we Americans are and where we are comming from sometimes.

Tex, you have a good point about American history. It does coincide with UK history in many spheres afterall.
The thing is, our own domestic history is so long & contains so much politics, wars & general blood & thunder and all those dates as to who reigned when. Then we had the dastardly Europeans sticking their noses in. If we begin at 1066, that means a lot of water passing under umpteen bridges. Cerebral meltdown.
Still all that blood letting, sex & politics makes for good TV dramas

The impression I have of the American Revolution is this:

Britain stole America off the Spanish, then sent loads of people to live there. That went alright for a while, then the people got fed-up with being British and decided to become Americans, had a war against the British army and kicked the British out. They then set up government in such a way so as to be as different from the British as possible (as Britain was a island of stuffy old farts). Then loads of immigrants came from the rest of Europe and as it was so big, you could do what you liked there. And Americans have been doing exactly what they like ever since, and ignoring everyone else's views on the matter.

If anyone would care to educate me further then I would be very grateful.