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All I can remember from my hated 'O' level history is having to write essays on the incomprehensible details of the French Revolution, my knowledge of which derived mostly from this: Carry on Pimpernel (1966) - IMDb
All I can remember from my hated 'O' level history is having to write essays on the incomprehensible details of the French Revolution, my knowledge of which derived mostly from this: Carry on Pimpernel (1966) - IMDb
Ah....... Sid James as Sir Rodney Ffing. Also known in his disguise as The Black Fingernail.
We studied the War of American Independence as it was called at school. It was seen as a speed bump between the Seven Years War and the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars and as a minor setback on Britain's rise to globalism and empire.
I'm under 30 and no, the American revolution I don't think is even on the National Curriculum of subjects that must be taught in school, the slave trade and the civil rights movement is though. We learnt about that in year 7/year 8.
You should remember that Britain was fighting two wars at that precise time. Against the Patriots in America and against Napoleon Bonaparte hell bent on conquering the whole of Europe. The Napoleonic wars are considered more important.
The American War of Independence happened before the French Revolutionary wars and Napoleonic Wars. The former was roughly between 1773 and 1783 while the latter was between 1789 and 1815.
My daughter was 14 when we moved to the US she was delighted that she was only expected to learn 500 ish years of history. Back in the UK students have 2,000+ years (give or take) to cover.
For that reason the American civil war and the war of independence really only make up a very small part of history lessons in the UK.
I earned my university degree in England, but I grew up in the American public school system until high school graduation, so I have some small insight into this. The reason it is taught so much more in the U.S. is because the entire nation was born from the Revolutionary War. For Brits, it is just one war amongst many wars and quite overshadowed by centuries and centuries of more important culturally and historically significant British events.
Now, ask your average American about something such as the year 1066 and the Battle of Hastings and he/she will usually draw a blank.
The American War of Independence happened before the French Revolutionary wars and Napoleonic Wars. The former was roughly between 1773 and 1783 while the latter was between 1789 and 1815.
Sorry, you're right. I'm confusing it with the war of 1812 when the US tried to invade Canada and Britain tried to create a Native American state in northwestern United States and burnt down the white house.
In any case the Napoleonic wars i.e. the battle of Trafalgar and Waterloo were more talked about. Actually come to think of it I think we may have visited the Boston Tea Party briefly.
When it comes to history classes, is the ACW ever talked about? If so, what kind of view do they take on it? Considering we are good friends now I would imagine it wouldn't be talked about in an overtly negative way but just imagining a British history teacher being all "Then those bloody yanks decided to rebel and become our enemies, they were evil!!" makes me laugh lol.
I don't know what students learn in history lessons in the UK, but I'm quite sure that they get taught a more balanced view of history than students in the U.S.
Not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. is the only developed country where wars itself (the military part) are taught. Other countries probably focus on parts that are really relevant. I can remember that I (in Germany) have learned something about the Boston Tea Party. But that's all I can remember. Not sure whether it was mentioned that there was a war of independence. It would be quite useless to mention it.
I know that German exchange students in the U.S. often get asked if we would learn something about the Holocaust and WWII and if so, what we would learn about it. Such questions are kinda shocking.
I don't know what students learn in history lessons in the UK, but I'm quite sure that they get taught a more balanced view of history than students in the U.S.
Not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. is the only developed country where wars itself (the military part) are taught. Other countries probably focus on parts that are really relevant. I can remember that I (in Germany) have learned something about the Boston Tea Party. But that's all I can remember. Not sure whether it was mentioned that there was a war of independence. It would be quite useless to mention it.
I know that German exchange students in the U.S. often get asked if we would learn something about the Holocaust and WWII and if so, what we would learn about it. Such questions are kinda shocking.
I did History at school to both Higher (Scottish system) and A (English system) level and then as one of my subjects at college (1960 - 1976).
First history we did was the history of Scotland and the history of Glasgow.
Next level up (Higher) was British and European history. European history was largely from 1789 to 1914. British history was from around the Seven Years War to 1914 and focused more on economic and social history (Industrial revolution, Corn Laws, voter emancipation, etc.).
At A level, British history was focused on the Tudors (1485-1601). European history was focused on the period from Louis XIV to 1789.
At college we again did the Tudors but also had classes in American history (mainly the Jacksonian era), the Spanish seabourn empire and contemporary history (post 1945).
In that rather wide sweep, the American War of Independence was, for Britain, a relatively minor event. Obviously for America it is the seminal event in the country's history. Furthermore, as an international player, America only really becomes important post-1941. Up until that point, her impact on world history was pretty limited.
There is a very general rule in the teaching of history to avoid get too close to the contemporary as the teaching can be influenced by personal experience and bias. As such, we never learned about the period from 1914 - 1945. That was probably a good thing as our parents, grandparents and teachers had all been involved in the war and its memory was still very strong in the collective consciousness.
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