Wanted~British girls who remember their history

**SHOPGIRL** · 11-17-2005, 12:00 AM

I was wondering if anyone of our U.K. girls could help me out. I teach U.S. History and I just finished up with the American Revolution. Does anyone remember how British textbooks describe the American Revolution? I'd love to see how its taught in England vs America.

**SHOPGIRL** · 11-17-2005, 12:01 AM

Originally posted by SHOPGIRL
I was wondering if any of our U.K. girls could help me out. I teach U.S. History and I just finished up with the American Revolution. Does anyone remember how British textbooks describe the American Revolution? I'd love to see how its taught in England vs America.

I tried to edit this, but I was blocked out. Don't know why?

**forestdale** · 11-17-2005, 12:26 AM

This isn't exactly British, but here in australia, we're taught that because of the American Revolution, the British could no longer dump their convicts in America, so in 1788, they started sending them to Australia. It was the first use of Australia by white people - as a penal colony.

**SHOPGIRL** · 11-17-2005, 12:49 AM

Thanks! I'll tell my students that tomorrow.

**hollyhill** · 11-17-2005, 02:10 AM

Well from the Canadian point of view the Americans were called the rebels and the British the Loyalists. The many of the Loyalists moved to Canada after the rebellion. The loyalists viewed the rebels as lawbreaking anarchists

. Where as the loyalists were lawabiding subjects to the king.
By the way Benedict Arnold is considered something of a hero here.

.

**SewCrafty** · 11-17-2005, 08:06 AM

Found this book for you Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes maybe your library has it.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380715449/103-6204113-5743010?v=glance&n=283155&v=glance"]Amazon.com: Redcoats and Rebels: The American Revolution Through British Eyes (9780380715442): Christopher Hibbert: Books[/ame]

Check out that link and scroll down, there are at least 6 other books listed on the subject.

Kudos to you for wanting your students to see both sides of the story!

**canadian gardener** · 11-17-2005, 11:10 AM

Thank you. You are a great history teacher. There is always another side, sometimes more than one, to any story.

A truly great teacher gets kids to see from other people's eyes, not necessarily to agree, but to understand a point of view.

I remember shocking some of my Canadian friends by bothering to teach about the US civil war, and we explored both the opinions, the north and the south. The pov's were WIDELY different. One was human rights, the other was the right to secede from a union and both sides were concerned with money tied up in the slave trade.

The events of the US Civil war also shaped us, as the slave trains went north, and many black colonists formed communities on the eastern seaboard.

I ditto Hollyhill, that is the way it's taught here. Benedict Arnold was a hero of the Empire, who risked life and limb for his country.

I did teach my kids our version of events, but also how the Americans saw it because the "no taxation without representation" was a deciding factor for many. On our side of the border it was about the value of loyalty to the crown of England, remaining British subjects.

History books on your side of the border rarely mention the 2 invasions of Canada. Both were repulsed, and one gave us Laura Secord as a heroine of Canada.

From the American pov, they were trying to liberate us from England, but from our pov it was invasion. After they failed, both times are rarely mentioned.

Look up Fenian revolt and you might find a footnote to one of them.

**mom22grls** · 11-17-2005, 11:29 AM

WOW! This is interesting. I was never told that US invaded Canada!!
Of course, in HS, I never cared about this stuff. Now I find it interesting....DH is bored with my watching the History Channel.

**hollyhill** · 11-17-2005, 11:49 AM

hey,we've study alot of American history too.....
My daughter was very interested in the civil war and she has read almost every book about the underground railroad. She also read alot about the Lewis and Clark Expeditions and our own Palliser expeditions.
My children love that period of history and spent quite a bitof time on the war of 1812 too.
And they LOVE the stories about General Brock!

**graci42** · 11-17-2005, 12:43 PM

Seldom does any gov't allow failed military actions to become a focal point in it's history books. I'm sorry to say I've never heard of the U.S. invading Canada (twice!!!!!!). Somehow that leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

That just seems wrong to me. I can see taking action when people are being killed for speaking their mind or genecide. But to butt your nose into another country because you don't like their way of running things. I think not.

What other "events" have we been kept ignorant of, I wonder?

Graci

**canadian gardener** · 11-17-2005, 04:08 PM

LOL Graci, it became part of our national identity. It's not something we feel badly about at all. We are actually quite pleased with our efforts, since America is ten times our size in population.

Hollyhill refers to General Brock, and the whole war of 1812 (which was one of the two invasions) which helped us define ourselves a bit better.

Sort of like, well, we aren't British, and we fought off the overly enthusiastic Americans (they really meant well, and truly thought we'd appreciate the "freedom" that we'd already politely declined) so somehow we are something different.

And honestly they did mean well. Just didn't think we really meant no thank you to the American version of freedom, being quite content and happy with our own version of it and we just had to be a little firmer when the good old boys from down south did a little invasion party in a fit of enthusiasm.

That's one of those forgiveable lapses between close neighbors.

**mom22grls** · 11-17-2005, 04:20 PM

Originally posted by canadian gardener
That's one of those forgiveable lapses between close neighbors.

Thank goodness!! LOL! If Canada tried to take *us* over....gosh...we might have to have affordable healthcare!!

**canadian gardener** · 11-17-2005, 04:29 PM

I don't know if you ladies have seen the movie Canadian Bacon, but it never fails to send me into whoops of laughter.
Not just because it has the late and very funny John Candy (a Canadian export) but because it does a terrific job of skewering the differences between Americans and Canadians with a lot of hyperbole and silliness.

It's an American movie that really "gets" the humour and different styles between the two countries.

You have to watch it if you haven't seen it.