NationStates Jolt Archive

So there was a thread a few days ago about the war of 1812 and how the americans viewed it. It seemed fairly popular so i figure i'd try this one.

How do the British view the American Revolution. Are they utterly digusted to this day or are they indifferent. I know that George III's reign was actually a fairly sucessful one and from what i know the loss of the American colonies wasnt a monumental loss. But how do you British see things?

Decidedly meh, tbh.

So there was a thread a few days ago about the war of 1812 and how the americans viewed it. It seemed fairly popular so i figure i'd try this one.

How do the British view the American Revolution. Are they utterly digusted to this day or are they indifferent. I know that George III's reign was actually a fairly sucessful one and from what i know the loss of the American colonies wasnt a monumental loss. But how do you British see things?

It doesn't concern me particularly. India was a prize genuinely worth retaining.

Which war in 1812, incidentally? The real one in Russia?

I honestly don't care about it. It was, after all, a very minor event in the early days of the Empire.

It doesn't concern me particularly. India was a prize genuinely worth retaining.

Which war in 1812, incidentally? The real one in Russia?

oh there was a real war in1812, the british invaded the united states and it lasted 3 years. dont even try to play it off like it wasnt a real war.

I honestly don't care about it. It was, after all, a very minor event in the early days of the Empire.

A minor event that's repercussions would effect the destiny of an entire continent and later the world.

I honestly don't care about it. It was, after all, a very minor event in the early days of the Empire.

though it did throw parliament into complete upheaval and forced the resignation of lord north.

I think the Americans got off far worse than we did in the end

I would like to note that it seems America likes to fight wars when Britain is busy fighting someone else :p

A minor event that's repercussions would effect the destiny of an entire continent and later the world.

Ah, but that's the consequences. I wasn't asked what I thought of American independence, I was asked what I thought about the war.

oh there was a real war in1812, the british invaded the united states and it lasted 3 years. dont even try to play it off like it wasnt a real war.

eh?

oh there was a real war in1812, the british invaded the united states and it lasted 3 years. dont even try to play it off like it wasnt a real war.

We learn about Waterloo, Austerlitz and the Nile. You learn about a superpower attempting to anhillate a dissidential colony. Hmmm.....

meh, it was costing us more to keep the colonies then to just let them go, but pride and stuff says that we ignore it, anyway india was a much nicer place, lots of princes with big jewlwe chests to rob rather than a few puritan emigrees and the local aboriginals who were not that rich goldwise

though it did throw parliament into complete upheaval and forced the resignation of lord north.

You don't know much about Parliament if you think that a resignation is it in upheaval.

When Parliament is in upheaval, it either chops the Kings head off or claims India for the Crown.

Well as a Canadian - I guess that would mean on the side of the British - I consider it a time in Canadian history that holds a lot of cultural and social importance. The divide between the French and English in British North America narrowed for the time being and it provided a sense of 'national pride'. I also think the British colonies looked briefly like a united Canada for the first time during the War of 1812.

I think the Americans got off far worse than we did in the end

I would like to note that it seems America likes to fight wars when Britain is busy fighting someone else :p


i know the whole of europe was engulfed in fighting in 1812, but who else were they fighting in 1776?

Not trying to dis anybody but i just dont know british military history.

i know the whole of europe was engulfed in fighting in 1812, but who else were they fighting in 1776.

Thanks to the machinations of Catharine the Great, all of Europe.

i know the whole of europe was engulfed in fighting in 1812, but who else were they fighting in 1776?

Not trying to dis anybody but i just dont know british military history.

The clue is in an ABBA song.

Well, the ABBA song is actually 40 years later, but it was the same enemy. We like to fight them. :p

You don't know much about Parliament if you think that a resignation is it in upheaval.

When Parliament is in upheaval, it either chops the Kings head off or claims India for the Crown.

your right, i dont know much about parliament. usually in america when the head of the congress steps down, that means something is very very wrong. like civil war is on the horizon, or half the government is ready to be indicted.

i know the whole of europe was engulfed in fighting in 1812, but who else were they fighting in 1776?

well the American war of independence was won more by Spain and France than by any American rebels

your right, i dont know much about parliament. usually in america when the head of the congress steps down, that means something is very very wrong. like civil war is on the horizon, or half the government is ready to be indicted.

We just get a new Prime Minister and go about our lives.

Remember, our PM is the Head of Government, not the Head of State. Heads of Government are easily replaced, as there's always someone else who wants the job.

The American Revolution was stupid. A bunch of white guys wearing tights, wigs, and way too much makeup bitching about their tea being too expensive? Yeah, overthrowing your political leaders because you can't buy any tea is totally justified.

well the American war of independence was won more by Spain and France than by any American rebels

spain didnt help us. if anything the US was on the verge of war with spain until the 1800's over mississippi river stuff. but yeah i'll agree 100% that there would be no United States of America without France.

We just get a new Prime Minister and go about our lives.

Remember, our PM is the Head of Government, not the Head of State. Heads of Government are easily replaced, as there's always someone else who wants the job.

yeah... forgot that the monarch is the head of state and PM is head of government. Im used to the president being both.

Costa Bravo;11634147']The American Revolution was stupid. A bunch of white guys wearing tights, wigs, and way too much makeup bitching about their tea being too expensive? Yeah, overthrowing your political leaders because you can't buy any tea is totally justified.
I don't think they cared too much about tea. They threw 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor!

I don't think they cared too much about tea. They threw 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor!

please, i beg you. tell me you didnt just look up the exact amount of tea that was thrown overboard.

I don't think they cared too much about tea. They threw 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor!

If only they'd boiled the water first. Then everyone could have brought along some Digestives for some dunking heaven!

please, i beg you. tell me you didnt just look up the exact amount of tea that was thrown overboard.
Random fact that was etched into my memory by my Grade 10 History teacher.

Random fact that was etched into my memory by my Grade 10 History teacher.

good, i was picturing you there being all uber gamer tearing through hundreds of years of archives looking for an exact number.

good, i was picturing you there being all uber gamer tearing through hundreds of years of archives looking for an exact number.
Or just taking thirty seconds to look it up on wikipedia.

Costa Bravo;11634185']Or just taking thirty seconds to look it up on wikipedia.
I did that afterwards to make sure I was right :D

I don't think they cared too much about tea. They threw 342 crates of tea into Boston Harbor!

well I learnt in that episode of loony tunes that King George actually put tacks in the tea!

I'm sure the Scottish/Welsh/Irish and maybe even Manx or whatever members of this board feel deeply offended by your snub.

(learn what the words British and English mean before you start throwing them around plz)

It didnt really hurt the Empire that much since after America we started focusing on India and they gained colonies like Australia,New Zealand.

Sure it effected world history but Britain didnt really lose any moral because they knew that the only reason the colonist won was because France supported them and Britain got there revenge during the wars againts napoleon.

Besides the empire grew so huge that losing America didnt really mean anything.

Besides i remember reading that after the revolution things got so bad in America that for a few years they didnt even think the revolution was a good thing.

They couldnt even pay the soldiers who fought for that war.

As they say, at the time we were annoyed but we had far more lucrative colonies elsewhere.

The rate at which British governments change their makeup is a lot faster than in the US (even if we manage to retain a Prime Minister for a decade or more the actual ministries and such usually have 3 or 4 ministers in a the same period). Any scandal or setback can end a politician's career in Cabinet if the party leadership decides they'll make a good scapegoat. After all, there's usually at least a hundred more MP's who want the job.

To be honest we were a lot more worried by the French Revolution (I don't recall the exact date but it was at a similar time) and the wars in the Crimea than we were about a group of fairly small colonies (as they were at the time).

I'm sure the Scottish/Welsh/Irish and maybe even Manx or whatever members of this board feel deeply offended by your snub.

(learn what the words British and English mean before you start throwing them around plz)

I know dont you just hate it? Im Scottish and Welsh (but parents born in england).

I know dont you just hate it? Im Scottish and Welsh (but parents born in england).

How does that work?

As an Englishman today, I'm not bothered. George III was a German despot. I salute the revolutionaries of 1812; I'm just dissapointed their ancestors didn't keep up the revolutionary tradition. :-/

How do the British view the American Revolution. Are they utterly digusted to this day or are they indifferent. I know that George III's reign was actually a fairly sucessful one and from what i know the loss of the American colonies wasnt a monumental loss. But how do you British see things?

Hmmm...I don't remember learning about this in school. Which doesn't mean to say I didn't, it's just that I've forgotten most things from high school. :(

So that was when we lost America? Oh well, it was good while it lasted, all those crazy puritans were shipped there. Which may be why America now has more than its fair share of fundies. Hey, I think I recall learning about puritans in school, and about black slavery. I learned stuff in history class. *Is proud* :)

I don't remember learning about anything else to do with America though. I've seen a few films with cowboys. I don't think cowboys are nice people, they keep whooping and randomly shooting their guns. It's just not polite to be that noisy.
:gundge:

We don't really learn about it in school or anything (or very much else of our imperial history - presumably to avoid inflaming young minds about how great we are/were, I don't know the reasoning), so our reaction's pretty indifferent. The world's changed so much - as has the relationship between the 2 countries (we're your bitch now!) - since then it's like hearing about 2 foreign countries.

There was an american cartoon about the revolutionary war I had on video when I was _very_ wee - it was my favourite! I cheered on the goodies (colonists/americans) and booed the baddies (british) like a good 'un.

Indifferent and unknown to most Britons, I think.

To be honest, I'd be surprised if even 15% of the UK population knew the War of 1812 happened.

Seen as only a minor event, barely worthy of attention. We were, after all, involved in a much greater war at the time, and the acquisition of India is a much more important imperial event.

spain didnt help us. if anything the US was on the verge of war with spain until the 1800's over mississippi river stuff.

Untrue. Totally. Just look up General Bernardo Gálvez so that you'll know the Spanish contribution to the US. When it was a Spanish possession traffic through the Mississippi was closed to the English but open to the US. Overall Spain played a very big role.

Shortly after the US independence Spain gave Louisiana back to France, so you couldn't have had problems "over mississippi river stuff" until the 1800's. There were some issues over establishing the borders of Louisiana after the purchase, but these were relatively minor and quickly agreed.

i view as the steeping stone to the Raj and also as the first American Civil War

i know the whole of europe was engulfed in fighting in 1812, but who else were they fighting in 1776?

Not trying to dis anybody but i just dont know british military history.
from wikipedia

American War of Independence (1775–1783) - North America
First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) - India
Fourth Anglo-Dutch War (1780–1784)
Second Anglo-Mysore War (1780–1784) - India

So 3 other wars during the American war of independence.

As an Englishman today, I'm not bothered. George III was a German despot. I salute the revolutionaries of 1812; I'm just dissapointed their ancestors didn't keep up the revolutionary tradition. :-/

This might be a bit presumptuous, but did you do Matusiak's extension history questions?

Well of course if we had sent some proper soldiers over, instead of Butlin's Redcoats, America would still be a proper colony.

I can't speak for all British people, but I get the impression that most (Myself included) aren't really bothered about it. It hardly gets a mention in school history lessons.

The first time I heard about it was on NS general

The first time I heard about it was on NS general

Join the club.

You know, i never really thought about it...

It's good of you to bring it up, coz i'm going to think about it now