British Empire Flashcards
What is a colony?
An area ruled by another country
Give 3 reasons Britain wanted an empire:
- to compete with Spain and Portugal
- to develop trading links to grow wealth
- to spread religion
Give 3 ways Britain grew their empire:
- war = when fighting with other countries, they would often inhabit large areas and take over bits of land if victorious
- Trade = when large trading companies moved to different countries, they would slowly take over large areas of land
- Exploration = when explorers came across new land, they would usually claim it on behalf of Britain
What was Jamestown?
The first permanent English settlement in America
When was Jamestown founded?
1607
Who sent the settlers to America with the goal of developing a settlement?
King James
Give 3 reasons people would want to move to America?
- there was a rise in disease in England at the time, so many people wanted to escape to avoid risk
- to spread the word of christianity to the indigenous peoples
- It was believed there was a lot of gold in America, so people wanted to move there to become wealthier
Give 3 reasons Jamestown was a failure:
- the voyage from England to America took many months, so by the time they arrived, they had run out of all the resources they had packed, including food
- It was very hot which most of the English weren’t used to, so there were many deaths
- They settled near a swamp where the water wasn’t drinkable due to being dirty and infected, so they didn’t have any water
Give 3 reasons Jamestown was a success:
- They built a fort to protect themselves from wild animals
- They eventually formed good relations with the indigenous peoples and started trading with them
- They began growing tobacco and transporting it back to England which brought the settlers a lot of money
How many colonies were set up in America?
13
Give 3 reasons the colonists wanted their liberty:
- the British started imposing new laws and taxes on them
- they had no representation in parliament which is where all the decisions regarding the new laws/taxes were being made
- when they began protesting against these new laws/taxes, the British tried to remove their right to bear arms
Give 2 reasons Britain lost the war of independence, despite being more powerful:
- they had to transport weapons and soldiers from England to America, which took many months, allowing the Americans to prepare and strategise
- the English soldiers had less passion and motivation for the cause than the American soldiers, who made the choice to fight and were desperate for their freedom
When was the American war of independence?
1775
Explain 3 things about life in India before colonisation:
- It was very culturally and religiously diverse, with the main religions being hinduism and islam
- It was divided into multiple kingdoms, each of which were ruled by Hindu princes
- It was rich in natural resources like minerals, oil, spices, silk and gemstones
Give a simple timeline of how Britain took control of India:
- Vasco de Gama discovered how to get from England to India by boat
- Soon Britain was sending ships to India to trade and set up permanent trading posts. This was called the East India trading company
- The East India trading company began taking more Indian land and use its army and navy against India
- As time went on, most Indian rulers were either beaten in battle or pitched against each other before Britain had control of most of India
Give 3 methods used by the British to take control of India:
- Force = used violence to gain control by fighting with Indian rulers of the time
- Education = changing India’s education system and trying to spread new languages, religions and traditions
- Indirect rule = ruling India through systems that were already in place
What does caste mean?
Class of a person within Hindu society
Give positive impacts of colonisation in India:
- Britain built over 24,000 miles of railway track to help improve trade and brought a lot of new architecture to India
- the British invested a lot of money into Indian agriculture and built dams, supplied water to dry areas and increased the amount of land that could be used for farming by 8
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Give negative impacts of colonisation in India:
- the farms were not used to produce food for the local populations, instead it was being sent away ( leading to starvation )
- Indians had no right to vote and very few had any contribution to the governing of their country
- permission to establish buisness and trade was only given to British owned companies, so the wealth from the trade industry didn’t go to Indians
- destroyed their textile industry which meant many Indians working in textiles lost their jobs
What are sepoys?
Indian soldiers fighting for the British
What does Raj mean?
It is an Indian word meaning ruler - often used to describe the period where Britain ruled India
What was the main trigger for the Indian mutiny?
- Sepoys were angry because they were treated differently to British soldiers: they were paid less money and were rarely given promotions
- The British used animal fat to grease the weapons which went against the views of the sepoys. When they refused to use the weapons, they were sent to prison
Give 2 ways the Indians fought for their liberty:
- peaceful protests = some would peacefully protest by doing walks or giving speeches. Ghandi was a believer in this
- violent mutinees = some would rebel by killing christian missionaries, destroying churches and targeting powerful figures like tax collectors
What is a penal colony?
A type of settlement where convicts would be sent to work away their sentence
When did Captain James Cook first travel to Australia?
1770
Who lived in Australia before the settlers?
the Aboriginal people
When was the first penal colony in Australia developed?
1788
Give 2 reasons penal colonies were a good idea:
- The prisons were overflowing and the only other options of punishment were death or let them be free
- The convicts worked hard to build architecture, grow crops and create a settlement suitable to inhabit which meant England didn’t have to spend any money on workers
Give a reason penal colonies stopped being used:
- People began comitting crimes on purpose, as once their sentence was over, they were free to own land and accquire status and wealth in Australia
How did Cecil Rhodes take over Africa?
( Give a simple timeline )
- Britain took over about 16 areas of land, including Sudan, Nigeria, Zambia, Egypt and more..
- Many mines were developed so that Britain could benefit from the rich minerals and natural resources found in Africa
- Cecil Rhodes arrived in Africa and took over many of the mines in Southern Africa as well as helping expand English territory by killing thousands of African warriors
- He was soon named minister of Capetown, but his political career came to an end when he tried to invade Dutch territories
What do you call the rush made by European powers to colonise Africa?
Scramble for Africa
Give 3 positives of the scramble for Africa:
- formal education was introduced across Africa
- Western medicine was introduced which helped the growth of African populations
- The introduction of Christianity promoted literacy and advanced healthcare
Give 3 negatives of the scramble for Africa:
- Europe used Africans to work at the mines, however they were paid very little and there were bad conditions
- They took the best farming land for themselves, meaning African communities could not grow their own crops
- They increased taxes on African nations and did not help them much financially
What motivated Cecil Rhodes to take control of Africa?
He believed Africans were inferior to white people and thought Europe deserved to be in control of the entire world
Give one difference between how Egyptians/West Africans were treated by the British Empire and how South Africans were treated:
- Britain wanted to have a good relationship with Egypt, as they had many trade routes so Britain didn’t interfere with their culture or religion. Many Egyptians had spaces in parliament and sent their children to be educated in Britain. West Africa and Britain had close ties due to the slave trade, so wealthy West Africans were allowed to have well paying jobs and spaces in parliament
- South Africa was used for its rich natural resources and the Africans had very few rights under British rule - they had to work as miners and faced a lot of discrimination, as well as not being able to keep their religion and culture
Give 3 ways Native Americans were mistreated by the British Empire:
- thousands had to relocate and were separated from their families/communities due to western expansion
- many native children were sent to residential schools where they were forced to give up their language, culture and had to live in poor conditions
- “Indian reserves” were created and Native Americans had to live there - often there wasn’t much education or money
What is a dominion?
A country given the right to rule itself but still part of the British Empire
Give 5 factors that led to British colonies gaining their independence:
- individuals who fought for freedom
- peaceful protests
- violent protests
- ready to rule themselves
- contribution to the war
Give an example of an individual who fought for freedom:
Ghandi - campaigned against British rule using peaceful protests
Give an example of a peaceful protest:
Salt tax protest - Ghandi led thousands on a walk across India to protest against the new laws surrounding salt
Give an example of a violent protest:
The Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya which led to them becoming an independent state
Give an example of a colony ready to rule themselves:
Australia became a dominion because Britain trusted them to rule themselves and pass their own laws
Give an example of a colony that contributed to war:
During WW2, African territories contributed massively by supplying soldiers and weapons. They then felt they deserved to be free
Give a physical legacy of the British Empire:
The borders the British created India and Pakistan
Give an environmental legacy of the British Empire:
Many native species wiped out due to the introduction of British animals like birds and cattle
Give a movement legacy of the British Empire:
3 million Africans were enslaved and transported to British colonies in the Caribbean and North America
Give 3 ways Britain profited from slavery:
- Many buildings in Liverpool were built from money made from slavery
- Lloyds bank insured many slave ships
- The National Gallery got its first painting donation from someone who built his wealth from slavery
Give 3 methods abolitionists used to end the slave trend:
- they would get eyewitness statements of what happened to slaves to prove how inhumane it was
- organise local petitions and get thousands of people to sign so they could bring them to parliament
- get influential people to support their cause
Give 3 things women did to help abolish slavery:
- in the 1800s, there were more than 70 anti-slavery societies
- many women stopped buying sugar grown in plantations
- A lot of women visited people and tried to convince them to support the movement by giving speeches and handing out flyers
Give a way former slaves helped try to abolish slavery:
Wrote autobiographies to spread awareness about their treatment
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Give an example of slave resistance:
The maroons of Jamaica
runaway slaves who formed hidden communities and fought against plantation owners
Give 3 examples of famous abolitionists:
- Thomas Clarkson
- Thomas Pringle
- Granville Sharp
When was the slave trade ( The capturing and transportation of slaves ) banned across the british empire?
1807
When was the slave abolition act ( not being able to own slaves anymore ) banned?
1833
What are unionists?
Northern states against slavery
What were the southern states that supported slavery called?
Confederate states
Give 3 causes of the American civil war:
- Industry vs farming
Northern states had started using factories while the Southern states still heavily relied on farms ( and therefore slave labour ) for resources - Slavery/morality
Many people in the North believed slavery was wrong and immoral, while the South still heavily believed in it - Power
There had been arguments about power between the North and the South for decades, as the South felt that having the government based in the North was removing their rights and power
Who was Abraham Lincoln?
The president of the United States who was part of the anti-slavery republic
Was Abraham Lincoln a believer in equality for all races?
No, though he was against slavery, he still believed Black people were inferior to White people and didn’t deserve the same rights
What is secession?
When Abraham Lincoln was elected and the Southern decided that they wanted to form a new country
What was the emancipation proclamation?
An official document that declared all slaves in the confederate states still in rebellion could be free and could enlist in the union army
Give 3 reasons the unionists won:
- difference in manpower = North had a much larger population + all the newly freed slaves + European immigrants
- railroad links and trade - the North had better railroad links and trading routes which meant the transportation of weapons and soldiers was faster
- Northern industry = their developments in technology meant they were able to mass produce weapanery at a fast rate
What was the 13th amendment?
the act passed that stopped slavery
What was the 14th amendment?
The act passed that allowed freed enslaved people to be considered citizens
What was the 15th amendment?
The act passed that meant African Americans can vote
Give 3 issues former enslaved people faced in America:
- many of them didn’t have an education and still faced discrimination which meant they couldn’t get a job
- Southern states continued to be racist and mistreat Black people which led to the KKK ( a racist group that harmed and killed black people ) being formed
- There wasn’t always enforcement of the new rules, especially in South states, so some remained enslaved
What was reconstruction?
The period after the civil war when America had to rebuild its country
How long did reconstruction last?
10 years
Why is reconstruction also known as the “tragic era”?
Because African Americans in the South were not able to fully benefit from their freedom due to the oppression and violence they faced
