The British Empire

Question 1

What is an Empire?

Answer 1

A group of countries ruled over by a single monarch or ruling power.

Question 2

What is Imperialism

Answer 2

The policy of seeking to build and maintain an empire to gain an advantage over other countries

Question 3

What was Englands first colony

Answer 3

The state of Virginia - in the US

Question 4

What were the English colonies in the Caribbean

Answer 4

The first English colonies in the Caribbean were founded in the 1620s. Colonialisation of St Kitts began in 1623 and then expanded to islands including Barbados and Antigua.

Question 5

What country did England invade in 1655

Answer 5

In 1655 the English invaded Jamaica, which had previously been a colony of Spain. Jamaica formally became a British colony in 1670.

Question 6

Which state did England take over in 1664

Answer 6

In 1664, the English took over the Dutch colony of New Netherland, which included the state of New Amsterdam. The English renamed this New York.

Question 7

Which other states did England take over

Answer 7

The English took over New Sweden (which is now called Delaware). Florida, previously a colony of Spain, formally became a British colony in 1763.

Question 8

What were England greatly responsible for

Answer 8

The enslavement of millions of West Africans to work on Caribbean farms and sugar plantations.

Question 9

Which French colony did England take over in 1713

Answer 9

Acadia (New France in northeastern North America).

Question 10

How did the British take over control in India

Answer 10

Victories by Robert Clive, including the Battle of Plassey in 1757, drove out the French and established British control in India.

Question 11

How did England take control of Canada

Answer 11

During the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) the British won Canada from the French.

Question 12

What were the colonies gained at the Treaty of Paris (1763)

Answer 12

Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Tobago.

Question 13

Why did the War of Independence start

Answer 13

• In 1776, 13 American colonies joined together to form the United States of America and declare themselves independent from Britain
• They stopped paying taxes to Britain and no longer recognised Britain as being in charge of them

Question 14

What happened at the War of Independence

Answer 14

• Britain sent troops to fight the USA in a war
• France, Spain and the Netherlands took sides with the United States.
• Britain surrendered at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

Question 15

After the War of Independence, who ruled America?

Answer 15

George Washington

Question 16

What did the British Empire look like in 1783

Answer 16

• Colonies in North America, including the West Indies, and the Pacific including New Zealand
• Trading posts in India
• Naval bases in the Mediterranean - Gibraltar and Minorca

Question 17

In the century 1815-1914, what was added to the British Empire?

Answer 17

10 million square miles of territory and 400 million people were added to the British Empire.

Question 18

By 1924, how much land did the British Empire have

Answer 18

One fifth of the land in the world

Question 19

Why was there not much pride in the Empire in the colonized lands

Answer 19

Many people living in British colonies faced political and economic inequality and the decline of their culture and religion. For example, in Australia violence, disease and inequality contributed to a decline in the Aboriginal population by 90% by the 1920s.

Question 21

What was the reasons for the Empire in terms of trade

Answer 21

By colonizing territories which had these resources, Britain acquired a steady, cheap supply of raw materials for the new factories

Question 22

What were the reasons for the Empire in terms of strategy

Answer 22

Sometimes, colonies would be secured, not because they were desirable for trade, but because they were strategically important to Britain

Question 23

What were the reasons for the Empire in terms of religion

Answer 23

Religion became an important motivation for imperialism in the 19th century. The Bible says that Christians should attempt to spread the word of God. Many British people began to see having an empire as a way of spreading Christianity to people they saw as ‘uncivilized savages’

Question 24

What were the reasons for the Empire in terms of Imperial Rivalry

Answer 24

When other European nations started wanting empires in the late 19th century, an element of competition soon developed. The spread of imperialist policy in Europe created a ‘land grab’ in Africa, as nations attempted to stop their rivals achieving domination over the continent.

Question 25

What is the Commonwealth

Answer 25

An organisation of former British colonies

Question 26

What did the British think of the Empire?

Answer 26

Many Victorians thought of the native people as little more than savages.

Question 27

What were the purpose of missionaries in the British Empire

Answer 27

Missionaries were people who went out the convert the native peoples to Christianity.

Question 28

What was the British Empire like for the native people?

Answer 28

Native people did not intitally see the British people as dangerous. However, in many cases, native people soon came to see the less friendly face of the empire.

Question 29

What could be considered ‘the less friendly side of the Empire’

Answer 29

In the 18th century, slaves were used throughout the Empire, mainly for agricultural and domestic work.

Question 30

When was slavery abolished in the British Empire

Answer 30

1833

Question 31

Why was life still hard for native people even after slavery was abolished in the British Empire

Answer 31

Native people were still expected to work long hours for little pay.

Question 32

Why were diseases brought by the British very dangerous for the native people

Answer 32

They were not immune to the diseases

Question 33

What were benefits of the British Empire in places like India

Answer 33

Roads and railways were built and there were significant improvements in terms of sanitation

Question 34

Give an example of an inequality faced by native people in the British Empire

Answer 34

Native people, no matter how talented, were denied the same oppurtunities as British people