'In England

['tarako]

'ok, in my American Government class we just went over the american revolution and the question came up, how do they teach it over in england? Like we teach as a great fight and us eventually winning, how do they teach it?

[Deykari]

I was never taught the American Revolution at my school, and as far as I know, nobody else was taught it either.

May well be different at other schools of course, but not at mine. In England, we don't have specific classes per se until you get into higher education levels, you just learn about a few main events of history, recent and past under the broad subject title of 'History'.

In other words, it's not a compulsary topic, so unless you happen to find someone here who studied the American Revolution at Higher Education level, you'll be stuck for an answer.

Dey

[Fiere]

Cause the breaking up of the English empire and the forming of America isn't a "major event" *smirk*

[Deykari]

I wouldn't know, having not being taught it.

Dey

[Rairen]

Ironically, I was taught about it while I studied in England, but like Dey said, it was at Uni.

Because it was with one of my top five best teachers ever, I suspect my answer may not reflect the standards. It wasn't really any different than here (although, I was taking it at the university-level, so things were a bit more erudite than you'd find in high school.) I noticed a greater focus on the British political situation and their war with France that doesn't tend to come up in American classes. We tend to focus more on state and Continental Congress politics and the frontier. Otherwise, my lecturer was the best at keeping things balanced and pointing out the ironies on all sides of the war, including the stupid mistakes some British generals made.

For the Americans, remember that the Brits are aware of how big their empire was so there were many events and many wars that need face-time, many of which we aren't taught about as more than side notes, if at all, until you start taking more specialized classes. Oh, and their history is a lot longer than ours, too.

[Fiere]

This kind of thing makes me wonder what I missed in school. It's a bit disturbing to think about, really.

[Aulian]

pshhhh, who cares about america anyway?

[Belegriel]

They don't teach it b/c they're mad at us for bringing about(starting) the downfall of the Empire!!!!

[Questioner]

Actually bel they started themselves. With the fighting between the european powerhouses (France, England, Spain). No one can keep it up for too long without weakening. The french and Indian War just set up the beginning for inevitable.

['tarako]

'cool, cool, thanks. I really wonder how all the different countries teach history. We have what? 250 yearsish of history, we can teach that in highschool classes, other countries, with hundreds...

[Deykari]

History studies in England are strange in that you don't even study a lot of the main events in English history. We did a lot of stuff about Kennedy's assassination and the Indians. Then when it comes to your compulsary high-school level formal qualifications you have to study World War I and World War II, as well as the great depression in America.

So unless you go on to study history at college, there's an awful lot of stuff we won't know unless you go find it out yourself. I don't really know too much about British history any further back than say WW1 other than tidbits here and there.

Seems pretty strange to me really that over here, three out of five years of high-school history is based on American history when a lot of major events in our own country are left untouched. Not that it bothers me, I'm not hugely interested in my country's past, as unpatriotic as that may sound.

Just to show that that's true, I don't even know what the American revolution is or how it resulted in the downfall of the British Empire. In fact, come to think of it, the only thing I know about the British Empire is that we used to have a lot of boats, and there was something to do with Australia but I can't remember what it was.

Dey

[Questioner]

*Stupid news music*

"Welcome to the Questioner's history show. Today we will be exploring the miracle that saved britain from defeat at the hands of the spanish empire."

You did have alot of boats dey. Just it had to do with Spain. Spain was at war with britain and had the biggest and baddest fleet in the atlantic seas. Missy elizabeth made a grand ol' speech bout britain being the best and defeating the spanish. Turns out the british fleet's cannon balls couldn't even penetrate the thick wooden hulls of the spanish armada. They were doomed, out-armoured, out-classed, and out-numbered. Only thing is...you have to remember that britain's waters are notorious for the storms and high surf. Spanish armada got hit by the storm chasing the british fleet and most of them ran aground near northern britain. Lucky british were spared.

Next time on Questioner's history lessons...

"Britains defeated by the zulus in africa!"

[Deykari]

Oh, I know about that story, but I didn't think that was in the same time-frame as the whole British Empire thing.

Dey

[Bobo]

"You did have alot of boats dey. Just it had to do with Spain. Spain was at war with britain and had the biggest and baddest fleet in the atlantic seas. Missy elizabeth made a grand ol' speech bout britain being the best and defeating the spanish. Turns out the british fleet's cannon balls couldn't even penetrate the thick wooden hulls of the spanish armada. They were doomed, out-armoured, out-classed, and out-numbered. Only thing is...you have to remember that britain's waters are notorious for the storms and high surf. Spanish armada got hit by the storm chasing the british fleet and most of them ran aground near northern britain. Lucky british were spared."

I dont believe that is right. England won as a consequence of the weather AND the fact that their cannons had a longer distance than the spaniards

[Bobo]

That being said - the independence war is not a very big deal in uk simply because of the fact its old and happened so far away. As it has been said history focuses more on stuff such as the two world wars in which england was quite in the middle, and the cold war, industrialization - that kind of stuff.

[Sirax]

Lucky English?

Dont think so over confident Spanish. I can also see this post getting some people irked.

[Deykari]

I can also see this post getting some people irked.

Maybe.

But being English is about being able to drink (legally anyway) 3 years earlier than those west of the pond, right?

Not as though that stops people anyway, but it means we can hit the bars earlier anyway.

Oh, and yes, that was a joke.

Dey

[Questioner]

Well in theory they were lucky...with the storm that is.

[Sirax]

I would agree if you had said the Spainish had the best soldiers but at sea fariing and the use of artillery they were quite some way behind the English. Also they did not outnumber the English as you make out in fact the English had more guns and may i add heavier guns.

So as far as im concerned thats enough of that, and perhaps this post on Brit bashing might end.

[Anume]

Everyone take a deeeeep breath now and relax.

[Sirax]

im chilled

[Fiere]

I watched part of Braveheart last night. *smirks at Dey*

[Belegriel]

Scotland-England...all the same isn't it? Wales, Ireland...yeah, all the same.

[Deykari]

Tell that to anyone from any of those four nationalities and they'd bite your head off. There's a reason why some of Britain's most popular jokes revolve around, *gasp*, you guessed it, the Irish, the Welsh and the Scottish.

Dey

[Malanith]

Hence, why none of them are funny.