Lesson 5 - Thirteen Colonies, the Seven Years' War and stamps.
1. Settling in the New World - A foundation myth
Cast your memory back all the way to history classes in 9e. Do you remember how ancient states had important myths that explained the origins of their settlements? For example there is the myth of King Minos in Crete or Romulus and Remus in Rome. Foundation myths are the stories people tell about how their state or civilization began. They’re not just fun tales – they play a very important role in helping people feel connected to their country, their history, and to each other. These myths often combine some truth with legend, and they explain the values, beliefs, and goals of the society they describe.
Cast your memory back all the way to history classes in 9e. Do you remember how ancient states had important myths that explained the origins of their settlements? For example there is the myth of King Minos in Crete or Romulus and Remus in Rome. Foundation myths are the stories people tell about how their state or civilization began. They’re not just fun tales – they play a very important role in helping people feel connected to their country, their history, and to each other. These myths often combine some truth with legend, and they explain the values, beliefs, and goals of the society they describe.
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A foundation myth helps give people a sense of identity – an understanding of who they are and where they come from. In Ancient Rome, for example, the story of Romulus and Remus told how two brothers, raised by a she-wolf, founded the city of Rome. This myth highlighted Roman values like bravery, strength, and destiny, and it made Romans proud of their city’s unique origins. Both Athens and Sparta were said to be founded by gods which is about as strong a justification for the existence of a settlement as you can have.
Similarly, in the USA, the myth of the Pilgrim Fathers plays a key role in shaping American identity. It tells the story of a small group of settlers who left England on the ship Mayflower in 1620, seeking freedom to practice their religion. According to the story, they survived harsh winters, worked together, and were blessed by God, who they thanked in celebrating the first Thanksgiving. This myth emphasizes values like hard work, cooperation, and freedom – ideals that many Americans still treasure today. The following extract is typical of old American school history textbooks and is a fairly standard account of the origins of the United States and the importance of the Thanksgiving holiday: |
Plymouth, England. 2025
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The English had first settled in an area which they called Virginia in honour of Queen Elizabeth (the 'Virgin Queen'). In 1620 a group called the 'Pilgrim Fathers' set sail for Virginia. Their leadership came from the religious congregations of English Dissenters (Calvinists) who had fled England for the relative calm and tolerance of Holland. Concerned with losing their cultural identity, the group later arranged with English investors to establish a new colony in North America. Their aim was to create a new life where they could worship as their conscience dictated, free from the constraints of the Old World.
Their ship, the Mayflower, was blown off course and arrived further north in an area called Massachusetts. Upon their arrival at Plymouth Rock, they were met with the challenges of a wild, untamed land . They faced a harsh environment and a difficult winter, which tested their resolve, but their faith and determination remained strong. The first winter was very hard and many of the settlers died.
The story of the Pilgrim Fathers is a testament to the virtues of faith, courage, and self-reliance, serving as a foundational story of the grand history of the United States. Today, Americans celebrate the survival of the Pilgrim Fathers on Thanksgiving Day. In the United States, it falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
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Activitity 1
1. Read the extract from the textbook very carefully so as to get a clear idea about the main points it is making. 2. Watch the Crash Course video opposite from the beginning to 7.20. You may want to watch it a few times because it contains a lot of information. 3. Make a list of the main ways in which John Green's (Crash Course) interpretation is different to that of the textbook. |
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4. The textbook account is only about 200 words and clearly cannot cover as much history as the film, but this is not the only reason why it is different. In 250 words or less, write your own account of the colonising of America which takes into account what you have learnt from John Green but also what you have learnt about North American colonisation in our previous lessons.
5. Consider President Trump's Executive Order from January 2025 (below), his review of the Smithsonian Museum in August 2025 and the recent actions of the National Park Service in January 2026. .
5. Consider President Trump's Executive Order from January 2025 (below), his review of the Smithsonian Museum in August 2025 and the recent actions of the National Park Service in January 2026. .
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The National Park Service removed a slavery exhibit at the President’s House Site in Philadelphia (left), which highlighted the nine people enslaved by George Washington, after an executive order by President Trump to align historical displays with “shared national values.” Critics condemn the action as whitewashing and Philadelphia has filed a lawsuit.
In the light of your re-writing of the foundational myth of the USA, what problems do you envisage with President Trump requiring that a 'Patriotic' history be taught in US schools that is 'an accurate, honest, unifying, inspiring, and ennobling characterisation of America’s founding...'?
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Extension and extras
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2. Thirteen colonies
In 1760 there were two and a half million people living in the thirteen colonies. About two million of the settlers had emigrated from Europe, most of them from Britain and Ireland. They went for various reasons. Some wanted to escape from religious persecution. Others hoped to make their fortunes in a new world where land was cheap and work plentiful. About half a million Americans had no such hopes. They were the slaves. They had been captured in Africa and sold as slaves to white Americans who needed labourers to grow cotton, sugar and tobacco in the hot southern colonies. They and their children and their children's children could never hope to enjoy the freedom of the new world. How Britain ruled its American colonies The thirteen colonies were part of the British Empire. In 1760 its king was George III. George ruled his Empire with the advice of his parliament in London, which was made up of wealthy English landowners. George appointed a governor to rule each colony in his name. Each colony also had an elected assembly which advised the governor about what the colonists wanted. For many years this system worked well. The colonists had a great deal of freedom. They could raise their own taxes and decide how to spend most of the money. But the governor kept them in touch with what the king wanted and the king often wanted tax. |
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Georgian England.
George I (1714–1727) Established the Hanoverian dynasty and the prime minister's role, with Parliament gaining power. George II (1727–1760) George II suppressed the 1745 Jacobite uprising and expanded the British Empire in North America and India. George III (1760–1820) His long reign saw the loss of the American colonies, but Britain grew elsewhere. His mental illness led to the 1811 Regency. George IV (1820–1830) Known for extravagance, George IV's reign brought cultural flourishing but public unpopularity. (See Matu 4 - Industrial Revolution) |
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As early as 1651, the British government had sought to control trade in the American colonies. Parliament passed the Navigation Acts to pursue a policy intended to ensure that trade enriched Great Britain but prohibited trade with any other nations. The policy brought the British government into conflict with the colonial settlers. Later English governments continued in their efforts to tax certain goods, passing acts (laws) regulating the trade of wool, hats, and molasses (liquid sugar). For example the Molasses Act of 1733 was particularly unpopular with the colonists, as a significant part of colonial trade relied on molasses. The taxes severely damaged the New England economy and resulted in a surge of smuggling, bribery, and intimidation of customs officials. Parliament also passed the Iron Act of 1750, which encouraged the export of raw iron from the colonies to Britain but banned the construction of new iron mills and steelworks in America. The aim was to prevent colonial industry from competing with British manufacturers. Although weakly enforced, the Act deepened colonial resentment by restricting economic development and reinforcing the sense that British trade policy served Britain, not the colonies.
Activity 2
1. Explain how Britain governed its North American colonies.
2. Explain how the Navigation Acts (1651), Molasses Act (1733) and the Iron Act (1750) created conflict between the British Government and their colonies.
1. Explain how Britain governed its North American colonies.
2. Explain how the Navigation Acts (1651), Molasses Act (1733) and the Iron Act (1750) created conflict between the British Government and their colonies.
3. The Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global conflict fought between 1756 and 1763. It involved every European great power of the time and spanned five continents, affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. The conflict split Europe into two coalitions, led by the Kingdom of Great Britain (including Prussia, Portugal, Hanover, and other small German states) on one side and the Kingdom of France (including the Austrian-led Holy Roman Empire, the Russian Empire, Bourbon Spain, and Sweden) on the other. The war was successful for Great Britain, which gained the bulk of New France in North America, Spanish Florida, some individual Caribbean islands in the West Indies, the colony of Senegal on the West African coast, and superiority over the French trading outposts on the Indian subcontinent.
The Seven Years' War was a global conflict fought between 1756 and 1763. It involved every European great power of the time and spanned five continents, affecting Europe, the Americas, West Africa, India, and the Philippines. The conflict split Europe into two coalitions, led by the Kingdom of Great Britain (including Prussia, Portugal, Hanover, and other small German states) on one side and the Kingdom of France (including the Austrian-led Holy Roman Empire, the Russian Empire, Bourbon Spain, and Sweden) on the other. The war was successful for Great Britain, which gained the bulk of New France in North America, Spanish Florida, some individual Caribbean islands in the West Indies, the colony of Senegal on the West African coast, and superiority over the French trading outposts on the Indian subcontinent.
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Activity 3 - Watch the film on the Seven Years' War and answer the questions here.
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As far as this unit is concerned, the Seven Years' War was significant for two reasons. Firstly, for the French the cost of the war and the territorial losses incurred, seriously weakened the monarchy. This financial debt and the later cost of military support against the British became a central cause of the French Revolution (see Matu 2). Secondly, for the British, the cost of defending their colonies had been enormous. The British Government decided to make the colonialists help pay towards the cost of the war by raising their taxes. The colonists protested at this. They said it was not right that a parliament in England, elected by people who lived over 3,000 miles away could tax them. They felt that they should only pay taxes imposed by an Assembly (parliament) they had elected themselves. The British ignored their protests. In 1765 the London Parliament introduced the Stamp Act. It put a tax on documents like contracts and wills. News of the Stamp Act caused outrage in the American colonies. Groups of men known as the 'Sons of Liberty' organised resistance to it. The slogan of these 'Patriots' was 'No taxation without representation'.*
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* Patriots, also known as Revolutionaries, Continentals, Rebels, or American Whigs, were the colonists of the Thirteen Colonies who rejected British rule during the American Revolution, and declared the United States of America an independent nation in July 1776. Their decision was based on the political philosophy of republicanism—as expressed by such spokesmen as Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Thomas Paine. They were opposed by the Loyalists, who supported continued British rule. (Wikipedia)
Activity 4
1. Explain why the Seven Years' War helped cause both the French and American revolutions.
2. What was the Stamp Act and why was it important?
1. Explain why the Seven Years' War helped cause both the French and American revolutions.
2. What was the Stamp Act and why was it important?
Extension
Alistair Cooke famous 'Letters from America' were one of the most iconic pieces of radio journalism produced in the UK. In the 1970s he also produced one of the first modern documentaries for the BBC, his personal history of the USA. The first two episodes are below.
Alistair Cooke famous 'Letters from America' were one of the most iconic pieces of radio journalism produced in the UK. In the 1970s he also produced one of the first modern documentaries for the BBC, his personal history of the USA. The first two episodes are below.
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