What do the British (currently) think of George Washington and the American Revolution?

Question

What I mean is do they feel America was wrong? Or vise-versa? Or...?

Answer 1

They say that it was Mad King George who lost the US, but perhaps people ought to revise their opinion of him :-)

Seriously, most people don't have an idea one way or the other about either George Washington or the American Revolution.

Answer 2

Never thought about it.

Answer 3

I've a suspicion that a lot of Brits would never have heard of him or the revolution.

Answer 4

The American Revolution or War of Independance was fought a very long time ago.

At the time here in England, about 50% of the people supported the Revolution.

The Revolution is not given much time in schools here in UK.  Kids are taught about it, no doubt, but not at any length.

The only surviving house belonging to Doctor Benjamin Franklin F.R.S. is here in London and you can visit it on-line if you wish . . . . .

Ben Franklin - the play

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=lrTxZoDS7o...

Life and times of Ben Franklin

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=8AiXh-8W0G...

Ben Franklin quote. . . .

"Those who can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. " Benjamin Franklin.

Ben Franklyn's House - London

Benjamin Franklin House

http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org

36 Craven Street,

London, WC2N 5NF

telephone - 020 7839 2006

Open Wed-Fri 11:45am-5pm

Welcome to Benjamin Franklin Housen the heart of London, just steps from famed Trafalgar Square, is Benjamin Franklin House, the world's only remaining Franklin home. ...

http://www.benjaminfranklinhouse.org/  

Useless factoid concerning Ben Franklin is that when he died, his body weighed in at a massive 300 pounds.  He obviously did not think dieting important.

One thing which often puzzles people here in UK, is why so many Americans think their history is only 200+ years old.

Actually, the first English colony was established in America in the year 1607 [four hundred years ago] at Jamestown in Virginia.  That's Jamestown - named after King James of the King James Bible.

It has been said that by the start of the Revolution, most Americans had only read one book - namely the King James Protestant Bible - the family bible in fact.

Nothing wrong with that.

More revolutionary facts - when Lord Cornwallis surrended his sword to George Washington Esq at Yorktown, there were still 10,000 Redcoats in the Loyal City of New York.

In 2006 President George W Bush removed from the American statute books, the English Law of Habeas Corpus which had been passed in the House of Commons here in London in the 17thC long before the Revolution.

Habeas Corpus Defined and ExplainedDefinition of 'Habeas Corpus' - Lat. 'you have the body' - Prisoners often seek release by filing a petition for a writ of habeas corpus. A writ of habeas ...

http://www.lectlaw.com/def/h001.htm

Habeas corpus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThe state inherited habeas corpus as part of the common law when it seceded ... The law which regulates the procedure is the Law of Habeas Corpus of 24 May ...

http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_...

Now that the English Law of Habeas Corpus no longer exists in the USA, anyone, including an American Citizen, can be arrested and locked up and held without trial.

It is already happening.

While Americans talk glibbly of their Revolutionary victories, their Revolution is slowly being erroded and stolen from them.

A Revolution is perpetual and the American Revolution is as relevant today as is was in 1776.  So what are the American people doing about taking back their rights, liberties and freedoms, now so erroded as to be virtually non-existant?

May I introduce you to George Fishley Esq., who as a boy of 17, was near Valley Forge without either shoes nor stockings.

Welcome to Historic American Prints  - Born in 1760 and enlisting in the Continental Army in 1777, George Fishley entered this world during the reign of King George III, and stayed long enough to ...

http://www.historicamericanprints.com/hi...

GOseacoast - A New Hampshire Seacoast region and South Coast of ...Captain George Fishley (1759-1850) died at age 91, one of the last "****** ... His fame lies in the fact that George Fishley was among a highly select group ...

http://www.goseacoast.com/detail.ihtml?c...

The Last Men of the RevolutionIn recent years, a circa 1850 daguerrotype of New Hampshire Captain George Fishley was discovered. Joe Bauman (click on his name to send him an e-mail,) a ...

http://www.americanrevolution.org/lastme...

There are believed to be some 100 early photographs of surviving men from the American Revolution - I have only seen about a dozen so far - George Fishley being the most famous.

Of the ten battles fought between the British and Continental armies, the British won seven of them.

Lobster [a Redcoat] firest 3 shots in 46 seconds using a 1776 Brown Bess [British] musket.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJMbxZ1k9...

Lest we forget. . . .

By Royal Command - Buckingham Palace Yard 9/11

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwrX-LN9-...

British & American Special Forces - Afghanistan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VktQBj1D...

Answer 5

Hi

As most of the other responders have quite rightly said, unless your in to history (as I am) the American war of independence doesn't appear on most peoples "radar", probably the same as most average Americans couldn't tell you much about the English civil war and Oliver Cromwell??

As your aware I'm sure, it was pretty much an accidental revolution anyway, with most Americans at the time not really starting out looking for full independence, but that's a long story...................................... anyhow with the exception of Richard Nixon and George W you haven't done too bad a job with the colony lol............... but could have been so much better if you had stuck with us, what do you think??

Take care

Answer 6

It's not taught in schools over here (at least it certainly wasn't in my day) so I know nothing about it and it doesn't interest me enough to find out.

Answer 7

It is fair to say that most people in the UK, unless they have a special interest, won't know much at all about George Washington and the American Revolution.  It is not taught as part of out history in schools - probably because in the scheme of things and in the context of our history it is not that significant.

Answer 8

As a Brit;  Why would I 'currently' be thinking about such things?  I have no thoughts on the subject,except to say, George Washington was probably a good man and the AR was inevitable.

Answer 9

Nobody cares!

Answer 10

as you said the revolution

Answer 11

As a Brit! i dont  Care about the Amercians or their History. Have More important things to care about

Answer 12

as you say , a Revolution !

Answer 13

They don't think about it very much, its just accepted as being something which was fair enough. George Wahington doesn't mean anything to the British.