[Past Event] American Revolution with Dr. Bell | Zoom + Recorded

Course Description:

Oct. 14: A Disunited Kingdom

Seen through American eyes, the Revolution marks a triumphant moment. Through British eyes, it looked quite different. To the King, the war for independence was an affront, a temper tantrum by an ungrateful colonial rabble. But, beyond the palace and Parliament, British responses to the war were anything but monolithic. The country was bitterly divided as to what the war was about, how to win it, and whether it was worth it.

Oct. 21: Crown Jewels - The British Caribbean

In 1775, the British Empire in the New World consisted not of thirteen colonies, but of almost thirty. The largest were on the mainland, but the most valuable were in the Caribbean and Jamaica was the "jewel in the Crown," a sugar-exporting factory that generated more wealth for Britons than most mainland colonies combined. In this lecture, we'll explore how fearful imperial officials worked to split their empire in half, insulating the British West Indies from the contagion of revolution by any means possible.