The British Empire: Expansion and Impact

• History Notes

Background: The British Empire

• The British Empire controlled vast territories, including dominions like Canada, Australia, and South Africa
• These territories were ruled by settlers but managed from London
• In 1857, India's revolt against British rule failed
• Missionaries worked to stop sati in India
• Early British contact in Fiji spread deadly diseases
• Missionaries like David Livingstone spread Christianity in Africa
• The British violently took Benin in 1897
• British sports spread across the empire
• An Aboriginal cricket team toured England in 1868
• Australia was used as a penal colony and saw many Aboriginal people killed or displaced
• In New Zealand, Maori land was taken by settlers

Why were Europeans mad about Empires?

• Reason 1: Wealth and Power
  • Europeans believed the world's wealth was limited and they had to grab their share
  • The idea was to claim as much land and resources as possible
  • Governments competed to have the biggest and richest empires
• Reason 2: Spread of religious beliefs
  • Between 1500 and 1900, many Europeans were strongly Christian
  • They believed non-Christians couldn't go to Heaven
  • Missionaries were sent to teach Christianity and convert people in other countries
• Reason 3: Spread of Ideas and Technology
  • Europeans thought their way of life was the best
  • After the Industrial Revolution, they wanted to spread new inventions and ideas
  • Other people were seen as 'backwards' and were forced to adopt European ways

The Transatlantic Slave Trade

• Lasted over 400 years
• Europeans enslaved millions of African people, mainly from West Africa
• Enslaved people were transported across the Atlantic Ocean in terrible conditions
• They were sold into a life of unpaid work and cruelty in the Americas
• Known as one of history’s most brutal and deadly systems
• Resulted in the deaths of millions of African people
• Enslaved Africans were sent to:
  • Caribbean: 5,000,000+
  • Brazil: 3,650,00
  • Spanish Americas: 1,200,000
  • United States: 305,000
  • Europe: 7000

The Triangular Trade

• Key points:
  • Time Period: 1740-1810
• Stages:
  • European ships brought goods (cloth, guns, hardware) to West Africa
  • Goods exchanged for enslaved Africans, who were shipped across the Middle Passage (dangerous, unsanitary, deadly)
  • Enslaved people sold in the West Indies and forced to work on plantations (sugar, coffee, cotton), goods then sent back to Britain
• Map info:
  • Europe -> Africa: Manufactured goods
  • Africa -> Americas: Enslaved Africans
  • Americas -> Europe: Raw materials

The Middle Passage

• Enslaved Africans were taken from inland villages and forced onto ships
• Ships carried up to 700 people with very little space; people were chained together
• Conditions were extremely poor: bad air quality, disease, and maltreatment
• Actual numbers on one ship: 609 people (351 men, 127 women, 90 boys, 41 girls)
• Enslaved people were treated as "cargo"
• Key vocabulary:
  • Cargo: goods carried by a vehicle
  • Maltreatment: to treat badly

What Happened at the Slave Markets?

• Upon arrival in the Americas, enslaved people were cleaned, washed, and prepared for sale
• Families were often separated at slave markets
• Sold to the highest bidder; buyers bought the strongest individuals
• Branded with hot irons to show ownership
• In 1700, one enslaved African could be bought for 3 pounds worth of goods
• Key vocabulary:
  • Branded: mark made by burning to show ownership

Job Expectations of Enslaved People

• Enslaved people were forced to work long hours (14+ per day), often under cruel conditions
• Some resisted, rebelled, or even gained their freedom
• Britain profited from plantations in America and the Caribbean
• Plantation work aimed to produce crops cheaply for higher profits
• Jobs included: picking cotton, weaving, cooking, mining, working on plantations, and construction

Abolition at Long Last

• 1787: The committee for the abolition of the Slave Trade was formed in Britain
• Olaudah Equiano, a former enslaved man, published an influential autobiography in 1789
• Public protests included boycotting sugar, writing petitions, and creating anti-slavery groups
• 1807: Slave trade abolished in the British empire; 1833: full abolition of slavery on the empire
• Slavery continued in parts of the USA even after it was abolished
• Key vocabulary:
  • Abolition: ending something (e.g., slavery)
  • Boycotted: refused to use or buy as protest
  • Shackle: metal band used to restrain

Remembering Slavery Today

• Abolition:
  • Slave trade abolished in the British empire in 1807
  • Slavery itself wasn't abolished until 1833
• Legacy:
  • UK cities like Bristol, Liverpool, Glasgow linked to the slave trade
  • Some buildings and streets are still named after slave owners
• Edward Colston:
  • Involved in the 17th-century slave trade
  • His statue was pulled down in 2020 during Black Lives Matter protests
  • Now placed in a museum

The East India Company

• Overview:
  • Founded in 1600, operated until 1874
  • Controlled much of the Indian subcontinent
  • Had its own army, territory, and almost total control over the tea trade
  • Described as a corporation with massive global influence
• Early Years:
  • Asked Queen Elizabeth I for a charter to trade in the East Indies
  • Competed with Spanish and Portuguese powers
  • Founded by merchants (70,000 pounds invested)
• Expansion:
  • Used military force and waged war
  • Took over Bengal in 1757 after defeating Siraj-ud-Daula
  • By the 1800s, ruled large parts of India and had 260,000 soldiers
  • Ruled on behalf of shareholders
• Key vocabulary:
  • Shareholders: a person who owns shares of the stock of a business organization

How did the British take control of India?

• 1599: East India Company founded
• India was not united - made up of small states
• British promised help to rulers who supported trade
• 1700: Rivalry with French East India Company led to conflict
• 1757: Robert Clive defeated Siraj-ud-Daula in Bengal
• Clive returned to India in 1765, expanded control
• By the 1850s: British ruled 60% of India
• British imposed cultural control (banned ceremonies, promoted British education)
• Some Indians resented British rule

The Indian Rebellion of 1857

• Background and causes:
  • Time period: 1750s to 1858
  • Ruling Power: India was under the control of the East India Company, backed by the British government
  • Economic Interests: British made money through trade, established factories and military presence in India
  • Political Structure: India was divided into states with Indian rulers, but they were controlled by the British
• Religious Tensions:
  • Two Major Religious Groups: Hindus and Muslims
  • Trigger Event: Introduction of new rifle cartridges coated in animal fat (beef and pork), which soldiers had to bite
  • This violated religious beliefs
    • Hindus: cow was sacred
    • Muslims: Pigs were unclean
• Outbreak of Rebellion
  • Start: May 1857 at Meerut
  • Mutiny: Indian sepoys (soldiers) mutinied after punishments by the British
  • Expansion: Spread to Delhi and other regions; rebels declared their own emperor
• British Response
  • British fought back over several months, regaining control by 1859
  • The rebellion was widespread, involving both military and civilian resistance
• Impact and Consequences
  • Violence and Atrocities
    • Both Sides: Committed violent acts during the conflict
    • Estimates of Deaths: Between 18,000 to 10 million due to fighting, famine, and disease
    • Notable Incident: Massacre of ~200 British women and children at Cawnpore
  • British Reaction and Propaganda
    • British Public Shocked: Focus on atrocities committed by Indian rebels
    • Art and Media: British artists highlighted the suffering of Christian women and children and brutal acts by the rebels
    • Example: Drawing of Miss Wheeler defending herself at Cawnpore used to evoke sympathy
  • British Punishments
    • Rebels were executed harshly, including the practice of "blowing from a gun" - tying sepoys to cannons and firing them
• Key Vocabulary:
  • Rifles: long guns shot from shoulder
  • Rebellion: Fighting authority or rules
  • Atrocities: Cruel, evil acts