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Redcoats & Rebels: How Britain ‘Lost’ America

Thursdays 10.30-12.30 pm

Starts 3rd September

(Dr Mark Barnard)

7 Week course £63.00

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As General Cornwallis and his British redcoats went into captivity after surrendering to the American colonists at Yorktown on 19th October 1781, British bands played the popular tune at the time ‘The World Turned Upside Down.’

Precursor to one of the world’s most formative events whose legacy is still being felt today, its ideals enshrined with the 1776 Declaration of Independence have served as hope, inspiration and disappointment for millions since. But why did such a significant event occur and how did France shape events? Was king George III really an incompetent tyrant as the Americans often portrayed him? Could Britain have prevented the breaking away of the colonies? Did the world really ‘turn upside down’ for Britain?

From the first shots at Lexington to the surrender at Yorktown, the course covers the main causes, controversies and consequences of the conflict for America, Britain and France.