12 The British Empire: Motivations for Expansion by Stephanie Cahill
Source Analysis: Motivations for Expanding the British Empire
Cover: Seamen’s Hospital booklet, author unknown (CC BY 4.0)
| Curriculum Context | VCE Unit 1: Empires, Outcome 1 (VCCA, 2020) |
| Historical context | British Empire |
| Historical thinking concepts | Asking historical questions |
| Learning intentions | Analyse sources to use as evidence toward my research.
Use historical questions and inquiry to explore the features of an empire. Understand the cause and consequence of British rule in different countries/colonies. |
Activity
Today you will be analysing primary and secondary sources to better help understand the motivations, problems, and successes that the British Empire faced during its rise. Using the template as a guide, analyse the the following sources:
Source 1: Proposal to claim lands in America for the English Crown, c.1690 (National Archives UK)
Source 2: The East offering its Riches to Britannia, Roma Spiridione, c.1778 (National Archives UK)
| Who? | Who created this source? Who is the author/creator? |
| What? | What type of source is this? What are its features?What is the purpose?What historical significance does it hold?What was the impact of this source? Do we know? |
| When? | When was this source created?
Is there a date attached to this resource? |
| Where? | Where was this source created?
Which part of the Empire did this source originate from? |
| Why? | Why was this source created? Who was the sources intended audience and why? |
Modelling what students have learnt from analysing these sources, students will create their own pamphlet reflecting on one of the countries that came under the British Empire’s rule, exploring the reasoning for the acquisition, what that country provided, how it affected the population and prominent figures that were placed in government to rule. Below is a list of the countries you can choose from:
- Canada
- Australia
- India
- Africa
- Egypt
Your pamphlet should include the following:
- Title
- Brief introduction to the country
- When it became apart of the British Empire
- Features of your chosen country.
- How the empire affected the people who lived there
This link will gives students ready access to an archive of documents in which they can observe and interact with to further their knowledge and information on their chosen topic.
References
National Archives, TN (n.d) The National Archives – Education Empires [online] https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20220222071432/https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/empire/
DK Find Out! (2000). DK Find Out! | Fun Facts for Kids on Animals, Earth, History and more!
https://www.dkfindout.com/us/history/victorian-britain/british-empire/
VCAA. (2020). VCE Study Design: History 2022-2026. Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/vce-study-designs/history/Pages/index.aspx
