The American Revolution from the British Perspective

Описание: The American Revolution was a messy and destructive war. It resulted in a humiliating loss for Britain and the thirteen American colonies successfully gaining their independence, now celebrated in the United States every year on the 4th July, Independence Day. For a long time, the view of King George III as a mad ‘tyrant’ persisted, fuelled by the strong words written down in the declaration. George was a figurehead that was easy to blame.

But what led to Britain’s loss of the American colonies, and what role did King George III really play in their war for independence?

See one of the earliest copies of the Declaration of Independence on display at Hillsborough Castle: https://www.hrp.org.uk/hillsborough-c...

Image credits:
The Declaration of Independence, on loan from The National Archives, London
Portrait of Benjamin Franklin and Letters between Franklin and Hillsborough, on loan from the American Philosophical Society
George III (1738-1820), Studio of Allan Ramsey © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2026 | Royal Collection Trust
George III, Queen Charlotte and their six eldest children © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2026 | Royal Collection Trust
George III (1738-1820) © Royal Collection Enterprises Ltd 2026 | Royal Collection Trust
Private papers, ‘America is lost!’ GEO/ADD/32/2010-2011, Supplied by the Royal Archives | © His Majesty King Charles III 2026
Draft abdication letter, GEO/MAIN/4555, Supplied by the Royal Archives | © His Majesty King Charles III 2026
New Map of North America (1763), New York Public Library
French Revolution print, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
The political cartoon for the year 1775, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
The Royal Proclamation of 1763. Library and Archives Canada, OCLC 1007612335
Plains of Abraham, 1797, Library of the Canadian Department of National Defence
Battle of Somosierra, 1860, National Museum in Warsaw
The Right Honourable George Grenville, The National Library of Wales
Pulling Down the Statue of King George III, N.Y.C. New York Historical
Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775, New York Public Library
The Right Honble. the Earl of Hillsborough, The New York Public Library
Portrait of Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke of Grafton,Bath Guildhall
William Pitt (1708–1778), Earl of Chatham, Victoria Art Gallery
Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquis of Rockingham,. York Mansion House
Modern London; being the history and present state of the British Metropolis, Page 291, British Library shelfmark: "Digital Store 10349.h.13"
Leaders of the Continental Congress--John Adams, Morris, Hamilton, Jefferson / A. Tholey. Library of Congress
The Interior of the House of Commons, 1793. Illustration for The Graphic, 11 February 1888. Credit: Look and Learn
Portrait of Col Isaac Barré, Bowood House