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The British EmpireThe Roots of ImperialismGreat Britain lies in Western Europe. The area, also known as the United Kingdom, includes England, Scotland, and Wales. But from the 1500’s onward, Great Britain was a huge empire. It was so big that people said, “The sun never set on the British Empire.” When it was nighttime in Great Britain, the daytime sun was shining on its colonies in Asia.By the end of the 1800’s, Great Britain’s empire was the largest in history. It ruled colonies on every continent including, Canada; India; the West Indies; Australia and New Zealand. It also ruled much of Southeast Asia and a large part of Africa. Great Britain created its empire through imperialism. Imperialism is when a country takes over another place’s territory or economy. To establish a colony, Britain would take over a new area of land. Inhabitants were told they were under British rule. Then, Britain would set up a colonial government ruled by the English crown. The native people had very little voice in the government.There were many reasons for Imperialism. The biggest one was economic. Industrialized nations, like Great Britain, took control of other countries for their natural resources. They needed colonies to supply trees and other raw materials to their factories. Colonies also gave industrialized nations a place to sell their products. But there were other reasons for Imperialism as well.In the 1800’s, many Europeans believed their country was great only if it had a lot of land. They encouraged European explorers to go to Asia, Africa and the Americas. Many Europeans felt these continents and their peoples were inferior. The fact they didn’t have industry only added fuel to their prejudice. Explorers arrived to these distant lands often with armies. Sometimes they fought the native people to establish a colony.Many Europeans also felt it was their duty to bring God to these new territories. Missionaries often followed the explorers. They came to convert the native people to Christianity. They would set up stations to preach about God. They would teach them about European culture. At times, they would also offer medical care. Christianity and the activities of missionaries did not always make sense to native people. One African asked an English missionary, “Who is Queen Victoria? Who is the Apostle Paul?” To the native, the kingdom of Great Britain and God seemed very far away. Sadly, imperialists and missionaries were often insensitive to local customs. While they brought some important things like medical care, they also destroyed many ancient native ways of life.Eventually, Great Britain no longer rules its colonies. In the 1900’s, the United Kingdom gave up most of its empire. It helped many of its colonies become politically independent countries. Many of these new governments became democratic parliaments, like Britain’s. Their laws were modeled after Britain’s as well. Britain’s influence lives on in many of its former colonies to this day.The first part of the passage tells you about:The United Kingdom todayGreat Britain and how it lies in Western EuropeHow Great Britain’s empire was the largest in historyThe women of the British coloniesWhat does “the sun never set on the British Empire” mean”?The sun always shines on Britain.The sun was always shining on some part of the British Empire because it was so large.The British Empire brought raw materials, like trees, back to Britain to make industrial products.The British Empire needed a lot of sun.All of the following have to do with Imperialism, except:missionaries bringing native people back to Englandmissionaries trying to convert natives to Christianitytaking raw materials from a colony and shipping them back to Englandbringing natives medical care All of the following were part of the British Empire in the 1800’s except forMexicoAustraliaCanadaIndiaChoose the word that best completes the sentence: Explorers and missionaries arrived to new territories with armies, and ______ fought the native people to establish a colony.alwayssometimesneverespeciallyNow defend your answer choice: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________What challenges might there have been ruling an empire as large as Great Britain’s?_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Answer the following questions based on the sentence below: Great Britain took over other countries in order to control their natural resources.Who? Great Britain(did) What?___________________________________________________________Why?___________________________________________________________The first part of the passage tells you about:The United Kingdom todayGreat Britain and how it lies in Western EuropeHow Great Britain’s empire was the largest in historyThe women of the British coloniesWhat does “the sun never set on the British Empire” mean”?The sun always shines on Britain.The sun was always shining on some part of the British Empire because it was so large.The British Empire brought raw materials, like trees, back to Britain to make industrial products.The British Empire needed a lot of sun.All of the following have to do with Imperialism, exceptmissionaries bringing native people back to Englandmissionaries trying to convert natives to Christianitytaking raw materials from a colony and shipping them back to Englandbringing natives medical careAll of the following were part of the British Empire in the 1800’s except for:MexicoAustraliaCanadaIndiaWhy did missionaries come to new territories?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ What challenges might there have been ruling an empire as large as Great Britain’s?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ After reading the passage, what can you infer as to why some of the native people of these colonies may have been frustrated with being a part of an Empire?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________TIC-TAC-TOE: The British EmpireChoice 1: Create an advertisement that promotes imperialismUse the reporter’s model to organize the information in your advertisement. Include colorful visuals and a catchy slogan to entice people to support British imperialism.Choice 2: Create a comic strip about British colonizers and the people they colonizedUse colorful images, speech bubbles, and/or captions to illustrate the relationship between British and their colonies. Choice 3: Compare and contrast European empireUse a T-chart or a Venn diagram to identify at least two similarities and two differences between European empires we have learned about this year. Be as detailed and specific as possible!Choice 4: Create an illustration equationUse colorful symbols to show the causes for British imperialism. Make sure the meanings of the symbols are clear and easy to interpret! For example, an illustration equation for causes of Spanish defeat of the Aztecs might look like this:+ + = Spanish defeat of Aztec EmpireChoice 5: Write a personal reflection on British ImperialismAnswer the following questions in paragraph form: How would your life change if another country colonized your hometown? How would you feel towards your colonizers? Explain your reasoning.Choice 6: Passage-based multiple choice and short-answer questionsComplete the rest of the reading comprehension questions that accompanied the reading.Choice 7: Compare and contrast thematic mapsSelect two of the PDF files located at website listed below. Draw a T-chart or Venn diagram and identify at least two similarities and two differences in the information provided by the maps. Make sure your interpretation of the information is meaningful—identifying differences in the colors and symbols used in the map key will not count! Don’t forget to write the names of the maps you selected! Click here: 8: Mapping the British EmpireUse the maps “Exploration and Empires, 1400-1600” and “World Imperialism to 1908” to locate places around the world that were conquered by the British Empire. Shade these regions on the dry-erase globe. Use a blue dry-erase marker to shade the regions conquered before 1600, and a black dry-erase marker to shade the regions conquered after 1600.Choice 9: Student-created optionYou may come up with your own small project to demonstrate what you have learned about British Imperialism. Your project must be approved by your teacher before you begin. TIC-TAC-TOE: The British EmpireDirections: Pick 3 of the following activities to make a row. Use information from the text to support your answers. The specific directions for each activity are listed on the back. Unless otherwise stated, all activities must be written in complete sentences.Choice 1:Create an advertisement that promotes imperialismChoice 2:Create a comic strip about British colonizers and the people they colonizedChoice 3:Compare and contrast European empireChoice 4:Create an illustration equationChoice 5:Write a personal reflection on British ImperialismChoice 6:Passage-based multiple choice and short-answer questionsChoice 7:Compare and contrast thematic mapsChoice 8:Mapping the British EmpireChoice 9:Student-created option ................
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